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Rating:  -
good acting from an outstanding cast.interesting description of the depression.the fight scenes, are not only exciting but predict what is now on tv.
Rating: -
Great film about personal honor and the warrior spirit -- in a world where no one else exhibits any. The fighter does what he has to do, what he can do -- as well as he can, as long as he can, willing to sacrifice what he must to succeed. This is warrior spirit and personal honor, which can also be seen in "The thirteenth Warrior," another much misunderstood film. Now that hard times are upon us, more of us should be watching movies like this for inspiration!
Rating:  -
Bronson is a raw, brutal bareknuckle fighter who enters into an alliance with Coburn, a fast talking gambler, who loses more than he wins. The fight scenes are hardcore and the editing is perfect. Greed and courage are the co-stars of this fascinating film that explores human strengths and weaknesses.
Rating: -
This movie is a favorite.
I have the WS/FS version. The transfer is not very good; the soundtrack is mono, and does not do justice to the film. Technical issues aside, the movie is flawless. It has no special features.
If you're going to like this movie, you'll know it from the opening sequence: silence up to a diesel's rumble & whistle on the way into New Orleans; imagery to match.
Every element--acting, directing, writing, music, cinematography--is pitch-perfect. The music, in particular, is fabulous. Folk, cajun/zydecoe, dixieland, an extraordinary black gospel sequence. The location shooting, too: riverside warehouse, industrial interiors, barges and ferries, bayou community life, flop house, oyster house, Latin Quarter. Period street scenes, gorgeous automobiles, prohibition night life. You can practically smell the booze, sweat, shellfish and tobacco smoke.
The leads are truly wonderful: Bronson, Coburn, Strother Martin and Jill Ireland. So is the supporting cast.
There are many comments about the fight scenes, and I suppose they are good, but that's not what makes the movie for me. The protagonist (Bronson/Chaney) fights for money, not pleasure. He prefers knocking other people down to being himself knocked down, but he doesn't enjoy it.
Chaney has the self-confidence that comes from being good at what he does. He supports himself with his fighting, but does not live for it. Chaney lives for "the in-betweens." He is a drifter because being settled in hard times gives him no satisfaction; Chaney is an upright man in a beat-down time. His mannerisms are not genteel, though his spirit is. He does not say much, but his actions are compelling.
"Hard Times" is an old-fashioned movie about honor, loyalty, and decency and a great way to spend evening.
Rating:  -
Overall, a reasonably high quality, no frills, DVD. My main criticism is that the full screen format left out a lot of detail at the periphery, for instance in the scene when Chaney (Bronson) challenges Pettibon's Cajun fighter. In the dispute after the fight all we hear is the click of a gun, we are left to assume from the there is an armed man because he is totally invisible. Likewise when Chaney shoots up Pettibon's honkytonk, some of the time he is aiming at invisible targets like the old fashioned pay phone on the wall (I only know this because I remember seeing this film at a movie theater back in the 70's. To appreciate what you are missing you have to compare the wide aspect opening scene (when Chaney hops off a freight train) with the rest of the film. I imagine they only transferred the opening scene in 2.35:1 so that you can read the titles. A wide aspect ratio is important when there is a lot of dynamic action going on and lets face it it's the fight scenes that are the most important part of the movie. Had it not been for this "defect" I would have given this DVD five stars, despite the absence of any bells and whistles.
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