Wild Horde at Arte: 22 people released from filming

75 days of Wild Horde shooting, which will become 81, budget 3.4 million, which will become 5 or 6 and Sam Pekinpa in the best shape, but also … on his nerves!

Indeed, in this early spring of 1968 in Mexico, Major Dundee’s director is abusive on the set with his technical team, speaking out loud when things are not as he imagines, to the point that some people sometimes interfere to reduce the atmosphere.

On the set, if the deal between Beijing and its producer Phil Feldman is in good shape, the latter will not hesitate to announce its director:

“Sam had no sympathy for the guy the family was helping, but in the false case, it was not his problem and he could not stand it … he did not even realize the mistake that would eventually be corrected. He was very hot and if anyone made a mistake on the set or elsewhere “He was ready to jump and it is a shame.”

This character trait is also attested by the interested person, as in the book by Michael Bliss’s own confession I’m right: Best Criticism of Sam Beijing’s The Wild BunchBeijing claims:

I believe Mr. Feldman and I have released 22 people from The Wild Bunch. They were not members of all the studios, of course, some were independent, some were union members from Mexico City. But we worked very hard and more than 8 hours a day.

According to legend, comedian William Holden threatened to leave the set if Pekinpa did not address his staff better. In the mimicry, the same Holden is subconsciously inspired by how Sam Pekingpah leads his team in the interpretation of Pike Bishop, his character. According to the film’s editor, Holden Lou Lombardo “Lead his team as Sam led his team!” (Quoted) Wild Bunch: An American classic that has forever replaced Westerns By Bill Mesche, Jr.).

Ernest Borgnin (Dutch), for his part, has very good memories of filming, even though he threatened – almost physically – the director that he was allowed to get rid of the dust that was clogging his throat and preventing him from breathing.

Whatever the shooting conditions of this western, Beijing has made its best film, which will remain if we keep only one. This film symbolizes many things for the history of cinema. It symbolically marks the end of the Hollywood studios era, as Beijing had a “director cut” on the assembly, even if that right undermined Warner.

Indeed, Feldman did not object at the time that the studio cut the Wild Horde into ten minutes when it was already in theaters, simply to reduce its duration.

The Wild Horde also puts a final nail in the coffin of Westerners of the classic Hollywood era, portraying outlaws not as Robin Hoods but as shameless assassins, a work that Beijing started with excellent fire in the Sierra.

Eventually, he transcends the boundaries of on-screen violence, followed by Arthur Penn Bonnie and Clyde two years ago. To add to the depravity of hemoglobin that American society was not prepared for, the film will cause a scandal when it comes out because of it. The Italians by that time already had a field day, but the public had never seen it in an American film.

That is why genius is sometimes accompanied by an element of madness. We leave the final word to the actor LQ Jones (in the movie TC), who worked on 5 feature films in Beijing:

Sam went crazy on The Wild Bunch, but I’ve seen it a lot worse. As well as on the set of Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid, where he was drunk from morning till night and robbed me and Harry Dean Stanton with a loaded gun. In the Wild Horde movie she was in love with the script and was really determined to do a good job. He only went crazy if things did not go his way.(Comments from the magazine Flashback).