The Hired Hand (1971)

Reconnection Or Loyalty?

The Hired Hand is directed by Peter Fonda and written by Alan Sharp. It stars Fonda, Warren Oates and Verna Bloom. Music is by Bruce Langhorne and cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond.

Harry Collings (Fonda) and his partner Arch Harris (Oates) have been out in the western wilderness for too long. Harry finally calls it a day and sets about returning to his estranged wife and child of seven years...

Beguiling, utterly beguiling, now here is a Western movie of such simple formula, yet still it's able to be a mighty treasure. This was Fonda's debut directorial effort, and since he would only go on to direct two more feature films, it's clear it wasn't the medium for him personally. But his love for his debut work speaks volumes, for he knows he got it right, and maybe he ultimately realised he was not going to top The Hired Hand for personal satisfaction reasons?

Pic is like some elegiac fairytale, nuanced to the hilt and dictating the pace on its own terms. Narratively the simplicity comes down to if one man can reconnect with his long estranged family? Then the spanner in the works comes by way of a test of loyalty, front and center that's basically it. There's a superb strand that shows and tells us that a woman needs loving, both physically and mentally, this as the man's world rages around her, but the thrust is three lost and lonely people at the crossroads in this dusty part of the West.

Pic is a technical delight. Zsigmond's (McCabe & Mrs. Miller/Deliverance) photography is sumptuous, rich in naturalistic tones, the moments of beauty captured actually belie the barren landscape these characters inhabit. Langhorne's musical score is tight to everything that's smart about the production, very contemplative and even haunting at times. The editing by Frank Mazzola is impressively impressionistic, and the writing from Sharp (Ulzana's Raid/Night Moves) is astute and uninsulting for period realism.

Fonda turns in a wonderfully subtle performance, instilling Collings with a weary resignation of a life he let slip away. As for Fonda the director, he lets his co stars have a fine day in the sun. Oates - as his fans already know - was a magnificent character actor who deserved better status back in the day. Thankfully his legacy lives on and his work is now viewed with keen appreciative interest, The Hired Hand gives a glimpse of just how reflective he could be. Bloom, smartly devoid of make-up and hairdo oddness to keep it real in the West, has Hannah Collings as heartfelt and stoic in equal measure - she is terrific.

There are small bursts of violence, there has to be for the story to come full circle and reveal its hand at the closure, but this is in no way an action piece. You can understand to an extent why the film was met with disdain upon release, cut and ultimately buried by Universal. This was the first film Fonda made after Easy Rider had made waves in the industry, so expectation for what was expected of The Hired Hand were obviously muddled. Early critical notices were harsh, where's the shoot-outs and high energy horse pursuits they cried, and so this beautiful film got lost for years. Thank the movie lords for home format releases then, for now it can be seen in all its delicate glory. 9/10