SCARECROW

Ah yes, the famous Pacino "Stick Method" of acting!

Where have they been hiding Scarecrow all my life? With Al Pacino and Gene Hackman at the helm, I'm surprised this movie wasn't a regular on Sunday afternoon television. It even won prizes at Cannes back in 1973! Thankfully it made it's way to DVD this summer, and it's every bit as good as one would expect it to be.

Max (Gene Hackman) and Francis (Al Pacino) meet by chance while vying for a ride on the same empty stretch of road in Northern California. Their initial competition develops into a partnership after one simple gesture - Francis uses his last match to light Max's cigar. Max has never really loved or trusted anyone in his life, but Francis endears him with his kindness and humor. The two men couldn't be more different, and as soon as they agree to travel east together and open up a car wash, you begin to worry about Francis. He's innocent and kind-hearted, always trying to make people laugh. Teaming up with an ex-con nearly twice his size can only lead to trouble.

You see, Max has just spent six years doing hard time. He's quick to anger and not too bright. Francis, on the other hand, has been away at sea for five years, and has sent almost all of his earnings to provide for a child he's never even seen. He doesn't know if he fathered a boy or a girl, but he's going back to Detroit to find out. He's bringing his child a lamp, figuring that it's a gender-safe present. While Max cavorts with women and indulges his desires, Francis keeps his eye on the ball. He carries the present everywhere - it is his purpose, his hope, his moral center. It is enough to break your heart.

When Max gets the two of them arrested, you start to feel a little sick. When he refuses to speak to Francis as they work off their 30 day sentence, it makes you even sicker, and when Francis makes another "friend" in prison, you want to wring your hands like a little old woman. Of course this new friend (played by the ubiquitous Richard Lynch) is after more than friendly banter. Naive and unwitting, Francis finds himself cornered as his new friend tries to force him into having sex. A fight ensues, leaving Francis with his face beaten to a bloody pulp. This finally shakes Max out of his sulky state, and he comes quickly to Francis's aid, even seeking revenge on his behalf.

When the boys hit the road again, it seems that something good just has to be on the horizon. Upon arrival in Detroit, Francis calls the mother of his child. (She's played by Penny Allen who also had roles in Dog Day Afternoon and Looking for Richard—don't you love it when you can connect the dots like that?) At this point, something so evil and unspeakably sad happens that I'm choked up even as I write this review.

In the end, Max steps up as a true friend, finally realizing what it means to love someone. Francis, however, becomes one more in a long line of Al Pacino characters that I will continue to think about and worry about. He creates characters so moving, so three dimensional, that it's somehow possible to imagine that their lives go on apart from him. In the case of Francis, I have to believe he had a life beyond Scarecrow, or I will be obligated to sit here and cry indefinitely.

DVD NOTES

Along with the original theatrical trailer, the DVD comes with a "vintage documentary" called On The Road With Scarecrow. It's narrated by a voice that I swear I recognize from elementary school filmstrips, and the documentary seems to be based on one day spent on the set. "Gene Hackman stands in deep concentration," the narrator explains, "while Pacino is more of a squiggler, preferring to block out his scenes with a big stick." Ah yes, the famous Pacino "Stick Method" of acting! I'm guessing he did this once? Hilarious!