The Year 2020 was a strange one. We’re still grappling with the myriad weirdnesses that pervaded our society in that annus horribilis. It accelerated an unraveling of the social fabric that was already underway, and added a few psychological twists that we ought to be paying attention to.
In other words, it’s a perfect setting for a Western, right? Well, we’ve got one, of sorts. And I’ve got to say, I’m intrigued.
From Deadline:
Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal, the genre-bender is set during the Covid-19 pandemic, watching as a standoff between a small-town sheriff (Phoenix) and mayor (Pascal) sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, N.M.
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The estimable Matt Easton takes a look at the messy reality of a Colt Dragoon duel just prior to the Civil War. Two men emptied their revolvers at a range of 12 paces. Their shots were all over the place. One man killed; the other wounded in the spine and paralyzed.
(No, that’s not a Dragoon in the thumbnail, but he displays a nice 3rd Model in the post. Easton was pointing out the Brit preference for double-actions while the U.S. stuck mostly with single actions throughout the 19th century).
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I find myself strangely obsessed with this painting. Maybe my REH reading just conditioned me to have a particular reaction to ancient ruins…
Among Forgotten Walls By Don Oelze.
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I also find myself strangely drawn to this behemoth. I’m not all that much of a vehicle guy, but this thing just reeks of adventure.
I think it just evokes for me the shade of Frederick Courteney Selous.
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The Hanging of the San Patricios by Samuel Chamberlain.
This Wild West Extravaganza feller is a good storyteller. This is a tale that is seldom told, but it’s one of the most dramatic in all of Frontier Partisans history:
Casual and colloquial, but solidly researched, and thoughtful and even-handed. And now I have an excuse to re-post the brilliant Tim O’Brien/Guy Clark collaboration on John Riley.
And this…
And this…
Christine Cohen says
I’m excited to see Eddington because it was filmed in Truth or Consequences, N.M., my place of birth and my parent’s. My grandfather owned a 24 section ranch there that included Turtle Back Mountain and the Palomas Gap. I recognize the mountains in the trailers they’ve released. The town was originally called Hot Springs, but they sold their soul and name in 1950 to the T.V. show Truth or Consequences (Bob Barker) with the agreement that they’d hold an annual fiesta in that name. Thus, it’s been T or C ever since. It’s changed very in my lifetime. The town just seems to stand still in time. Something that drives away the youth and strangely brings them back over time.
JimC says
One of the very best town names in existence.
Quixotic Mainer says
I feel you on that painting of the ruins. There’s a spot I love riding to where an old pier and the foundations of its outbuildings are poking up from the grass. Sitting there letting the horse crop has a really distinctive feeling.
Eddington looks cool too! Appreciate the heads up.