Southern Comfort (1981)

Director:

Walter Hill

Writers:

Michael Kane (written by) and
Walter Hill (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

22 January 1982 (Finland)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The bayou has its own law... and they just broke it.

Plot:

A squad of National Guards on an isolated weekend exercise in the Louisiana swamp must fight for their...

Plot Keywords:

Cajun | Swamp | Louisiana | National Guard | Soldier

Cast

Keith Carradine	...	Spencer
Powers Boothe	...	Hardin
Fred Ward	...	Reece
Franklyn Seales	...	Simms
T.K. Carter	...	Cribbs
Lewis Smith	...	Stuckey
Les Lannom	...	Casper
Peter Coyote	...	Poole
Alan Autry	...	Bowden (as Carlos Brown)
Brion James	...	Trapper
Sonny Landham	...	Hunter
Allan Graf	...	Hunter
Ned Dowd	...	Hunter
Rob Ryder	...	Hunter
Greg Guirard	...	Cajun Couple
June Borel	...	Cajun Couple
Jeanne-Louise Bulliard	...	Cajun Dancer (as Jeanne Louise Bulliard)
Orel Borel	...	Cajun Dancer
Jeannie Spector	...	Cajun Dancer
Marc Savoy	...	Cajun Musician
Frank Savoy	...	Cajun Musician
Dewey Balfa	...	Cajun Musician
John Stelly	...	Cajun Musician

Directed by
Walter Hill

Writing credits
Michael Kane		(written by) and
Walter Hill		(written by) &
David Giler		(written by)

Produced by
David Giler	....	producer
William J. Immerman	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Ry Cooder

Cinematography by
Andrew Laszlo		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Freeman A. Davies		(as Freeman Davies)

Casting by
Judith Holstra

Production Design by
John Vallone

Set Decoration by
Robert Gould

Makeup Department
Michael Germain	....	makeup artist
Dagmar Loesch	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Gene Levy	....	unit production manager
Venetia Stevenson	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pat Kehoe	....	first assistant director
Bob Roe	....	second assistant director (as Robert Roe)

Art Department
Gus Basso	....	greensman
Francis N. 'Lucky' Costello	....	painter (as Frank Costello)
Bruce E. Kasson	....	property department (as Bruce Kasson)
Johnny Lattanzio	....	paint foreman (as John Lattanzio)
Steve Lombardi	....	propmaker
Craig Raiche	....	property department

Sound Department
Glenn E. Anderson	....	production sound (as Glenn Anderson)
Gordon Ecker	....	supervising sound editor (as Gordon Ecker Jr. {wallaWorks})
Walter A. Gest	....	re-recordist (as Walter Gest)
Stan Gilbert	....	dialogue editor
Randy Kelley	....	sound editor
Rick Kline	....	re-recording mixer
Donald O. Mitchell	....	re-recording mixer
Bob Newlan	....	assistant sound editor (as Robert Newlan)
Bill Nicholson	....	re-recording mixer
Tony Romero	....	production sound
Wylie Stateman	....	sound editor
James Utterback	....	production sound
John Duffy	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Cameron Frankley	....	sound editor (uncredited)
John Roesch	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Lawrence J. Cavanaugh	....	special effects (as Larry Cavanaugh)

Stunts
Gregg Brazzel	....	stuntman
Bennie E. Dobbins	....	stunt coordinator (as Bennie Dobbins)
Melvin Jones	....	stuntman
Max Kleven	....	stuntman
Conrad E. Palmisano	....	stuntman (as Conrad Palmisano)
Rock A. Walker	....	stuntman (as Rock Walker)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jay Davis	....	grip
James Etheridge	....	camera operator
Lynn Lockwood	....	camera assistant
John London	....	grip
Ross A. Maehl	....	gaffer (as Ross Maehl)
Tom May	....	grip (as Tommy May)
Richard Craig Meinardus	....	camera assistant (as Richard Meinardus)
Richard Montagne	....	camera assistant
Neil Roach	....	camera operator
James Zenk	....	still photographer
Kyle T. MacDowell	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Bea Lindzon	....	extra casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Tom Bronson	....	costume supervisor
Dan Moore	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Lisa Zeno Churgin	....	assistant film editor (as Lisa Churgin)
Carmel Davies	....	assistant film editor
Teri E. Dorman	....	assistant film editor
Jack Hooper	....	negative cutter
Jim Schurmann	....	timer
David Orr	....	color timer (uncredited)

Music Department
Ry Cooder	....	music arranger
Ry Cooder	....	musician: guitar
Jim Dickinson	....	musician: keyboards
Jim Henrikson	....	music editor
Milt Holland	....	musician: percussion
Kazu Matsui	....	musical consultant
Marc Savoy	....	musical consultant
Allen Sides	....	music recorded & mixed by
Mark Ettel	....	score engineer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Ronnie Baker	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Judy Bernardoni	....	production accountant (as Judith Bernardoni)
Jerry Chinn	....	craft service
Rob Corn	....	production assistant
Lori Covel	....	assistant: Mr. Giler
Lyla Foggia	....	unit publicist
Mary F. Galloway	....	location manager (as Mary Galloway)
Greg Guirard	....	technical advisor
John Markanton	....	technical advisor (as John Markanton Lt. Col. {Ret.})
Mary Meacham	....	titles (as Mary Meacham-MGM Title)
Harriet Monroe	....	location secretary
Mary Ann Newfield	....	script supervisor
Florian Schereck	....	accounting assistant
Leigh Webb	....	first aid
Mae Woods	....	assistant: Mr. Hill
Lisbeth Wynn-Owen	....	production coordinator

Production Companies

• Cinema Group Ventures (as a presentation of Cinema Group) (as produced by Phoenix Company and Cinema Group Venture also)
• Phoenix (II) (as A Phoenix Film) (as produced by Phoenix Company and Cinema Group Venture also)

Distributors

• EMI Distribution (1981) (UK) (theatrical)
• A.M. Films (1983) (France) (theatrical)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (1983) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• 4 Front Video (1999) (UK) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Transformer (2001) (Japan) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2001) (UK) (DVD)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Optimum Home Entertainment (2007) (UK) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Film Corporation (1981) (USA) (theatrical) (as 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation)
• First Look Studios (1981) (USA) (theatrical)
• Overseas FilmGroup (1981) (Non-USA) (theatrical)
• Beam Entertainment (Japan) (DVD producer)
• Creative Axa Co. Ltd. (Japan) (DVD)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (video)

Other Companies

• Creative Mobile Studio  production services (as Creative Mobile Studios)
• Goldwyn Sound Facility  post-production re-recording (as Samuel Goldwyn Sound Facilities)
• Howard A. Anderson Company  optical effects
• Louisiana Film Commission  the producer wishes to give special thanks to, for its help and cooperation (as The Louisiana Film Commission)
• MGM Title Department  titles (as MGM Title)
• Ocean Way Recording  music recorded & mixed by (as Ocean Way Recorders)
• Southern Comfort Corporation, The  the title "Southern Comfort" is used with the permission of, producers of Southern Comfort® liquor (as The Southern Comfort Corporation)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA | Switzerland | UK

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Denmark:15 | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2007) | Australia:R | New Zealand:R16 | UK:15 (tv rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:15 (2000) | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Caddo Lake, Texas, USA

Company:

Cinema Group Ventures

Trivia:

The use of the phrase 'Southern Comfort' as the title of the film, which was meant ironically, had to be cleared by the Brown-Forman Corporation, who own the rights to the phrase (they make the liqueur of the same name).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the dog attack, the protective pads on the men's arms are clearly visible.

Quotes:

Staff Sgt. Crawford Poole:[when they first meet] So, Hardin, how do you like being in the Louisiana Guard?
Hardin:[flat] I don't. But then I didn't much like being in the Texas Guard, either.
Staff Sgt. Crawford Poole:...Well, not liking the Texas Guard makes sense. Not liking the LOUISIANA Guard can get you in trouble with me. You got that?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The New York Ripper (1982)

Thought Vietnam was rough? Wait until you visit the Cajun Swamps!

Thank the heavens for John Boorman! If it hadn't been for his classic "Deliverance", we never would have had the stream of gritty and relentless "Backwoods" action & horror movies. Most of them are just a cheap excuse to make fun of stereotypical rednecks and depict gratuitous violence, but some are truly great films that come damn near to the quality level of "Deliverance" itself, like Walter Hill's "Southern Comfort". This exhilarating backwoods survival chiller uses some of the best exterior filming locations ever, the suspense and atmosphere of madness gradually builds itself up, the (almost) all-star cast is terrific and the violence is extremely rough at times. A nine-headed squadron of the Louisiana National Guard enrolls into a training practice in the Cajun Swamps and soon get lost. They borrow three canoes of the local population without asking and when one of the soldiers playfully (but stupidly) fires off blanks in their direction, the unseen Cajuns hillbilly-poachers respond with real bullets. This inflicts a disturbing cat and mouse game between the soldiers (with minimal ammunition and no knowledge of the area) and the seemingly invisible Cajuns (with their primitive hunting instincts and inventive booby traps). Usually in this type of flicks, it's obvious to choose which side you're on, but in "Southern Comfort" you have to think at least twice. The soldiers aren't exactly warm and friendly men, neither, and you're more than often tempted to think they're somewhat responsible for the mess they're in. After all, they did steal the canoes, they did set fire to one of the Cajun's homes and they did yell obscure things at them! The finale, set in an actual Cajun community, is truly nail-biting, absorbing and strangely educational, what with all the portrayal of typical rituals like dance parties and barbecuing! Another masterful period accomplishment from Walter Hill, who also made the brilliant cult classic "The Warriors" and the family-western "The Long Riders".