Straw Dogs (1971)

A young American and his English wife come to rural England and face increasingly vicious local harassment.

Director:

Sam Peckinpah

Writers:

David Zelag Goodman (screenplay), Sam Peckinpah (screenplay)

Stars:

Dustin Hoffman, Susan George, Peter Vaughan

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dustin Hoffman	...	David Sumner
Susan George	...	Amy
Peter Vaughan	...	Tom Hedden
T.P. McKenna	...	Maj. John Scott
Del Henney	...	Charlie Venner
Jim Norton	...	Chris Cawsey
Donald Webster	...	Riddaway
Ken Hutchison	...	Norman Scutt
Len Jones	...	Bobby Hedden
Sally Thomsett	...	Janice Hedden
Robert Keegan	...	Harry Ware
Peter Arne	...	John Niles
Cherina Schaer	...	Louise Hood
Colin Welland	...	Rev. Barney Hood

Storyline

Upon moving to Britain to get away from American violence, astrophysicist David Sumner and his wife Amy are bullied and taken advantage of by the locals hired to do construction. When David finally takes a stand it escalates quickly into a bloody battle as the locals assault his house.

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Plot Keywords:

outsider | sexual desire | violence | rape | home invasion | 

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Taglines:

The knock at the door meant the birth of one man and the death of seven others!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal violence including a sexual attack, menace, some sexual content, and pervasive language

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 January 1972 (UK)

Also Known As:

Strawdogs

Filming Locations:

The West of England, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$3,251,794 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,148,828, 31 December 1983

Company Credits

Production Co:

ABC Pictures, Talent Associates, Amerbroco

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min 118 min (uncut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) (uncredited) Black and White (opening credits)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During post-production, Sam Peckinpah began pre-production and location shooting on his next film, Junior Bonner (1972), which required the editors to move from England to Hollywood to complete this movie.

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Goofs

As David and Amy Sumner drive up to their house for the first time, the camera crew is reflected in the car's side window.

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Quotes

Tom Hedden: I'll have an answer, or I'll have blood!

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Alternate Versions

Available in an edited 113 min R-rated version in addition to the uncut, unrated 118 min. version (that has been released by Anchor Bay Entertainment and MGM.)

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Connections

Referenced in Special Collector's Edition: El viaje a la Luna (2013)

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Soundtracks

Caro Nome
(uncredited)
from "Rigoletto"
Music by Giuseppe Verdi

User Reviews

Could they show this in 1971?

So you think movies are violent today, huh? Think again. Sam Peckinpah's highly charged, extremely intense, brutally violent 1971 pic is an underrated masterpiece, in my opinion, that redefined cinema violence forever (as if "The Wild Bunch" wasn't enough). It is one of the best directed, most fluidly edited pictures that I've seen in recent years. Today's films don't even come close.

Allegedly banned in the U.K. to this very day, "Straw Dogs" came to me out of nowhere. I had heard good things about it, but never really caught onto it, until one day when I was at a video store browsing around for no apparent reason. I had absolutely no money and wasn't planning to buy anything when all of the sudden, I saw it . . .

WIDESCREEN - UNCENSORED,RESTORED - COLLECTOR'S EDITION

I had never even seen the movie and I wanted to buy it! I mean, hey, it WAS the last one left.

So I took a huge risk, got a loan from my mother, used all the two-dollar bills I had been saving to pay her back, and bought it right out. And then, I viewed it later on that night, praying I hadn't wasted my time. AND: I was floored. The film literally knocked me out, kept me peeled to the screen at every instant, left me disturbed for days to come. I mean, let me tell you, go out and rent this, buy this, anything, just see it! Although it is moderately paced, the film remains intense the whole way, and takes an unexpected turn into extreme violence towards the legendary ending, a showdown worthy of multiple viewings (watch "Fear" to see an amateur retread).

So it goes like this: Hoffman plays a wimpy mathematician who flees with his wife George to the peaceful countryside (to get away from violence!), only to be ravaged by the locals who just wanna start trouble. It is the ultimate test of manhood, showing us (in a somewhat biased manner) that it takes aggression to get what you want and keep what you have. You'll be amazed at Hoffman's "transformation" (we all know deep down that EVERYONE'S got it in them somewhere), but it makes you think, especially when Hoffman has to defend his home from several large armed men WITHOUT USING ANY WEAPONS, only his brains and some household appliances.

I'm surprised that this is such a forgotten film. There aren't enough people who can actually claim to have seen this picture or even know what it's about. I find that hard to ingest, being that it was one of the most controversial films of its day. But it IS very brutal, especially the once trimmed rape scene, restored on my copy, a scene that I find to be the most intense. However, today's moviegoers may not agree.

So see "Straw Dogs," the movie that single-handedly turned me into a Peckinpah fan. The editing is Oscar-worthy, the acting is magnificent, the situations are well thought out, and the characters are fleshed to the bone (sometimes literally). I promise you won't leave disappointed.

#5 on my Top 200 List, **** outta **** on my personal scale.