10 – 20 August

With his innovative depiction of action and violence, Sam Peckinpah (1925-1984) cultivated an image that belied the depth of characterisation in his films. Peckinpah’s world is populated by outsiders, forced to compromise their sense of honour in order to survive. This theme mirrored a professional life notable for battles with producers and crew members that almost destroyed his reputation. Perhaps no other American director spent as much of his career fighting studio interference, his films were often butchered before their release, several emerging years later as restored classics.

Dir: Sam Peckinpah
US/Mexico 1974 112mins 35mm
A powerful Mexican rancher demands the head of the man who impregnated his daughter, sending bounty hunters scrambling for the million-dollar prize. Bennie, a down-and-out piano player who happens to know that Garcia has already died in a car accident and where the body is buried, thinks he can make some easy money if he digs the head up. But Bennie pays a high price for his ambitions, sending him on a tequila-fuelled path of self-destruction and leaving only death in his wake. Capturing the very essence of Peckinpah, this film is still controversial today, even among his fans. Stars Warren Oates and Kris Kristofferson.
Listed in 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die

Dir: Sam Peckinpah
US 1972 122mins 35mm
Master thief Doc McCoy gets sprung from jail after his wife beds a corrupt local politician and is promptly employed by the same man to plan the ultimate bank robbery. Doc finds himself in the middle of a series double-crosses that propels him on the wrong end of a high-speed pursuit across Texas with his adulterous wife in tow. This tough, lean and non-stop action film was scripted by Walter Hill and features an original score by Quincy Jones. Stars Steve McQueen, Ali McGraw and Ben Johnson. Print courtesy of the National Film & Sound Archive.

Dir: Sam Peckinpah
US 1970 121mins 35mm
A change of pace for Peckinpah who takes a lighter turn in this rambunctious ode to the dying West. A roguish prospector becomes a small-time entrepreneur by transforming a desert water-hole into a flourishing business on the stagecoach line, only to see his dreams evaporate with the appearance of the first automobile on the horizon. A fine example of Peckinpah's ability to make unconventional and original work without resorting to explicit violence, it is often cited as one of his personal favourites. Stars Jason Robards and David Warner.
Print courtesy of the National Film & Sound Archive.

Dir: Sam Peckinpah
US 1969 145mins 35mm
After a botched robbery that leaves a town devastated, several outlaws regroup over the border of Mexico while pursued by a former member of their gang. In a mechanised world of Model-T Fords and Gatling machine guns, this bunch of misfits soon realise that their time has passed and resolve to take one last stand in order to set things right. This restored version is a violent, lyrical and unexpectedly moving cinematic masterpiece. Stars William Holden, Robert Ryan, Ernest Borgnine, Ben Johnson, Warren Oates and Peckipah’s repertory company of rogues.
Listed in 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die