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| Electra Glide in Blue |
Alas, no YouTube video. But the Internet provides;
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| A Text Review |
Film Details
Director: James William Guercio
Cinematographer: Conrad L Hall
Stars:
Robert Blake as John Wintergreen
Plot Summary:
The film follows the life and work of John Wintergreen, a motorcycle cop with the Arizona Highway Patrol. Despite his modest stature and unassuming personality, Wintergreen aspires to become a detective, believing that being a cop is his calling.
Wintergreen's routine highway patrol work takes a dramatic turn when he stumbles upon the scene of a murder in the desert. This discovery leads him to become involved in a complex investigation, where he must confront various societal issues, such as male toxicity, the counterculture movement of the 1970s, and the disillusionment of the American Dream.
Stars:
Robert Blake as John Wintergreen
Mitchell Ryan as Herve Poole
Plot Summary:
The film follows the life and work of John Wintergreen, a motorcycle cop with the Arizona Highway Patrol. Despite his modest stature and unassuming personality, Wintergreen aspires to become a detective, believing that being a cop is his calling.
Wintergreen's routine highway patrol work takes a dramatic turn when he stumbles upon the scene of a murder in the desert. This discovery leads him to become involved in a complex investigation, where he must confront various societal issues, such as male toxicity, the counterculture movement of the 1970s, and the disillusionment of the American Dream.
Personal History
A film I have not seen before and knew very little about.
Current Review
The cinematography is stunning. Not just Monument Valley - shown off in its full majesty, but in the framing of every shot. This trailer gives a feel.
Future inspiration from the film has to a road trip holiday and the back catalogue of Conrad Hall.
The film explores a number of themes, running as a police led mirror to Easy Rider. The American Dream and ambition explored through Wintergreen's career desire, and subsequent disillusionment. He moves from a motorcycle traffic cop to a homicide detective. Then there is toxic masculinity through the unforgettable Harve Poole. He is the Alpha Male who Wintergreen aspires to be - to the point of copying his ten gallon hat and cowboy boots look - but is eventually torn to absolute bits. After some delightful self confidence and quasi-religious mutterings, he is shown to be the bully he is and ultimately, through a bizarre scene with a shared girlfriend, as an impotent, scared little man.
There's subtlety in the film, and full concentration required throughout. At times it veers from gentle comedy (Wintergreen dancing in his "detective suit", sans trousers and the flirting scene at the ice cream stand) to standard hollywood actioner. A motorcycle chase scene, with exploding bikes and slow-mo crashes through shop windows. There's a distinct moral compass, as Wintergreen does the right thing throughout, only to be met by corruption and undeserved heroes.
The ending is something - sharing common ground with Moviedrome #1. No spoilers here, other than to say - "Very 1970s". A view of Monument Valley, fading to Sepia over several minutes, accompanied by the song "Tell Me" by Terry Kath.
Quirky Facts
- Guerico's only film as a director. Better known for producing the band Chicago, who make an appearance
- A young, unaccredited, Nick Nolte can be seen as a member of the hippie commune
Sustenance
ChatGPT recommended chilli con carne to represent the cuisine of the American South. Mrs M pulling a face, suggesting her recipe would be better than anything I could find on BBC Good Food. After her advice, the recipe and especially the timings, kind of went out of the window.
For drink, my AI tool of choice unimaginatively recommended beer. Tesco's stock nothing American except Budweiser. I remember that the CO-OP always used to stock Sierra Nevada but no longer. Fortunately, they label their wine with the flag of origin. Of course, the only Californian red was possibly the most expensive in the shop. Mrs M will not guess it was £15, but may find the transaction on the joint account.
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| £13.50 in Sainsburys |
Quotes
- Harve Poole: "Incompetence is the worst form of corruption."
- John Wintergreen: "Loneliness. Do you know that loneliness'll kill you deader than a .357 Magnum? Did you know that?"
- Sgt. Ryker: "[to a lineup of motor cops] Attention! Dress right. Dress! Parade rest! Good morning, pigs. Good morning, you fascists! Honkies! You killers! You bigots! You fags! You pinkos. You creeps! You bastards! Fuzz."
Future Inspiration
There's a lot to be had here. The cinematography really stands out in this film. It may have been made on a budget but it looks incredible. What a back catalogue he has;
- In Cold Blood
- Cool Hand Luke
Fat City- Marathon Man
- and in the modern era;
American Beauty- Road to Perdition
1970's American Cinema is surely the best era of cinema. I should find a reference book (Easy Riders and Raging Bulls was found). AI suggesting similar films;
- Easy Rider (although from 1969)
- Vanishing Point (Moviedrome)
- Two Lane Backdrop
- Badlands (Moviedrome)
A rather nice podcast, CinemaCinemaCinema, went into some detail on the film. Although this seems to have fizzled out, they review some unusual and unexpected films in their back catalogue.
I'd rather like a road trip that takes in Monument Valley.
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