Clint Eastwood's Major Films

Clint Eastwood: Biography and Films

Began film career as an actor

Instantly iconic in his role in Dirty Harry: Violent, strong silent type

Spaghetti Westerns: The man with no name, bent on revenge

Work as director

Play Misty For Me (1971): Story of a radio host being stalked

Bridges of Madison County (1995): Love story with Meryl Streep, adaptation of well-known romantic novel

Oscar-winning Unforgiven (1992): Eastwood directed an unconventional Western, after starring in so many himself. Film "functions as both a brilliant western and an examination of the genre as a whole and its patent unrealities" (Sims 1).

Million Dollar Baby (2004): The story of a female boxer, with Eastwood playing her coach as well as directing

Directorial technique

Eastwood has favored relatively intimate, character-driven films. Even when his films contain a great deal of action, like Unforgiven, ultimately it is the character that drives the work (such as Gene Hackman's memorable portrayal of the film's villain and Eastwood's haunted anti-hero).

B. Eastwood's eclectic choice of materials and genres has caused his technique to vary from film to suit the script.

C. Eastwood believes in trusting good material -- when the script for Million Dollar Baby was presented to him, he left it virtually unaltered. He places a great deal of trust in screenwriters.

IV. Director's films

A. Eclectic style: "Eastwood's directing career is a bizarre mish-mash of genre films, B-list popcorn material aimed at middle-aged audiences, serious and straightforward dramas, and sometimes genuinely adventurous material" (Sims 1).

B. Difficult to characterize Eastwood as a director although most of his films are character-driven 'actor's films' versus focusing on special effects.

V. Film analysis: Unforgiven (1992)

A. Both celebrates the traditional Western revenge drama and also critiques the genre

B. Film relates the revenge killing of two cowboys who mutilated a prostitute.

C. Despite a great deal of action, also many moments of contemplation. In one exchange Will (Eastwood) is asked by the Kid "is that how it used to be in the old times," underlining the contrast between the mythology of the old West and the present.

D. Kid reveals that he lied about killing five men before: "you sure killed the hell out of that man today," says Will while Kid is both boasting and drinking to ease the pain.

E. The exchange is set against the backdrop of a beautiful prairie, highlighting the ugliness of the act.

F. "It's a helluva thing, killing a man," says Will, piercing through the younger man's bravado.

G. Scene has no music, the focus is on the dialogue and the sound of the Kid trying to drink away the pain as he is half-laughing, half-crying. Will is utterly impassive and unemotional in contrast to the Kid. The actors make almost no eye contact and while the Kid is shot in close-up, Will is largely shot at a distance, indicating his distanced attitude vs. The Kid's emotionalism.

VI. Film analysis: J. Edgar (2011)

A. One of Eastwood's more recent films

B. Depicts corruption of J. Edgar Hoover, head of FBI

C. Hoover is portrayed as a clean-cut, sharply-dressed man who 'looks the part' of someone who is utterly contained, in stark contrast to his willingness to bend the law at later points in his career.