Haskell ("I'll never work with him again") Wexler has died (December 27) aged 93. (Despite my label, he worked four times with Ashby* - they would have met on In the Heat of the Night - and twice with Norman Jewison, and the poor deep South social background in that film is well caught by him.)
This is his extraordinary colour Oscar, a sublime pastel vision created through flashing the film (about which he sought Vilmos Zsigmond's advice) and by avoiding primary colours in any of the production design. There's also a lot of dirt and dust which helps evoke the times. It seems there's much use of natural light and near dusk, and no obvious lighting in the night scenes. (There's a wonderful close up of Carradine on a train with the setting sun right behind his head.) And according to 'Cinematography Screencraft' it was the first feature to use a Steadicam for the crowd scenes (Peter Ettedgui 1998).
Like Woody Guthrie himself (a splendid performance by David Carradine) Wexler was a wartime merchant seaman; they also shared an uncompromising political persuasion and would have been kindred spirits (as would Woody and Hal), Wexler having made documentaries about South America (such as Target Nicaragua) and Interviews with My Lai Veterans.
Depicting the Americans' barbarity to each other, film no doubt also reflects social issues in then contemporary seventies USA - though also shows the spirit of camaraderie that existed between the poor work-seekers.
Written by Robert Getchell from Guthrie's autobiography. With Ronny Cox, Melinda Dillon, Gail Strickland, Randy Quaid, Ji-Tu Kumbuka.
Leonard Rosenman also received Oscar for his adapted score; film, screenplay, costume design and editing (Robert Jones (Shampoo, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?) and Pembroke Herring (Groundhog Day) - no doubt under the watchful eye of former editor Ashby) were also nominated.
* The others were:
Coming Home (1978)
Second Hand Hearts (1981)
Looking' To Get Out (1982)
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