The Hired Hand

"Peter Fonda is riding again... To the woman he lost... for the revenge he craves!"

1971 1h 31m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 85

Western

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Harry Collings returns home to his farm after drifting with his friend, Arch. His wife, who had given up on him, reluctantly allows him to stay, and soon believes that all will be well again. But then Harry has to make a difficult decision regarding his loyalties and priorities.

“Peter Fonda is riding again... To the woman he lost... for the revenge he craves!”

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Cast

Peter Fonda
Harry Collings
Warren Oates
Arch Harris
Verna Bloom
Hannah Collings
Robert Pratt
Dan Griffen
Severn Darden
McVey
Rita Rogers
Mexican Woman
Ann Doran
Mrs. Sorenson
Ted Markland
Luke

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Fonda
Writers: Alan Sharp
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

55 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Fonda, shot by Vilmos Zsigmond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bruce Langhorne. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Frank Mazzola shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Peter Fonda and Warren Oates and Verna Bloom carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Peter Fonda is riding again... To the woman he lost... for the revenge he craves!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0067204 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Fonda directs. Vilmos Zsigmond behind the camera. Bruce Langhorne scores. Frank Mazzola cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
255 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Peter Fonda, shot by Vilmos Zsigmond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Bruce Langhorne. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Frank Mazzola shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Peter Fonda and Warren Oates and Verna Bloom carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Peter Fonda is riding again... To the woman he lost... for the revenge he craves!".
8IMDB entry: tt0067204 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 85 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Vilmos Zsigmond
Original score: Bruce Langhorne
Editing: Frank Mazzola
Production design: Lawrence G. Paull
Costume design: Richard Bruno
Makeup / hair: Frank Griffin
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,000,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Hired Hand (1971)

Also by

Peter Fonda

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-05-30
★ 8/10
Reconnection Or Loyalty? The Hired Hand is directed by Peter Fonda and written by Alan Sharp. It stars Fonda, Warren Oates and Verna Bloom. Music is by Bruce Langhorne and cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond. Harry Collings (Fonda) and his partner Arch Harris (Oates) have been out in the western wilderness for too long. Harry finally calls it a day and sets about returning to his estranged wife and child of seven years... Beguiling, utterly beguiling, now here is a Western movie of such simple formula, yet still it's able to be a mighty treasure. This was Fonda's debut directorial effort, and since he would only go on to direct two more feature films, it's clear it wasn't the medium for him personally. But his love for his debut work speaks volumes, for he knows he got it right, and maybe he ultimately realised he was not going to top The Hired Hand for personal satisfaction reasons? Pic is like some elegiac fairytale, nuanced to the hilt and dictating the pace on its own terms. Narratively the simplicity comes down to if one man can reconnect with his long estranged family? Then the spanner in the works comes by way of a test of loyalty, front and center that's basically it. There's a superb strand that shows and tells us that a woman needs loving, both physically and mentally, this as the man's world rages around her, but the thrust is three lost and lonely people at the crossroads in this dusty part of the West. Pic is a technical delight. Zsigmond's (McCabe & Mrs. Miller/Deliverance) photography is sumptuous, rich in naturalistic tones, the moments of beauty captured actually belie the barren landscape these characters inhabit. Langhorne's musical score is tight to everything that's smart about the production, very contemplative and even haunting at times. The editing by Frank Mazzola is impressively impressionistic, and the writing from Sharp (Ulzana's Raid/Night Moves) is astute and uninsulting for period realism. Fonda turns in a wonderfully subtle performance, instilling Collings with a weary resignation of a life he let slip away. As for Fonda the director, he lets his co stars have a fine day in the sun. Oates - as his fans already know - was a magnificent character actor who deserved better status back in the day. Thankfully his legacy lives on and his work is now viewed with keen appreciative interest, The Hired Hand gives a glimpse of just how reflective he could be. Bloom, smartly devoid of make-up and hairdo oddness to keep it real in the West, has Hannah Collings as heartfelt and stoic in equal measure - she is terrific. There are small bursts of violence, there has to be for the story to come full circle and reveal its hand at the closure, but this is in no way an action piece. You can understand to an extent why the film was met with disdain upon release, cut and ultimately buried by Universal. This was the first film Fonda made after Easy Rider had made waves in the industry, so expectation for what was expected of The Hired Hand were obviously muddled. Early critical notices were harsh, where's the shoot-outs and high energy horse pursuits they cried, and so this beautiful film got lost for years. Thank the movie lords for home format releases then, for now it can be seen in all its delicate glory. 9/10

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