Actor/Director Clint Eastwood. Specifically it

¶ … actor/director Clint Eastwood. Specifically it will discuss his work as a director and producer of motion pictures. Clint Eastwood began his career as an actor in westerns, action dramas, and even some comedies, but today he is best known for his directing and producing some of the most poplar films of all time, such as "Unforgiven," "Million Dollar Baby," "Flags of Our Fathers," and "Letters from Iwo Jima." He is also an accomplished musician who has composed the scores for many of his films.

Clint Eastwood has become one of Hollywood's most prolific and successful producers and directors due in part to his risk taking and attention to detail. One writer says of his directing abilities, "His position as one of America's most respected directors was cemented by his receipt of an Oscar for directing "Unforgiven" (1992), which received widespread critical approbation as well as achieving his highest box office as either a director or a star" (Allison). Many of his other films have received equal acclaim, and won Academy Awards, as well.

Eastwood's interest in directing and producing started early, and his entrance into the field helps illustrate his risk taking nature. In 1968, he formed his own production company, Malpaso, which is really an incorporation of Eastwood himself. Author Paul Smith writes, "From 1970's "Kelly's Heroes" onward, Eastwood has not worked on a film that does not include either his own or Malpaso's name in the production credits. And since the mid-1970s, [...] Eastwood and Malpaso have had what appears to be an exclusive distribution arrangement with Warner Brothers" (Smith 60). Eastwood's trademark loyalty is apparent here, as is his business sense. He is known for coming in under budget on films, as well as finishing on time. And in fact, many of his films have been completed for far less than many other Hollywood blockbusters (Smith 60). His funding instincts, like his other instincts, serve his production company well. He says, "When I went into directing,' he says, 'I brought to it the philosophy that a director needs a lean, creative, hand-picked crew - large enough to do the job but small enough so that everyone has a sense of participation and constant involvement'" (Allison). Eastwood did not direct the first film created by Malpaso, but he did direct the second, "Play Misty for Me," which established Eastwood could act in something other than a western, and remains a popular cult film even today.

Eastwood has also been known as a risk taker, from the formation of his own film production company to the types of films he wanted to produce and direct. For example, westerns had fallen out of favor in Hollywood in the 1970s, but Eastwood chose the project "Pale Rider" anyway. Author Smith notes, "The release of "Pale Rider" is a certain kind of market risk: according to a marketing executive at Warner Brothers, the film's distributor, 'Everybody was nervous about a Western working' (USA Today, 2 July 1985, D1)" (Smith 45). Eastwood backs up this assessment in his own words. He tells author Douglas Thompson, "But everybody has to have an edge and my edge is instinct. There are always people telling me what to do, but I've always done what I felt like doing" (Thompson 3). Eastwood marches to his own drummer, often eschewing the Hollywood publicity and attention so many other personalities crave. He lives in Northern California, rarely gives interviews, and avoids the spotlight whenever possible. In fact, his personal of the cultural loner and reluctant hero on the screen seems to fit him perfectly off the screen, as well.

Eastwood's films almost always embody good against evil and the very nature of the perfect hero. Author Smith continues, "Eastwood's movie appears to suggest, in keeping with its general moral message that 'the war is over,' that the hero can indeed return" (Smith 45). All of his films contain this heroic element, even if the endings do not always end "happily ever after" in Hollywood style. Eastwood seems to understand the larger-than-life hero protagonist, and offers many films that embody this heroic figure, from "Flags of our Fathers" to "Unforgiven" and even "Play Misty for Me." His heroes are often unusual, and might seem like anti-heroes, but they win their fight and seem larger than life by doing so.

In addition, many of Eastwood's films have become cultural icons, giving identity and meaning to historic and important occasions. "Unforgiven" is an unforgiving look at the last days of the Old West, while "Flags of Our Fathers" shares an intimate moment in American history, introducing the men behind the famous photograph of Iwo Jima. Even more stylistic is "Letters from Iwo Jima," a look at the war though the eyes of the Japanese soldiers who fought and died on the island, and told entirely through subtitles (a risky move even today for most theater audiences). These films offer Americans a glimpse into their own varied cultural identity, and they are much more than entertainment venues, they teach, raise emotions, and even give glimpses into history that most people would never get to experience.