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:

Swamp | Cajun | National Guard | Louisiana | Blood

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
Robert Jason	....	best boy electric (uncredited)
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)
• MTC Video (1983) (Greece) (VHS)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (video)
• Samuel Goldwyn Home Entertainment (1983) (USA) (video)
• United American Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

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:

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

Filming Locations:

Caddo Lake, Texas, USA

Company:

Cinema Group Ventures

Trivia:

Alan Autry, playing Corporal 'Coach' Bowden, was billed in the credits as Carlos Brown.

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

Cpl. Lonnie Reece:Like steel pussies
[pointing to bear traps]
Pfc. Tyrone Cribbs:What kind of women you been hanging around with?

Movie Connections:

References Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

A closer look.

Upon first viewing this film seems to just be another above average entry to the bayou sub-genre.Added to the likes of Deliverance and the first Rambo.However look closely and this tale of unexperienced guardsmen fighting off psychotic cajuns takes on another meaning. The whole film can be taken as a sly metaphor for the Vietnam war which took place almost a decade and a half before the film was made.

On one side you have the inexperienced and overequipped guardsmen, perfectly representing the technology and youth of the American forces.On the other side is the cajuns.Small in number but still very effective utilising there knowledge of the area and using nature itself to lay traps. So what at first sight seems an action packed thriller is also a gritty metaphor for one of the horrors of the last century.The film is well directed and paced.Right from the start the pace doesn't flag.The fact that the cast are mostly unknowns only adds to the tension,the audience not knowing who will bite it next.All in all an exciting thriller and well worth watching.