Sam Peckinpah often referred to The Ballad of Cable Hogue as his personal favorite of all his films. Many of his closest friends even remarked how personal it was for him with James Coburn commenting, “He was Cable.” Released in 1970, immediately following the success of The Wild Bunch, The Ballad of Cable Hogue was very much unappreciated and after a poor rough-cut preview showing, Warner Brothers yanked it after two weeks of theatrical release. This effectively ended the relationship between producer Phil Feldman, who also produced The Wild Bunch, and Peckinpah. Despite its initial failure, Hogue has become one of his most beloved films. In direct contrast to The Wild Bunch, Hogue is peaceful, romantic, and even includes some moments of brilliant slapstick comedy.
Cable Hogue (Jason Robards) is a grizzled, ornery prospector who, at the beginning of the film, is abandoned to die in the desert by his double-crossing partners Taggart and Bowen (Peckinpah regulars L.Q. Jones and Strother Martin respectively.) After four days without water, he is resigned to death, but stumbles across a hidden water spring. He meets a preacher named Joshua (David Warner from Straw Dogs and Tron) who enjoys “comforting” lonely women. On a trip to the nearby town to claim the land he’s found, Hogue falls in love with a beautiful, headstrong prostitute Hildy (Stella Stevens.) Their first encounter will have you laughing for days. Hildy tries to persuade Cable to go to San Francisco with her but he is dead set on running his now-profitable waterhole as a stopover for passing stagecoaches long enough until Taggart and Bowen make a visit so he can have his revenge.
Much like his earlier westerns, Hogue is a story about the end of the old west and the encroachment of a new civilization with new technology (think cars.) More than a western though, Cable Hogue is about survival, morality, and faith. Cable is shown several times, particularly in the opening scenes as he wanders through the desert, talking to God. He is not a religious man but rather turns to God out of necessity and convenience. His classic line to God is “Ain’t had no water since yesterday, Lord. Getting a little thirsty. Just thought I’d mention it. Amen.” It is through Joshua’s presence though that Cable starts regarding God in a more personal manner. True, he is an ornery varmit who kills his first customer for refusing to pay for his water. However, as the film progresses, Hogue learns to accept those around him for who and what they are rather than pass judgment on them. This is particularly important near the end as Hogue inevitably crosses paths with his two betrayers..
Robards delivers one of his career- best performances as Hogue making him a lovable but ill-tempered desert rat. His transformation from bitterness to acceptance is remarkable. Stella Stevens, and there’s plenty to see of her here, uses her comic sex kitten image to create her best work. Hildy, like Hogue and Joshua, is an imperfect and flawed human. Yet her earthiness and beauty make us sympathize with her. Both Robards and Stevens have a beautiful, loving duet scene “Butterfly Morning” that while somewhat cheesy, does give the film its beating heart and perhaps a future for these characters. David Warner, adds a rich wit and subtle humor as the womanizing Joshua. His elegy at the end of the film might bring tears to your eyes.
It’s easy to see why the film failed to reach an audience in 1970. Most were probably expecting Wild Bunch 2: Back from Hell and instead got not only a light-hearted and sentimental western, but one which provides the three main characters to break out into song. Given its lengthy shooting schedule and overrun budget, in addition to the unexpected lightheartedness of the film; the Warner Brothers execs must have had a heart attack upon seeing the early cut of the film. This would be another in a long line of Peckinpah films that were either taken away from him and reedited or poorly released to die a quick death. No wonder he hated studio heads. Despite its flaws, the film does seem a little too leisurely at times; the film is shot and photographed with tremendous care and attention to detail. Peckinpah obviously cared a great deal for the film and put in an incredible amount of work into it. Perhaps Peckinpah realized that this would be his best opportunity to portray himself singularly with one character. Peckinpah, like Hogue, had numerable flaws, but there was always a redeeming quality and passion inside the men that made you root for them. They both were men who believed in living off the land, preferred country to cities, and detested authority figures. The screenplay by John Crawford and Edmond Penney is filled with rich characters and quotable lines, Lucien Ballard’s photography will have you picking sand out of your hair, and Jerry Goldsmith’s score and songs are instantly hummable.
The Ballad of Cable Hogue is a brilliant but overlooked film. Now is the perfect time, with its initial DVD release, to experience this 70s gem for the first time. It’s not the sort of film many expected from Peckinpah at the time but it demonstrated the man’s brilliance and range behind the camera and how few directors, now and then, could get the performances out of their actors that he could. While touching and sweet, the film resonates in the mind and will have you thinking to yourself about your place in the world. Like all of Peckinpah’s great films, Cable Hogue makes you reexamine your life and your morals.
The Ballad of Cable Hogue is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
The DVD is also part of the Sam Peckinpah’s The Legendary Westerns Collection now available at Amazon . As of yet, the set has not been released in the UK. Visit the DVD set’s database for more information.
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