The Hired Hand (1971)

A man (Peter Fonda) who deserted his wife (Verna Bloom) and daughter (Megan Denver) for the freedom of the wide open spaces is tired of that life and returns home with his saddle pal (Warren Oates) hoping to begin again. Directed by Peter Fonda (his directorial debut), this elegiac western found little love when it opened in 1971. Universal effectively buried it and when it made its TV debut, large chunks of important story information was cut out and footage Fonda deleted was put back in. But many who saw it when it opened realized what a gem it was and a small cult formed and in the ensuing years, its place in the pantheon of great westerns started climbing. It's a languidly paced simple tale (some action scenes were shot but not used because it destroyed the mood) of a man trying to return to a simpler life when the years have destroyed any chance of that. It's definitely an "art" western and the film is very conscious of it and I think that (along with its downer ending) put off a lot of people who preferred a more traditional approach to the western. Certainly the superb lensing by Vilmos Zsigmond, the atmospheric score of Bruce Langhorne and Frank Mazzola's editing all deserve mention. The excellent performances by Bloom (it's really her film) and Oates are top notch. With Ann Doran and Severn Darden.