Open Season (1974)

Three young men take a young woman and a middleaged man to an isolated cabin, where they are terrorized in different ways.

Director:

Peter Collinson

Writers:

Liz Charles-Williams (screenplay), David D. Osborn (novel)

Stars:

Peter Fonda, Cornelia Sharpe, John Phillip Law

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Fonda	...	Ken
Cornelia Sharpe	...	Nancy Stillman
John Phillip Law	...	Greg
Richard Lynch	...	Art
Alberto de Mendoza	...	Martin (as Alberto Mendoza)
William Holden	...	Hal Wolkowski
Helga Liné	...	Sue (as Helga Line)
Didi Sherman	...	Helen
Concha Cuetos	...	Joyce (as Conchita Cuetos)
Blanca Estrada	...	Alice Rennick
May Heatherly	...	Alicia Rennick
Beatriz Savón	...	Sandy (as Beatriz Savon)
Mabel Escaño	...	Waitress
Scott Miller	...	Purcell
Jaime Doria	...	Carter

Storyline

Three Vietnam vets have become so conditioned to violence that they have developed psychotic tendencies. They kidnap people, brutalize them, then turn them loose and hunt them like animals. However the father of one of their earlier victims is plotting a vicious revenge against them.

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Plot Keywords:

vietnam war veteran | mentally retarded child | man wears eyeglasses | woman wears only a man's shirt | hunter becomes hunted | 

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Taglines:

Meet Ken, Gregg and Art. Two weeks each year they get away... with Everything!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The screenplay was adapted by author David D. Osborn from his own novel of the same name. The movie credits refer to a work called "The All-Americans" but in actuality the book was simply called "Open Season" (Dial Press, New York, 1974).

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Goofs

When Ken and Artie climb the bluff, Ken is carrying a bolt action rifle. But after they split up and Ken returns to the lodge, he enters the cabin carrying a pump action shotgun. The rifle is never seen again.

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Connections

Featured in Trailer Trauma V: 70s Action Attack! (2020)

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Soundtracks

Casting Shadows
Written and Sung by John Howard

User Reviews

amazing editing and photography

This film is a revelation in terms of editing technique, the use of stills right in the middle of the action (this is 1974, a long time pre-John Woo)and several passages of pretty associative editing. The photography is stunning with spectacularly framed images. There is a very thought-out way of using sound, with a change of perspective (from clos up to a wide shot and vice versa) that is counteracted by the sound - a lot of close-up conversation takes place on wide shots. and finally, because some folks think this is boring - the way the topic of the movie - the use of humans as living targets - is introduced is pretty compelling - the audience is not given a clue, or a well-worded plan - we are kept just as informed as the victims, and when seeing the movie for the first time, stuff like putting the chain on the woman in the kitchen really comes as an awful surprise - yet Fonda delivers this as if it was routine as usual (which it obviously is for his character) - thrilling stuff. They did a lot of experimenting with editing and imaging in the 70s which should not be lost. this movie should be put on dvd!

Details

Country:

Spain Switzerland USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

August 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Shoot

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arpa Productions, Impala

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1