News & Updates

September 7, 2004
It's been just over a year since my last update, so I'll just give a quick rundown on some of the more notable news and releases from the past twelve months. Most of these items have been covered in the message board, and that will continue to be the best place to check for recent news.

Two excellent DVD's have been released so far in 2004: JUNIOR BONNER on the MGM label, and THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND on Anchor Bay. Both discs have some good extras, especially the OSTERMAN release. MGM is reportedly going to be releasing a box set titled something to the effect of "Sam Peckinpah's Westerns" in 2005. The unconfirmed lineup of films will include RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY, BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE and PAT GARRETT & BILLLY THE KID. A deluxe DVD release of THE WILD BUNCH is also rumored to be coming out sometime next year.

SAM PECKINPAH'S WEST: LEGACY OF A HOLLYWOOD RENEGADE, a 90-minute documentary produced and directed by Tom Thurman, was aired on the Starz cable network in July and August of 2004. With several interviews of both Sam's co-workers and contemporaries as well as a newer generation of admirers (i.e., Benicio Del Toro and Billy Bob Thornton), this documentary is an excellent introduction to Sam's work and provides some new insites for the hardcore fans as well. Mike Siegel's companion documentary film to his excellent book, "Passion & Poetry: Sam Peckinpah in Pictures," is currently in post production with a distribution deal in the works. It should be worth the wait, as it looks to be the most definitive documentary on Sam yet produced.

In addition to Mike Siegel's above-mentioned book, a new collection of essays entitled "Sam Peckinpah's West: New Perspectives" was published by the University of Utah Press last year.
On the soundrack front, an CD containing Jerry Fieldings scores to ALFREDO GARCIA and THE KILLER ELITE was released recently (w/ music not included on previous releases), while Lalo Schifrin's OSTERMAN WEEKEND score has been issued by Varese Sarbande.

August 17, 2003
The latest on Mike Siegel's PASSION & POETRY - THE JOURNEY OF SAM PECKINPAH: .Principal photography was finished in July 2003. Filming took place in Los Angeles, Mexico (Torreon & Parras), London, Berlin and Munich. Location filming included Mapache's Hacienda, the Rio Nazas and Paradise Cove in Malibu. Filmed Interviews (so far): Ernest Borgnine, James Coburn, Ali MacGraw, L.Q.Jones, R.G.Armstrong, David Warner, Bo Hopkins, Senta Berger, Isela Vega, Vadim Glowna, Roger Fritz, Katy Haber, Fern Lea Peter, Lupita Peckinpah, Chalo Gonzalez, Dan Melnick, Martin Lewis, Gordon Dawson, Garner Simmons and David Weddle. Post production will last the remainder of 2003.  Potential Buyers or Co-Producers may order a Demo-Reel at Peckinpah@eldoradofilm.com. Take a view at www.eldorado-film.de (new website from September on) 

Criterion's excellent 2-disc STRAW DOGS  dvd is now available.  See Criterion's webpage for more info.

On the subject of STRAW DOGS, a remake to star Ed Norton in the David Sumner role is currently underway.  Keep an eye on the imdb page for updates.

Neil Fullwood's "The Films of Sam Peckinpah," was recently published by Batsford Press.  The book is available through most mainstream outlets.

October 19, 2002
Kudos to Varese Sarabande for their excellent premier cd release of Jerry Goldsmith's fantastic Ballad of Cable Hogue score.  Limited to a 3000 copy pressing as an installment in their Soundtrack Club series, the disc also contains the original versions of the three vocal themes from the film.  Though the CD does not have the alternate studio versions of  'Tomorrow Is the Song I Sing" and "Butterfly Mornin's" as released on the promo 45 and Japanese 45 (both sung by Richard Gillis), it does have an alternate version of "Tomorrow" that was originally to be used over the end credits.  The CD can be purchased from Varese Sarabande directly.

Straw Dogs has been given a deluxe un-cut DVD treatment, though this release is presently limited to the UK.  The release features a commentary track from Katy Haber and a commentary track from Paul Seydor, David Weddle and Garner Simmons.  Some other features include a Susan George interview,  stills, and info on deleted scenes.   Amazon UK  has the region2 DVD for sale.

According to his official webpage, one of actor Benicio Del Toro's upcoming projects (2003) will be Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia.  Apparently he'll be playing the  role of Benny,  though I've heard no other details on the project. 

Biographer/filmmaker Mike Siegel will begin shooting on a comprehensive Sam Peckinpah biography shortly.  He offers the following information:--PASSION & POETRY: THE JOURNEY OF SAM PECKINPAH to be shot this year--
The idea for an official (I already made four home-movies on Sam Peckinpah) feature-length documentary started, when I spent two weeks in Italy in September 2000 with Katy Haber, Ali MacGraw, James Coburn, David Warner, R.G.Armstrong, Susan George, Walon Green, Paul Seydor, Martin Lewis, Fern Lea Peckinpah and her husband Walter Peter (a great man who passed away in 2001). We had such a great time, and I thought about the fact, that the only (if brilliant) officially available documentary about Sam is AN ALBUM IN MONTAGE. Ten years ago Paul Joyce and Katy Haber produced MAN OF IRON, which is terrific of course, but did not include much of Sam except two short interview clips. Thanks to my and Jeff Slaters collection, I can fall back on hundreds of production stills,various interviews of Sam on tape and on film as well as rare behind the scenes footage (CROSS OF IRON for ex.). Due to the fact that I'm more into feature filmmaking, I'm able to give the film a more dramatic form. The film will include new interviews and will concentrate more on the professional life of Sam, from his point of view, including his TV-work. For the first time, family members will talk about him. I plan to visit and shoot all major locations such as Mexico, England, Slovenia, Prescott, Nevada (hopefully with Steve Mason as guide)... I stopped preproduction due to illness last winter,but right now I'm on the road to recovery.  For the narration I want John Milius, but I couldn't locate him yet, MAYBE SOMEONE COULD HELP HERE. I'd also appreciate it, if collectors who own material on Sam (production stills and especially appearances on Talk Shows) would contact me (Every helping hand gets a credit of course). Also I'm looking for possible co-producers/investors. I'm able to bring in this film for much less than similar projects. In 1998 I made my first feature against all odds for $ 15.000, after I met up with Robert Rodriguez and followed his EL MARIACHI footsteps. I can write, film, edit, direct and produce and won't need an expensive crew. The film will be released on DVD,Video and in Television. Thanks to good contacts I'll also make a 35mm print that will be shown on major film festivals. Feel free to contact me at eldoradofilm@t-online.de
(Note:  Check the discussion board for updates on this project)

Arthur Knight (see 1/22/02 update) will be making a book-signing appearance in Peckinpah country.  The Fresno Barnes & Noble (7849 N. Blackstone) will host the event from 7-8 PM on October 24.

A couple of worthwhile new additions have been made the the Links section.

January 22, 2002
Blue Skies Falling, published last month by Forge Press, is a novel that should be of special interest to fans of Sam Peckinpah. Well-known for his previous works based on historical characters (including John Dillinger in his novel Johnnie D, and Jack Kerouac in his play King of the Beatniks) California-based author Arthur Winfield Knight here tells a semi-biographical tale about maverick film director "Sam Bonner" as Sam embarks on a cross-country road trip with his terminally ill young wife to visit people and places who played a signifigant role in Sam's life. Hailed by the notoriously tough Kirkus Reviews as "a richly done mock documentary," the book is largely based on anecdotes gathered by Knight through conversations with co-workers and relatives of Sam Peckinpah. The author will also be speaking about the novel at a signing event in Sacramento, California. The Book Collector, at 1008 24th Street (24th & J St), will be hosting the event at 2PM on Saturday, February 23.

Jeff Slater is presently working on a project, currently under the title Peckinpah, to be published in 2003 by Tomahawk Books. The book will focus on the making of each of Sam's films. The author has already conducted numerous interviews in the making of the book, and has requested that anyone who knew or worked with Sam feel free to email him.

In a final bit of book news: October of last year saw the publishing of Peckinpah's Women: A Reappraisal of the Portrayal of Women in the Period Westerns of Sam Peckinpah (Scarecrow Press).

Boot Hill Update: Prolific character actress Kathleen Freeman passed away on August 23, 2001, at the age of 78. With over 200 film and television appearances to her credit, Ms. Freeman's career stretched from the 40's up to the time of her passing. She played a small but memorable role in The Ballad of Cable Hogue, as the nagging wife in the stagecoach who berates her husband (Felix Nelson) and the stagecoach drivers (Slim Pickens and Max Evans).

My recent interview with Katy Haber is now posted on the main page. Check it out.

August 29, 2001
Dragon Models produced a fine rendition of James Coburn as Seargant Steiner in their action figure model series. The model quickly sold out of stock, but you can easily admire it on their webpage. Thanks to James Volga for this information.

Other news from some friends: The June 2001 issue of Arizona Highways magazine has an article on the filming of Junior Bonner (Thanks to Mike Byrd). David Warner has a sizeable role in Tim Burton's recent Planet of the Apes remake. (Thanks to Gerardo Reynaldo).

That's all for now. I'll be posting an interview with Katy Haber soon. As many of you probably know, Ms. Haber worked as an assistant to Sam for a period of seven years, beginning with Straw Dogs. In the meantime, you may find the two articles I justed linked ("Alcoholic Rites" and "Shoot to Immortalize") of some interest.

January 31, 2001
Rumors are circulating about plans for a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced Convoy remake. Check the message board for up-to-date information. Also, be sure to check Peter Lisa's post from January 6 in which he graciously provides us with comments on the quality of the numerous Convoy DVD's presently in circulation. In other DVD news, Stephen Marzella tells me that the French DVD of Cross of Iron is in true widescreen format.

A new Sam Peckinpah book has been recently published. Pocket Essentials Press has included an entry on Sam Peckinpah in their film book series. See their webpage for more info.

Finally, a bit of sad news. As I'm sure you already know, Jason Robards passed away on December 26. His contributions to the works of Sam Peckinpah were enormous and he will be sorely missed.

September 6, 2000
The details regarding Antenna Cinema's aforementioned Sam Peckinpah Tribute are listed below. I've posted coordinator Umberto Berlenghini's correspondence verbatim, since my attempts to translate into English would be futile and time -consuming. Still, it's fairly easy to read, even with only a limited understanding of Italian. Be sure to email Umberto at umbiberlenga@tiscalinet.it for more details. I'm sure you'll all agree that this looks like it will be a superlative tribute:

Alla presenza dell’attrice ALI MC GRAW e dell’attore BO HOPKINS*

July 29, 2000
E! Entertainment Channel is including an entry on Sam Peckinpah on the current series "Mysteries & Scandals", which is apparently focusing on Hollywood scandals presently. Check out the E! Webpage for more info, and be sure to share your thoughts about the documentary on the discussion board.

Umberto Berlenghini sends the following news of a Sam Peckinpah tribute to take place in Italy later in the year:

This is to inform that AntennaCinema will organize in Padua (near Venice) a great retrospective to Sam Peckinpah. This homage will be on September 2000 from 18th to 24th . We will screen not only the 14 Peckinpah’movies, but several Tv films, a few documetaries, trailers, videos and books.
Still now we have the confirmation of their presence from James Coburn; Ali MacGraw; Senta Berger; Michael Bliss; Paul Seydor; Max Evans; Arthur Gardner; Susan George; R.G. Armstrong; Fernlea and Walter Peter; Oracio Rubio (cultural minister of Mexico Embassy in Italy) and a few important italian giornalists.
We want to organize around above homage, four events with meeting. Following the list. 1) The music and/or the soundtracks of Peckinpah’cinema. In Italy there are two important magazine’music that call “Il mucchio selvaggio (the wild bunch)” and “L’ultimo buscadero (Junior Bonner)”. Why they have choised a Peckinpah’titles for their magazine?
2) A great and itinerant photography show about the various Peckinpah movies set and private life of him. About it we will ask help to Peckinpah family.
3) The strange cases of “Major Dundee” and “The killer elite”. We want to organize a meeting about the tormented relationships between Peckinpah and the productions and producers, especially of above movies.
4) The western literature. About this project, we want to invite in Padua Mr. William Least-Heat Moon, Mr. Tony Hillerman, Mr. Anthony O. Scott (New York Times).
5) Peckinpah and Italy. We want to remember the special relationship with our country and our cinema. We have invited Fabio Testi and Valerio De Paolis (actor and producer of “China 9 Liberty 37”) and Giulio Paradisi (director of “The visitor”).

(More info on the tribute should folow soon.-SM)

One final note: Convoy DVD's have been showing up on eBay. They appear to be bootlegs of some sort that have been copied from a Japanese laserdisc release from several years ago. Has anyone viewed the DVD, and can they attest to the quality?

May 6, 2000
Gerardo Reynaldo tells me that he was recently informed by Peckinpah biographer David Weddle that actor Don Johnson has optioned Weddle's book, "If They Move.. Kill 'Em," to HBO to be produced as an original film, but that Johnson has been unable to convince the HBO executives of the viability of the project. You can email HBO at their feedback page to give them your thoughts on the proposed project.

Documentary filmmaker Michael Krause is currently working on a Sam Peckinpah biography film and has requested input from some of the fans. Please email him with your personal feelings and thoughts on Peckinpah's films.

Finally, King-Wei has informed me of two upcoming soundtrack CD releases. The Artemis label has slated Ernest Gold's Cross of Iron score for release, while Rykodisc will be issuing Jerry Fielding's Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and The Killer Elite, with both scores on one CD.

January 27, 2000
Cross of Iron is slated for a February 1 DVD release from Hen's Tooth Video. No word yet as to what extras may be included. The Amazon webpage is specifying a 1.33:1 aspect ratio for the release.

December 6, 1999
Just a couple of brief notes:

The November 8 issue of The New Yorker magazine contained a wonderful commentary/rememberance of Sam Peckinpah by the legendary film critic Pauline Kael. The article is the result of Pauline's replies to some questions posed by The Austin Film Society's Charlie Sotelo. Back issues of The New Yorker are available through their webpage. In addition, the entire unedited interview can be found here on The Austin Chronicle's homepage. Also follow the other links therein regarding The Austin Film Society's ongoing Sam Peckinpah tribute.

October 12, 1999
Bernard F. Dukore's "Sam Peckinpah's Feature Films" (University of Illinois Press, 239 pages) is now available. I just received my copy from Amazon and will provide further details in the next update.

Former Peckinpah editor and good friend Garth Craven's name jumped out at me while viewing the credits to A Midsummer Night's Dream. In addition to his usual editorial work Craven also handled second unit directorial chores on this entertaining adaptation of Shakespeare's classic.

June 26, 1999
The Austin (Texas) Film Society will be presenting a tribute to Sam Peckinpah in the late Fall. The lineup will include Ride the High Country, The Wild Bunch, Ballad of Cable Hogue, Straw Dogs, The Getaway, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, and Cross of Iron. All films screened will be 35mm prints. More info to follow.

Random notes:
King-Wei has informed me that Lalo Schifrin's score to The Osterman Weekend has recently been released on CD. Also, Gerardo B. Reynaldo says that Mel Gibson's Payback may be worth a watch as it features James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson in supporting roles.

Please check out the recently added message board as well as Rodney Welch's excellent Straw Dogs review.

April 3, 1999
Congratulations to James Coburn on winning the Academy Award as best supporting actor for his role in Affliction. While being interviewed at a post-awards party, Coburn referred specifically to Major Dundee, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, and Cross of Iron as being three of the best films that he had ever made. He also added, perhaps regrettably, that Peckinpah was not very popular "around here", probably referring generally to the Hollywood establishment and Academy Award crowd.

Warner Video has recently released a 30th Anniversary version of The Wild Bunch on VHS which includes the Album in Montage documentary as well as an introductory interview with Ernest Borgnine.

Jabberwocky Productions is currently selling a limited number of the CD's Jerry Fielding Film Music Vol. 1 (includes Straw Dogs) and vol. 3 (includes Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and the unused score for The Getaway).

Thanks to Troy Tossy for the folowing item from Yahoo! News:
Van Der Beek, McDermott Saddle Up For 'Rangers'
By Michael Fleming
NEW YORK (Variety) - James Van Der Beek (''Dawson's Creek'') and Dylan McDermott (''The Practice'') are saddling up to star in ``Texas Rangers,'' a long-delayed project that was expected to be the last film directed by Sam Peckinpah.
The drama is about how a ragtag group of youngsters banded together after the Civil War to form the Texas Rangers, a group charged with the dangerous and ruthless duty of cleaning up the West.
The Dimension Films project has a lot of history in its own right. It was originally set up at Columbia, but stalled when Peckinpah died in 1984. It moved to upstart studio Savoy Pictures, which eventually collapsed, and ended up at Dimension.
The film's resurrection has a lot to do with Van Der Beek, who plays the title character in the WB's hit teen show ''Dawson's Creek.'' He made his feature starring debut earlier this year in ``Varsity Blues'' for which he was paid a paltry $200,000. The low-budget teen drama has earned a remarkable $52 million domestically.
In recognition of that bankability, Van Der Beek will be paid a low-seven-figure salary for ``Texas Rangers,'' a project he chose after turning down numerous teen-themed dramas and comedies for his hiatus slot. Steve Miner will direct ``Texas Rangers'' from a script by John Milius.

January 25, 1999
Garner Simmons' excellent 1982 book "Peckinpah: A Portrait in Montage" has been reprinted and is now available at Amazon.com

HiLo Country is now being released regionally. Check out the official website for more info.

The current issue of "Thunder: World of Action Cinema" contains a retrospective on Sam Peckinpah's career written by yours truly. Check it out.

Thanks to Gerardo Reynaldo for the following news item:
On December 31, 1998, CNN Showbiz had a brief interview with James Coburn &Nick Nolte on their new film titled "Affliction." In it, Coburn plays the alcoholic father of Nolte. Coburn offered that he based his character on the late Sam Peckinpah's alcoholic bender while filming "Cross of Iron" in Yugoslavia. Could be painful to watch.

December 13, 1998
"Savage Cinema: Sam Peckinpah and the Rise of Ultraviolent Movies" (University of Texas Press), by Prof. Stephen Prince is now available. The book is an extensive study of Sam Peckinpah's violent cinematic style, as well as a study on the debate over the influences of media violence. Prince drew from Peckinpah's private diaries and notes for many of his sources, and there are many interesting comments drawn from these. Currently available through Amazon.com, this book is well worth seeking out.

Anchor Bay Entertainment has followed up their outstanding widescreen release of Junior Bonner with a digitally remastered widescreen (1.77:1) release of Straw Dogs. This is the European cut of the film, and as such contains a slightly longer and more graphic rape scene.

Random notes: L.Q. Jones has a humorous part as a mangy bandit named "Three-Fingered Jack" in the recent The Mask of Zorro. Observant viewers should notice a direct reference in the dialogue to his character from The Wild Bunch. Also, be sure to check out the recently added Paul Seydor interview. 

October 15, 1998
Cross of Iron has been re-released in the VHS and PAL formats. The video cassette is currently listing for $22.99 at reel.com

Hi Lo Country has been slated for a December 18 US release date. See Gramercy's preview page for more information.

I'll be adding more images in the upcoming weeks as well as expanding some of the movie reviews. More exclusive interviews should be on the way, as well.

August 12, 1998
The August issue of Premiere Magazine includes an article on "Ten films that bombed, but didn't deserve to." Included in the ten is Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia.

Irv Slifkin, of Movies Unlimited, tells me that Cross of Iron will be re-released this Fall on the Hen's Tooth Video label.

May 26, 1998
Anchor Bay Entertainment has recently released Junior Bonner as part of their Digitally Mastered Widescreen Presentation VHS series. This is a marked improvement over the previously released pan-and-scan version. Highly recommended!

The current issue of Psychotronic Magazine contains an extensive interview with former Peckinpah "stock actor" R.G. Armstrong. Part two of the interview will appear in an upcoming issue.

I've found a source for the extremely rare videocassette of Cross of Iron. Check out The Video Den Homepage for more info.

April 10, 1998
The Wild Bunch will be showing in over 30 cities in North America over the next few months as a part of Warner Brothers "75th Anniversary of Classics." Check out the Warner Brothers Movies Page for more details.

Veteran Western film character actor Gene Evans passed away on April 1, at the age of 75. Among his many roles, the burly red-bearded actor played "Clete" (David Warner's nemesis) in The Ballad of Cable Hogue, and "Mr. Horrell" in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.

For those so inclined, please check out my grilfriend's new page Memories of Hollywoodland. It contains a nice collection of classic film noir posters, glamour shots, magazine covers, and other images from Hollywood's "Golden Era."

March 18, 1998
Just a few quick notes on this update.
The Getaway DVD "French soundtrack" is apparently a French dubbed version of the film, not a version with the Jerry Fielding score. The original Jerry Fielding score was released several years ago on CD, as were Fielding's scores for The Killer Elite and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, all as very limited releases on the Bay Cities label. I plan to eventually begin compiling a list of the various pressings of soundtracks to Sam's fims.

I have been in touch with Mr. Art Schneider, who worked with Sam Peckinpah as an editor on his classic 1966 television movie Noon Wine. I'll be posting my interview with Mr. Schneider soon.

January 11, 1998:
The Wild Bunch deluxe edition laserdisc has been released. In addition to a CAV letterbox version of the film, the box set contains a number of other noteworthy items including: A CD containing the complete score (22 tracks). A 76 page color booklet with numerous actor interviews, and articles on Peckinpah's career by renowned authors such as Paul Seydor, David Weddle, Garner Simmons, and Michael Bliss. Dozens of great (and rare) photographs make this booklet a true collectible. Paul Seydor's documentary film The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage is also included, along with the original theatrical trailers for Ride the High Country, The Wild Bunch, The Ballad of Cable Hogue, The Getaway, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, and The Killer Elite. All-in-all, a superlative release and a great tribute to Sam Peckinpah.

Also recently released are the DVDs The Wild Bunch, and The Getaway, both also from Warner Brothers. The Wild Bunch also contains the Seydor documentary, while The Getaway is advertised as containing the trailer, production notes, and the "French soundtrack" (I believe that this may mean that the film may be played with the original Jerry Fielding score which was replaced by the Quincy Jones score at the request of the producers. I'll try to verify this before the next update).

Further notes on the current production of The HiLo Country, thanks to correspondent Dennis Dutton. Katy Jurado (High Noon, One-Eyed Jacks, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and other classic Westerns), will have a role, as will Cole Hauser. Dennis also tells me that the screenplay is actually being written solely by Walon Green, from the Max Evans novel. Dennis is currently writing a biography of author Max Evans, and tells me that Max is currently working on another book about his relationship with Sam Peckinpah. More info on all of these upcoming projects to come.

December 22, 1997:
An upcoming film that should be of great interest to Peckinpah fans will be The HiLo Country. Many of you may recognize this title as the book which Peckinpah tried unsucessfully to bring to the screen several times in his career. The screenplay is being adapted by the famous Western author Max Evans, from his novel of the same name. Max was also a personal friend of Sam Peckinpah and even had a small role in The Ballad of Cable Hogue. Walon Green, co-writer of The Wild Bunch is also contributing to the screenplay. The film will be produced by Martin Scorcese and directed by Stephen Frears. The cast will feature Woody Harrelson as Big Boy Matson (Peckinpah had planned to cast Brian Keith in this role). The cast will also include Patricia Arquette, Sam Elliot, Billy Crudup, Willie Nelson, and Penelope Cruz. I'll include further information, including release date, as soon as I find out more.

All of the feedback I've received has confirmed my fears that Cross of Iron is currently unavaliable in any format. It was apparently released by at least three different video companies (Vestron, Media, and Nostalgia Merchant), during the 1980s. It was released briefly on laserdisc by Warner Brothers Japan in 1990 (release #NJL-38555), with Japanese subtitles. (Thanks to Fred Frey for the above information, as well as all of the others who responded. I intend to add a "Special Thanks" section soon to credit all who have contributed infomation to the page)

On the subject of helpful contributions, James Mulay has provided me with a list of several out-of-print books to add to the "References & Sources" list. I don't have any of the books on this new list apart from the recent "Doing it Right," so if anyone knows where I might acquire any of these books, please let me know.

A current film with a Peckinpah connection is the 007 thriller Tomorrow Never Dies. The director, Roger Spottiswoode, began his career as an editor, with Straw Dogs, and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia being two of his earliest projects.

Thats about all for now. Check back as I'll be adding some new items to the images section, including some Cross of Iron lobby cards, and an Australian Straw Dogs poster.

October 22, 1997:
Oliver Stone has stated that his recent film U-turn is based loosely on Peckinpah's Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. There are many similarities, and I highly recommend this movie to any fans of film noir. Bo Hopkins has a brief role, as well.
On the subject of former Peckinpah actors, check out the recent thriller The Edge to see L.Q. Jones in a satisfying role as a grizzled hunting lodge operator. Kris Kristofferson also has a a good role in Steven Seagal's recent Fire Down Below. (He even delivers his memorable line, "Kiss my ass," from Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.)
A good recent addition to my library has been "Ultra Violent Movies: From Sam Peckinpah to Quentin Tarantino" by Laurent Bouzreau (Citadel Press, 1996). The primary focus on Peckinpah's work includes analyses of The Wild Bunch and Straw Dogs. Two more books on Peckinpah are scheduled to be released next year, both authored by Professor Steven Prince of Virginia Tech University. These will be "Savage Cinema: Sam Peckinpah and the Rise of Ultraviolent Movies" (University of Texas Press), and "Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch" (Cambridge University Press).
Finally, I have had numerous requests from fans seeking a copy of Cross of Iron in either VHS or laserdisc format (If it has been issued on laserdisc?). This film has been unavailable in the US for a number of years, so if anyone knows of a source please pass it on to me and I will post it here.

September 2, 1997:
First I'd like to thank everyone who has e-mailed me with comments and suggestions on the page. I appreciate all the input and I really enjoy conversing with other Peckinpah fans. Unfortunately, I suffered a minor computer problem a couple of weeks ago and wound up flushing several e-mails accidentally. So if you e-mailed me and I haven't responded, please send me another message.
I've added a Cross of Iron one-sheet that I recently acquired. I'll soon be adding a number of other posters that I've recently picked up.

July 12, 1997:
I've added a few things from my collection to the images.
Also, I included a couple of snapshots taken in February while my girlfriend and I were taking a side-trip during a Las Vegas visit. We also downed a few drinks in the lodge bar. The Valley of Fire was beautiful. All in all, a great experience.
On a sadder note, actor Brian Keith comitted suicide following a long battle with cancer on June 24. Brian appeared in Peckinpah's legendary TV series The Westerner as well as Sam's first feature film, The Deadly Companions. The two were also close personal friends. Check out this Brian Keith Fan Tribute Page for more info on this great actor.

May 29, 1997:
I plan to use this space to provide the latest news regarding Peckinpah-related merchandise, articles, videos, and the like.
An upcoming release to look out for will be the deluxe laser disc from Warner Brothers of The Wild Bunch. This box set will include in addition to the film; a booklet with several essays and a history of the film, the complete Jerry Fielding score (previously available only as a very limited edition CD), several trailers for the film, and Paul Seydor's excellent documentary The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage.
I will also be adding numerous images to this site in the future, and will document them here as I do so.