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While Clint Eastwood’s last outing was the box-office bombCry Macho, the legendary Hollywood actor had planned the denouement of his golden era of Westerns with 1992’sUnforgiven. The critically acclaimed feature – which deconstructs the quintessential perception of the American West – emerged triumphant with four Oscar wins from nine nominations at the 65th Academy Awards.
But it turns out that Eastwood’s magnum opus may not have existed had it not been for one of Martin Scorcese’s groundbreaking creations.
The Martin Scorcese Gem That Inspired Clint Eastwood’sUnforgiven
In a conversation withYahoo! Entertainmentfollowing the 30th anniversary of Clint Eastwood’sUnforgiven, screenwriter David Peoples unveiled the cinematic masterpiece that impelled him to pen the script for the revisionist Western feature.
Martin Scorcese’s neo-noir tour de forceTaxi Driverserved as one of the most prominent sources of inspiration for Peoples, who was taken aback by the“powerful”and“poignant”character of Robert De Niro’s Travis Bickle. The 1976 crime thriller coupled with Glendon Swarthout’sThe Shootistis what fuelled his imagination with Eastwood’s role as William Munny inUnforgiven.
“In the ’70s I was trying to write some screenplays and I had found that the way people died in movies really didn’t seem credible […] But then I saw Taxi Driver and I was like, “Holy sh*t!” It was an entertaining movie that also had a reality to it and a character in Travis Bickle who was so powerful and poignant. It knocked me out.”
“I miss it to this day”: Only Clint Eastwood Could Have Gotten Away With Changing the Original Ending of ‘Unforgiven’ and Still Impressing the Real Writer
Peoples – who is also credited with the screenplays for renowned works likeBlade Runnerand12 Monkeys– had initially“resolved”to write comedies. But one screening of Scorcese’sTaxi Driverand the Oscar-nominated screenwriter ended up penning one of the most epic Western films ever.
It Took Clint Eastwood Over Two Decades to MakeUnforgiven
Unforgiven, in a way, is an ode to Eastwood’s authentic career of Westerns, which signified both the zenith and end of his journey as far as traditional movies of the genre were concerned. It’s not shocking then that theGran Torinostar wanted everything associated with the film to a tee.
The film’s backdrop demanded the dark, debauched character of William Munny to be weathered by the cruelty of life, so Eastwood decided he must be and look older to play the notorious outlaw. Consequentially, theDirty Harrystar worked on the 1992 classic with such fastidious care that it took the crew more than twenty years to get it off the ground (viaCollider).
“I’ve threatened to quit”: Clint Eastwood’s Insecurity With His Acting Became the Very Reason Why He Won His First Oscar
Upon its premiere,Unforgivennot only witnessed widespread critical acclaim but also a phenomenal profit of over $159 million at the global box office against a budget of scarcely $14.4 million (viaThe Numbers). And let’s not forget the bouquet of Oscar nominations and wins it took home.
Unforgivencan be streamed or rented on Apple TV+.
Khushi Shah
Articles Published :857
With a prolific knowledge of everything pop culture and a strong penchant for writing, Khushi has penned over 700 articles during her time as an author at FandomWire.An abnormal psychology student and an fervent reader of dark fiction, her most trusted soldiers are coffee and a good book.
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Clint EastwoodMartin ScorseseTaxi DriverUnforgiven
