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Hard Times
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Genre | Action |
Format | NTSC, Multiple Formats, Full Screen, Color, Closed-captioned |
Contributor | Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Strother Martin, Walter Hill, Lawrence Gordon, Lawrence Gordon Prods., Jill Ireland, Maggie Blye See more |
Language | English, Portuguese |
Runtime | 1 hour and 40 minutes |
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Product Description
Product Description
In the middle of the Great Depression, Chaney (Charles Bronson, Death Wish) is just looking to catch a break. When he meets Speed (James Coburn, The Magnificent Seven), a promoter of bare-knuckle street fighting, Chaney thinks with his fighting skill and Speed’s savvy, he might have a chance. But Speed has his own problems, and what seemed like a sure thing is not as simple. Directed by Walter Hill (48 Hrs.), and also starring Jill Ireland (The Mechanic, 1972) and Strother Martin (Cool Hand Luke), HARD TIMES is a gritty, compelling drama.
Amazon.com
Walter Hill's colorful directorial debut has quite a cult following for its toughness and violence; it may well be his best film, in fact. Charles Bronson plays a silent street fighter in New Orleans in the '30s managed by the cool James Coburn. Jill Ireland, Strother Martin, and Michael McGuire costar in this spare existential Depression dirge. It owes a lot to its noir origins that Hill adores so much, yet there's something very fresh and vital about its subject and approach. That's really what made so many of these films from the '70s so endearing. An added bonus is the love and affection displayed by the real-life husband and wife team of Bronson and Ireland. --Bill Desowitz
Product details
- Aspect Ratio : 1.33:1
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
- Product Dimensions : 7.5 x 5.38 x 0.6 inches; 2.4 ounces
- Item model number : Relay Time: 94 min
- Director : Walter Hill
- Media Format : NTSC, Multiple Formats, Full Screen, Color, Closed-captioned
- Run time : 1 hour and 40 minutes
- Release date : April 6, 1999
- Actors : Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Jill Ireland, Strother Martin, Maggie Blye
- Dubbed: : Spanish, French
- Subtitles: : English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai
- Producers : Lawrence Gordon
- Language : Unqualified, English (Dolby Digital 2.0), Portuguese (Dolby Digital 2.0)
- Studio : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- ASIN : 0767824555
- Number of discs : 1
- Best Sellers Rank: #33,576 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #358 in Sports (Movies & TV)
- #3,352 in Action & Adventure DVDs
- #5,486 in Drama DVDs
- Customer Reviews:
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Walter Hill was an up-and-coming screenwriter with Peckinpah's The Getaway to his credit as well as solid thrillers like The Drowning Pool, The Mackintosh Man and Hickey and Boggs. There is no evidence in Hard Times that Hill was a novice behind the camera, either. This is one of my favorite films of the 1970s. The story is set in 1933. Chaney (Charles Bronson) is a middle-aged drifter who ends up crossing paths with Speed (James Coburn), a fast-talking promoter of "street fights" (no holds barred matches between local tough guys with no rules or regulations). Needing some quick cash, the soft-spoken, low-key Chaney forms a partnership with the mercurial Speed. In his first match, they win big when Chaney knocks the local champ out cold with one punch. They gravitate to New Orleans where Speed can put together some high stakes fights. They are joined by Poe (Strother Martin) an amiable quasi-doctor (he had two years of medical school) with a penchant for opium but who is skilled at patching up bruised and beaten fighters. Chaney quickly becomes a local legend and draws the attention of a local fight promoter/kingpin who insists that Chaney fight a seemingly invincible slugger he has imported from Chicago. When Chaney refuses, the kingpin kidnaps Speed and holds him hostage until Chaney shows up for the high stakes fight. The script, co-written by Hill, is a prime example of how less can be more, at least in terms of dialogue. Bronson says very little during the film, but conveys much emotion with a nod of the head, the blinking of his eyes or a wry smile. This is evident in Chaney's relationship with a local down and out woman (Jill Ireland), who he basically sees for easy sex. When she presses him to convert their trysts into a meaningful relationship, Chaney simply walks out. No drama. No speeches. Similarly, the superb performances of Bronson, Coburn and Martin seem inspired by the Sam Peckinpah school of men sticking together no matter what. When Speed is kidnapped, Chaney initially refuses to help him. He correctly points out that Speed is responsible for his own reckless behavior that sees him make enemies of the wrong people and foolishly gamble away money as fast as he earns it. Yet, in a crunch, Chaney comes to his partner's aid. There is no fanfare between Chaney and Speed, who knows that, by appearing for the bout, Chaney has saved his life. Instead, just a quick handshake a "thank you." By de-emphasizing overtly sentimental gestures and dialogue, Hill makes the relationship between the trio even more moving.
Hill and his co-writers pack a lot of memorable scenes into the film's scant 93 minute running time. Aided by editor Roger Spottiswood (another future director) and legendary cinematographer Philip Lathrop, Hill makes every frame of the film count. There isn't a slow moment or a meaningless line of dialogue. Clearly the highlights are the action sequences. This is Fight Club for the Baby Boomer generation. Bronson, who was in his 50s at the time, performs all of his own gut-wrenching fight scenes, along with co-stars Robert Tessier and Nick Dimitri. They are brutal affairs that will quickly convince you that these men are actually beating each other up. The stunt coordination is among the best I've seen in any film. The film's more whimsical sequences are aided immeasurably by Barry DeVorzon's addictive score.
With Hard Times, Bronson reached the pinnacle of his acting career. It's wonderful to see him reunited with Coburn, his co-star from The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape. However, Coburn became even more interesting as an actor as he grew older whereas Bronson grabbed for the low-hanging fruit and began to concentrate primarily on by-the-numbers action movies. (That said, I'm a fan of Bronson's 80s Cannon films.) The film remains a testament to his abilities as an actor- and credit is due for Walter Hill for bringing those out in full force.
Times comes on a 50 GB dual layer BluRay. The film is presented in a 1080 progressive widescreen. For this release a brand-new transfer has been created from a 4k digital restoration and the end result is a solid transfer. The image looks crisp, grain looks natural and there are no issues with DNR or compression. Superior to the Twilight Time release.
This Eureka bluray (all region) comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in English and a DTS-HD 5.1 surround mix in English. Both audio mixes sound, clean, clear and robust when they need too. Out of these two audio mixes, the DTS-HD 5.1 surround mix offers a slightly fuller audio experience. Included with this release are removable English SDH subtitles.
Extras for this release include, a trailer for the film (2 minutes 23 seconds), excerpts from a 1984 interview with Walter Hill at the National Film Theater, London (31 minutes 32 seconds), three interviews – the first interview with co-screenwriter / director Walter Hill (20 minutes 40 seconds), an interview with producer Lawrence Gordon (14 minutes 20 seconds) and an interview with composer Barry DeVorzon and a twenty page booklet with cast & crew information, Pauline Kael’s original 1975 New Yorker review of the film, archival imagery and information about the transfer.
Topics discussed in the audio interview with Walter Hill include, his thoughts about directing, action cinema, westerns, his favorite directors, the financial side of filmmaking, staging fight scenes, how he got into screenwriting, Sam Peckinpah, why what is written in a screenplay does not always end up onscreen and he also discusses various films that he worked on.
Topics discussed in the on-camera interview with Walter Hill include, producer Lawrence Gordon, making the transition from screenwriter to director, Raoul Walsh, Sam Peckinpah, Hard Times and what type of film was he trying to make, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Strother Martin, cinematographer Philip H. Lathrop and what he learned from him as a filmmaker and his thoughts about Hard Times.
Topics discussed in the interview with Lawrence Gordon include, the origins of Hard Times, Columbia Pictures and how they got involved in distributing the film, Walter Hill and why he decided to hire a first-time director, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Strother Martin, Jill Ireland, cinematographer Philip H. Lathrop and his thoughts about Hard Times.
Topics discussed in the interview with Barry DeVorzon include, Dillinger and his experiences working with director John Milius, how Dillinger’s score lead to him being hired to do the score for Hard Times, Walter Hill, his creative process as a composer, his thoughts about Hard Times and the score for this film was one of easiest scores he ever worked on.
Included with this release is a DVD that has the same content included on the Blu-Ray included as part of this combo release. Overall Hard Times gets a definitive release from Eureka Video, highly recommended.
Top reviews from other countries
Die harten Zeiten beziehen sich auf die Zeit, in der der Film spielt. Das von Armut und Gewalt geprägte Amerika in den 30er Jahren, mitten in der Weltwirtschaftskrise. Helden der Geschichte sind die Menschen, die am Rande der Gesellschaft leben. Bereits im Debütfilm ist eine Vorlage zu erkennen, zu der Hill immer mal wieder zurückkehrte: Er stellt seinem schweigsamen Helden einen Partner zur Seite, der ganz anders tickt und viel geschwätziger ist als die Hauptfigur. Diesen Part hat in "Ein stahlharter Mann" James Coburn übernommen. In späteren Filmen von Hill gabs ähnliche Duos wie Nick Nolte und Eddie Murphy in "Nur 48 Stunden" oder Schwarzenegger mit James Belushi in "Red Heat".
Die Geschichte spielt im Jahr 1933. Ein Zug verlangsamt seine Fahrt, weil er kurze Zeit später in dem Ort Halt macht. Der bereits in die Jahre gekommene Chaney (Charles Bronson) war sozusagen "Blinder Passagier" in diesem Güterzug und springt dann vom Zug. Er geht in eine Kneipe und beobachtet die Umgebung. Er bemerkt, dass sich viele Männer vor einem Gebäude treffen und dort hineingehen. Er folgt ihnen und wird Zeuge bei einem Straßenkampf mit bloßen Fäusten, beim dem natürlich Wetten abgeschlossen werden. Der Kämpfer der von von dem großsurigen, und rhetorisch versierten Speed (James Coburn) ins Renen geschickt wurde, verliert haushoch. Chaney überredet Speed, ihn gegen den Sieger kämpfen zu lassen. Natürlich ist Speed äusserst skeptisch, aber er nimmt Chaneys 6 Dollar, die er bei sich hat und wettet das Geild. Der Kampf dauert nur einige Sekunden, der vorherige Sieger liegt am Boden und ab sofort sind Chaney und Speed Partner. Sie verlegen ihre Geschäfte und die daraus resultierenden Kämpfe nach New Orleans und machen gutes Geld, weil sich Chaney ein Meister im Straßenkampf erweist. Mit der hübschen Lucy Simpson (Jill Ireland) findet er auch eine Frau, die ihm gefallen könnte.
Speed plant Chaney gegen Jim Henry (Robert Tessler), den ungeschlagenen Straßenkämpfer der Stadt, antreten zu lassen. Henry ist ein furchterregender Brutalo, der durch den reichen Geschäftsmann Gandil (Michael McGuire) finanziert wird. Gandil wittert ein Komplott, deshalb besteht er darauf, Speed solle 3.000 Dollar im Voraus einsetzen. Speed sieht sich daher gezwungen, ein Darlehen bei lokalen Gangstern aufzunehmen. Chaney nimmt es mit Jim Henry auf und erweist sich der Aufgabe gewachsen, er schlägt ihn bewusstlos. Eigentlich wäre nun alles in Ordnung, wenn nur nicht Speed seinen gesamten Gewinn beim Pokern verlieren würde...
Trotz dem Schwerpunkt auf "kampf" und "Action" gelingt es Walter Hill durch die vielen Momentaufnahmen aus dem Leben dieser kleinen Gaunern, Landstreichern und sonstigen Randexistenzen ein kritisches Zeitbild dieser Depression zu schaffen. Das Gespann Bronson und Coburn funktioniert gut. Die beiden hatten ja bereits in den John Sturges Klassikern "Die glorreichen Sieben" und "Gesprengte Ketten" gut zusammen harmoniert.
Charles Bronson dont le surnom dans son monde professionnel est "il brutto" incarne ici un personnage respectable, flegmatique, même s'il utilise ses poings, il est plus proche de l'homme à l'harmonica que de la brute aux poings rapides...James Coburn n'est pas l'homme respectable et franc que l'on connait dans les 7 mercenaires, l'homme au couteau est bien moins généreux et franc envers son partenaire, celui qui lui fait gagner de l'argent...
L'histoire est bâtie comme celle d'un western. L'homme qui vient de nulle part pourrait utiliser des colts au lieu de ses poings dans les affrontements, il pourrait se mettre à la disposition d'un chef de ranch comme il accepte ici de servir un petit malfrat qui sera son protecteur, presque son souteneur. Ce protecteur qu'il ne lâchera pas et qui sera confronté à une pègre plus puissante que lui...Une pègre qui dans un western serait une horde sauvage dirigée par un Vilain chef de bande...
L'homme vient de nulle part et va repartir sans avoir pu réaliser sa vie, se fixer...
La réelle histoire est celle d'un homme qui arrive dans cette ville, qui assiste à un combat de boxe privé pour lequel des paris fructueux sont organisés. Il va proposer ses services à un de ceux qui organisent ces combats (comme des combats de coqs). Les combattants sont les employés de leurs protecteurs qui ramassent des sommes colossales jusqu'au jour où les combats se font rares car les vainqueurs à répétitions sont craints...mais aussi recherchés...Charley (Charles Bronson) va tenter de s'extraire de la spirale destructrice où il a été projeté avec son "protecteur". Une spirale qu'il ne quittera qu'après s'être acquitté de la dette morale envers celui qui l'a embauché à ses débuts... Dans cette histoire où les combats de boxe ne sont pas toujours facile à regarder pour une femme (que je suis), une petite histoire de fille toute simple...Un chat, compagnon attendrissant de celui qui n'est pas une brute, compagnon qui remplace avantageusement l'harmonica...Une musique très New Orleans et de belles ballades puisque la petite ville où se déroule cette aventure se situe en Louisiane, agrémentent une ambiance qui aurait pu être glauque...
Une fin morale et même inattendue où les hommes de la pègre, après avoir agit comme on l'attend avec des coups bas, montrent un certain respect des règles du jeu...
J'ai bien aimé ce film, d'action, même si la boxe n'est pas ma tasse de thé !
VOST, VF et beaucoup d'autres sous-titres
Couleur et images bien belles...
commentaire rédigé par Marialicia le 28 mai 2010