CLINT EASTWOOD - OUT OF THE SHADOWS

The Man with No Name, Dirty Harry, Rowdy Yates, and that tall guy with the punching monkey, Clint Eastwood, is a man who has managed to act for a lifetime without saying who he really is. Or has he? To find out the answer to this pontificating prose, please watch the following 87-minute documentary made in 2000.


Clint Eastwood - Out of the Shadows


THE STORY:
His name is Clint Eastwood, and the subject matter within this film is he and he alone.

To help chronicle the rise of this actor/director extraordinaire, the actor, Morgan Freeman, chronicles Clint's life story, helped by a whole host of actors, directors, and film critics alike. James Garner, Gene Hackman, Geoffrey Lewis, Walter Mosley, Richard Schickle, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Rip Torn, and Forest Whitaker are but a few of the people who sing Clint’s praise. Plus, on top of that, on show are a plethora of stock photography, archive footage, and excerpts of Clint’s films as well.

So what do you get if you mix all of this up and then spit it out on celluloid? Hmmm?

A BOY ON THE TRAIL: Born in San Francisco in 1930, Clint was the son of two hardworking parents in search of work, and he traveled around from town to town with them, living a somewhat reclusive life on the West Coast of America. However, after shying away from academia and then being forced into a brief military role in Korea, Clint entered a vocation that he will always be synonymous with... acting. He learnt this craft within a studio system. He honed his talents through minor film roles and his love of jazz. And he began to hone his skills in the television series 'Rawhide'.

SERGIO LEONE COMES A CALLING: As a favor to the Rome office, whilst taking a sabbatical from Rawhide, Clint took a look at a script that eventually propelled him into infamy and beyond. For simplicity's sake, we will call this proposal 'The Dollars Trilogy', which was a venture that eventually developed into a three-film deal that gave Clint a platform to take on a myth and then come out on top... spaghetti-western style.

MALPASO IS BORN: Clint’s next stepping stone up the showbiz ladder began once he formed a production company called 'Malpaso', which was a stalwart that allowed him to carve out his own career path with some degree of control. Granted, he did have to do several studio films to appease his agent – such as 'Paint Your Wagon' and 'Kelly's Heroes' – but he was also able to become a director and make some more personable films too – such as 'Play Misty For Me' and 'The Beguiled'. To help him steer his career path in the direction he wanted, Clint was able to glean knowledge from the director, Don Siegel (Dirty Harry), as well as gather a family of actors around him to star in his movies, like Bill McKinney and Geoffrey Lewis.

THE REFLECTIVE YEARS: After a brief stint as the mayor of Carmel, Clint started to develop a plethora of reflective movies that mirrored him in his more formative years: 'Unforgiven', 'In The Line Of Fire', and 'The Bridges Of Madison County', to name but a few. And with each movie he made, a wiser and more respected man was born, highlighted by the many accolades he has received ever since.

THE REVIEW:
What can you say about a man who has instilled so much joy into the world for so long? Hmm? Quite a lot, actually, and this 90-minute documentary really does try its best to do just that. Its structure is a simple one to follow, and it does manage to distil a life’s work within the time allotted to it. In addition to this, all the people who have something to say about the great man, Clint Eastwood (including Clint himself), are very proficient in giving insights that are thoughtful, productive, and somewhat revealing.

My personal favorite insight in this documentary is Clint’s comparison to the legendary Hollywood actor, John Wayne, but only because the similarities between the two are somewhat strange and diametrically opposed when you come to think about it. You see, Clint, who is perceived as being ‘a mysterious urban legend’, is in fact the subliminal critique of America’s dubious past. Whereas John, who is perceived as being ‘the rooting, tooting all-American hero’, is in fact a smokescreen to America’s dubious past. There are similarities in their ties and work ethics as well, with both actors having the uncanny ability to change with the times, sustain longevity, and maintain a working relationship with those around them.

Another thing that I like about 'Clint Eastwood – Out Of The Shadows' is the way in which Clint’s movies say more about Clint than Clint does about himself. There was a quote that I remember an actor once said – Peter Sellers, I think it was – that stated, ‘For you to understand who I am, look at my work’. And do you know what? I surmise that a more truthful saying cannot be applied to our buddy Clint here.

Well, except for “Go ahead, make my day” – which is constantly repeated.

All in all, I really did enjoy watching this documentary, as it honors a man without being overly critical, overly sentimental, and overly hype. I particularly liked the voice-over narration by Morgan Freeman, as well as the constructive insights given by Walter Mosley, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, and Richard Schickle. Heck, I love this documentary so much that I want to end this review as if I were the main man himself...

Ahem.

'If you like it – watch it. If you don’t – then don’t. But please, don’t go away angry – just go away. BANG!'

Class documentary, like the man himself.

THE RATING: A