Bound for Glory (1976)

This film is an excellent biography of Woody Guthrie, one of America's greatest folk singers. He left his dust-devastated Oklahoma home in the 1930s to find work, and discovered the suffering and strength of America's working class.

Director:

Hal Ashby

Writers:

Robert Getchell (screenplay), Woody Guthrie (autobiography)

Stars:

David Carradine, Ronny Cox, Melinda Dillon

Won 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Carradine	...	Woody Guthrie
Ronny Cox	...	Ozark Bule
Melinda Dillon	...	Mary - Woody's Wife / Memphis Sue
Gail Strickland	...	Pauline
John Lehne	...	Locke - Radio Station Manager
Ji-Tu Cumbuka	...	Slim Snedeger - Hobo on Train
Randy Quaid	...	Luther Johnson - Migrant Worker
Elizabeth Macey	...	Liz - Johnson's Wife
Susan Vaill	...	Gwen Guthrie
Sarah Vaill	...	Gwen Guthrie
Alexandra Mock	...	Sue Guthrie
Kimberly Mock	...	Sue Guthrie
Miriam Byrd-Nethery	...	Sick Woman - Water-Swallowing Scene (as Miriam Byrd Nethery)
Jane Lambert	...	Other Woman - Water-Swallowing Scene
Jan Burrell	...	Other Woman - Water-Swallowing Scene

Storyline

This film is an excellent biography of Woody Guthrie, one of America's greatest folk singers. He left his dust-devastated Texas home in the 1930s to find work, and discovered the suffering and strength of America's working class.

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Plot Keywords:

singer | california | texas | 1930s | labor | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 December 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Esta tierra es mi tierra

Filming Locations:

Altamont, California, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

147 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The pivotal Steadicam sequence that first captivated industry insiders involved David Carradine's amble through a migrant camp. The Steadicam operator, Garrett Brown, descends into the scene on a Chapman crane and follows Woody Guthrie (Carradine) as he gets off a pickup truck and walks past some 900 extras. The sequence, which looks quite simple on film, posed a challenge to operator and crew in that, just as Brown stepped off the crane platform laden with his weighty armature, grips had to simultaneously counterbalance the crane arm to prevent it from becoming a human catapult.

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Goofs

Guthrie's singing partner on KFVD radio in Los Angeles was not named Memphis Sue. Her real name was Maxine Crissman, and she was known as "Lefty Lou," because she shared Guthrie's politics and was just as outspoken. In fact, Guthrie was never pressed to stop singing union-organizing songs; the station owner, Frank Burke, was a populist New Dealer who agreed with Guthrie. The reason Woody was fired was because after the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany in 1939, he started singing songs that, mirroring the Communist Party line, denounced the war as a capitalist fraud.

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Connections

Referenced in Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Wreck of the Old Ninety-Seven"
Traditional

User Reviews

"Why Woody, soon you'll be singin' to the whole damn country!"

Is there any other musical figure in history who can be called as heroic as Woody Guthrie? The man was a musical genius, a visionary songwriter, and a great man, a man who never gave up on his dream, a man who gave up a lot of money so he could take his songs to the people, the people the songs were written by, and for, in the first place. Woody Guthrie was integrity personified, a great American hero. "Bound for Glory" is quite appropriately one of the greatest American films of all time, as well as one of the most criminally overlooked, despite two Academy Awards for cinematography and score, and four more nominations including 'Best Picture' (losing in that category to "Rocky").

Astonishingly accomplished cinematography from legend Haskell Wexler as well as some great editing and a stunning score in addition to Hal Ashby's (Harold and Maude) excellent direction make this a beautiful, haunting, and brilliant film. The performances carry the film, with David Carradine turning in what is surely his greatest ever performance, a stunning, passionate, beautiful portrayal of Guthrie which fully captures the man's spirit. Ronny Cox and Melinda Dillon are also superb in their roles. Ashby gets a sort of realism from his actors that is sorely missed today, and any other method of portrayal would make this film far less captivating and beautiful than it is. Screenwriter Robert Getchell adapts his script very well from Guthrie's autobiography, choosing the correct parts to tell. In many senses this feels less like a biopic and more like a story about working class America. Maybe that's why this is probably the greatest biopic of all time.

In terms of technical accomplishment, this is easily among the top 100 films of all time. It's a great American film about a great American hero. It tells the story of not only Guthrie, but also those who surrounded him and the people he sung to. It's a beautiful, emotional, and arresting film that is surely essential viewing. One of the most criminally overlooked films of all time.

A resounding 10/10