L'épouvantail

Original title: Scarecrow

1973
13
1h 52m

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

21K

YOUR RATING

Al Pacino and Gene Hackman in L'épouvantail (1973)

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91 Photos

Road Trip Drama

An ex-con drifter with a penchant for brawling is amused by a homeless ex-sailor, so they partner up as they head east together.An ex-con drifter with a penchant for brawling is amused by a homeless ex-sailor, so they partner up as they head east together.An ex-con drifter with a penchant for brawling is amused by a homeless ex-sailor, so they partner up as they head east together.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

21K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 4 wins total

Annie
(as Penny Allen)

Richard Hackman

Mickey

Al Cingolani

Skipper

Rutanya Alda

Woman in camper

Mary Ann Brownlee

Hooker
(uncredited)

Nicholas Carbone

Child
(uncredited)

Frank Chartier

Bartender
(uncredited)

James G. Cureman

Hippie
(uncredited)

Armen Darakdjian

Lion's Son
(uncredited)

June Denning

Myra
(uncredited)

June Dixon

Waitress
(uncredited)

Richard Jamison

Young Man
(uncredited)

Director
- Jerry Schatzberg
Writer
- Garry Michael White
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

User reviews116

7.221.2K

Featured reviews

10djvcbd

Two of the greats

I saw Scarecrow when it originally came out in 1973. Like so many movies of that era (late 60's - early 70's) it didn't have the requisite "happy ending" that Hollywood force feeds us today. Instead, we're presented with the desolate lives of two drifters searching for redemption at their respective destinations of Pittsburgh and Detroit. Hackman and Pacino are at their best here, providing the same type of brilliant acting and on-screen presence that Voight and Hoffman gave us in Midnight Cowboy (1969). In fact I've always thought these two movies would make for a great "compare and contrast" assignment in a Theatre Arts class.

Hackman has been quoted as saying that this was his favorite role. No argument here, it's my favorite too. Thanks Gene. You too Al.

10anton_d_mannaseh1

an overlooked masterpiece

This excellent movie has been overlooked for too long. Its a great film on every level. It is entertaining as well as deeply profound. Schatzberg's directing is outstanding, Hackman and Pacino deliver acting on a level rarely found in any films, and the script is funny, while retaining a quiet note of tension and melancholy throughout. Its an exceptional film, largely overlooked by American audiences in the years since its release (despite winning the grand prize at Cannes, as well as the acting prize for Hackman and Pacino).

Don't overlook this film. Rent it!

buby1987

Unjustly overlooked classic

This overlooked film features Gene Hackman's best performance as an introverted ex-con. Al Pacino gives one of his best performances. Director Jerry Schatzberg and cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond capture both the squalor and the grandeur of the American landscape. Garry Michael White's screenplay is filled with richly nuanced characters, religious symbolism and a deep sense of humanity. One of the best of the 70's.

8caspian1978

A Decade Under the Influence

2 pawns who are making up for their past are living the present like they may have no future. Hackman and Pacino are amazing. Some of the 1 shot scenes last for 2-3 minutes. The magic created on screen by these two actors are mind blowing. The opening and closing scenes are so "different" it can be classed as poetic in a way. This is not your regular Hollywood movie, although it has 2 of the greatest actors in American movie history. Check this film out! 1973 never looked so real.

rm91945

Two strangers meet on a lonely road and form a tentative, but lasting friendship.

Max and Lionel, two ordinary guys, meet by chance on a lonely country road while hitchhiking and strike up a friendship. Max (Gene Hackman) is a hot-tempered ex-con who dreams of owning his own business, a car wash. Lionel (Al Pacino) is a seaman who abandoned his pregnant girlfriend some years prior but who, despite this character flaw, is so mild-mannered and sweet you really just want to give him a big hug.

Hackman is great as the hard-edged Max, yet despite his gruff exterior you know there is a man of deep feeling and caring underneath. Pacino never fails to disappoint in whatever he does and he doesn't in this tour-de-force performance. Famous for playing loud, larger than life character's with extreme zeal -- Colonel Frank Slade from SCENT OF A WOMAN and Tony Montana from SCARFACE for instance -- here his performance is like a whisper -- quietly calm yet powerfully effective.

A nice surprise in the cast is Richard Lynch (in his screen debut) as Riley, the man who befriends Lionel while he and Max are briefly incarcerated for a bar fight. Lynch is only in the movie for approximately 20 minutes, but what a 20 minutes! His ability to convey the sleazy yet somehow likable Riley let's the audience know that this is a talent to watch for in the coming years. With such great method acting from all three actors, it's no wonder this movie won the prestigious Golden Palm Award at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival!

Storyline

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Trivia
Gene Hackman has stated that his performance in L'épouvantail (1973) is his personal favorite.

Quotes
Lion: Hey Max, you heard the story of the scarecrow?
Max Millan: No.
Lion: You think crows are scared of a scarecrow?
Max Millan: Yeah, I think they're scared. Yeah why?
Lion: No, crows are not scared, believe me.
Max Millan: The god damn crows are scared.
Lion: No, crows are laughin'.
Max Millan: Nah, that's bullshit...
Lion: That's right, the crows are laughin'. Look, the farmer puts out a scarecrow, right, with a funny hat on it, got a funny face. The crows fly by, they see that, it strikes 'em funny, makes 'em laugh.
Max Millan: The god damn crows are laughin'?
Lion: That's right, they're laughin' their asses off. And then they say, "Well, that ol' farmer Jo down there, he's a pretty good guy. He made us laugh, so he won't bother him any more."
Max Millan: The god damn crows are laughin'...
Lion: Ohh, they laughin', woooo!
Max Millan: I gotta tell ya somethin', that's the most hare-brained idea I've ever heard.
Lion: It's true, they're laughin' their asses off.
Max Millan: The crows are laughin'... I guess the fish are reciting poetry...
Lion: I guess so.
Max Millan: Uh huh... and the uh, pigs are playin' banjo? And the dogs would be, let's see, uh... playin' hockey. And the uh... the uh...
Lion: Crows are laughin'.
Max Millan: Crows are laughin', right. Ya know, in the joint I've heard some tales, oh boy, golly I've heard some tall tales. But at least those guys had the decency to admit that it was bullshit, you know what I mean? They actually took pride, pride in that it was bullshit. But the crows are laughin' huh? I mean you're not playin' with a full deck man, you got one foot in the grave beyond.