Review of Bound for Glory (1976) by Eduardo C — 16 Feb 2010

Directed by Hal Ashby, "Bound for Glory" is less a biopic of Woody Guthrie(David Carradine, in perhaps his best performance) than an origin story, set mostly in 1936.

And I know you're thinking that I should cut back on the comic books if I put a reference like that in a review for a highly evocative movie about the legendary folk singer that has quite a lot to say about artistic integrity and the standard definition of success. But Woody Guthrie was much more than just a simple musician. He was a hero to millions of people, especially the poor and destitute, who worked for long hours and low wages when they could find any employment at all. We should remember that he started out as just another underemployed man during the height of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl in rural Texas, attempting to support his family with odd jobs like sign painting, playing in a band, and even giving a try at being a local pundit. So, like many other people, he struck out for California, leaving his wife(Melinda Dillon) and children behind until he could send for them, hitchhiking and riding the rails, meeting and talking with other people while seeing the country first hand, where violence was always a possibility.