August 2nd: CUTTER'S WAY (Ivan Passer, 1981)

Three friends stumble upon a murder mystery that may involve a powerful local businessman.

Producer Paul Gurian bought the rights to a 1976 book titled Cutter and Bone, and approached screenwriter Jeffrey Alan Fiskin to adapt it. Originally meant to be directed by Robert Mulligan (To Kill A Mockingbird) and starring Dustin Hoffman, Gurian was forced to change studios to get funding of the film.

Ivan Passer was a notable member of the Czech New Wave film movement of the 1960s, primarily as a screenwriter and collaborating multiple times with Milos Forman (One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest). After the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, Passer fled the country for Hollywood like many of his contemporaries. He had already directed several films with notable stars when he was chosen by Fiskin and Gurian for their new project.

Budget struggles with the studio eased somewhat with the casting of Jeff Bridges, a rising star with several hits and an Oscar nomination under his belt. Opposite him was John Heard, who had worked mostly in the theatre and on television, winning an Off-Broadway Award for his performance in Shakespeare's Othello, and had also starred in two films for independent female director Joan Micklin Silver.  The cast also includes Lisa Eichhorn (The Talented Mr. Ripley) and Stephen Elliott (Beverly Hills Cop).

The film was shot on location in Santa Barbara by cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth (Blade Runner). The musical score was composed by former Neil Young and Rolling Stones collaborator Jack Nitzsche (The Exorcist, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest).

With its portrayal of embittered Vietnam veterans and anti-establishment tone, the film fits into a subgenre of "paranoid thrillers" common in the 1970s, a reaction to postwar, post-Watergate disillusionment and distrust of the government and positions of power.

Due to internal studio politics, the film was dumped without giving Passer the benefit of preview screenings, and after a few early negative reviews ceased promoting it. After the critical tide turned, the film was retitled as Cutter's Way and it managed minor success at the box office and 4 awards at the Houston Film Festival for Best Film Director, Screenplay and Heard's performance.

Running time is approx. 100 minutes.