IMDb > Straw Dogs (1971)
Straw Dogs
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Straw Dogs (1971) More at IMDbPro »

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Straw Dogs (1971) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   16,548 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 6% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Sam Peckinpah
Writers:
David Zelag Goodman (screenplay) and
Sam Peckinpah (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Straw Dogs on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
29 December 1971 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
The knock at the door meant the birth of one man and the death of seven others! more
Plot:
A young American and his English wife come to rural England and face increasingly vicious local harassment. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win more
User Comments:
Fantastic thriller that holds its own after 30 years more (210 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Dustin Hoffman ... David Sumner
Susan George ... Amy Sumner
Peter Vaughan ... Tom Hedden

T.P. McKenna ... Major John Scott
Del Henney ... Charlie Venner
Jim Norton ... Chris Cawsey
Donald Webster ... Riddaway
Ken Hutchison ... Norman Scutt
Len Jones ... Bobby Hedden
Sally Thomsett ... Janice Hedden
Robert Keegan ... Harry Ware
Peter Arne ... John Niles
Cherina Schaer ... Louise Hood
Colin Welland ... Reverend Barney Hood
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
June Brown ... Mrs. Hedden (scenes deleted)
Chloe Franks ... Emma Hedden (scenes deleted)
Michael Mundell ... Bertie Hedden (scenes deleted)
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs (UK) (complete title)
more
Runtime:
118 min | USA:113 min (R-rated version)
Country:
UK | USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor) (uncredited)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Finland:K-18 (uncut) (1981) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1971) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Iceland:16 | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2007) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | USA:R (cut) | USA:Unrated (uncut) | Brazil:18 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:MA (DVD re-rating) (2004) | Australia:R (original rating) | France:-16 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 (re-rating) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) | Japan:R-15 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:(Banned) (video rating) (1999) | UK:18 (video re-rating) (2002) (uncut) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R
Company:
ABC Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The title comes from the Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu, who wrote, "Heaven and earth are not humane, and regard the people as straw dogs." more
Goofs:
Factual errors: When Amy fires the shotgun at the last attacker both the hammers are in the 'uncocked' position. She would need to pull the hammer of the relevant barrel backwards to cock the gun. more
Quotes:
Amy Sumner: David, give Niles to them. That's what they want. They just want him. Give them Niles, David!
David Sumner: They'll beat him to death.
Amy Sumner: I don't care! Get him out!
David Sumner: You really don't care, do you?
Amy Sumner: No, I don't.
David Sumner: No. I care. This is where I live. This is me. I will not allow violence against this house.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade (2004) (TV) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful.
Fantastic thriller that holds its own after 30 years, 24 May 2003
8/10
Author: FilmOtaku (ssampon@hotmail.com) from Milwaukee, WI

Straw Dogs is an intense thriller that shows what can happen when you push even the most mild mannered man too far. Dustin Hoffman plays a mathematician who temporarily moves to a house in a rural village in England with his wife, a former resident of the town, played by Susan George. The two withstand incessant needling from several of the townsfolk until George is raped and assaulted and Hoffman is pushed over the edge.

Incidentally, right after watching this film I found a documentary on cable about filmmakers from the late '60s to late '70s and one of the directors profiled was Sam Peckinpah. I had always considered his films to be violent and vaguely shocking, which never surprised me, knowing that he was a hard-living maverick who did things his way - an element that is resplendent in most of his films. A brief mention of Straw Dogs was included in this documentary, where they described it as a "sexist film". There are obvious scenes in the film that could support this criticism, but I think that is overanalyzing the film with a political correctness that is out of place. While the two female characters are both victimized, Susan George also has her moments of empowerment. I may be a female, but I don't consider Peckinpah's tendency to make testosterone-driven films any more sexist than anything that Tarantino puts out, and I'm a big fan of his work as well. It's a dangerous line to draw when one labels a film due to what is *not* included in a film.

What this film does contain is much more stellar - Hoffman is beyond incredible in this film. His character development is amazing to experience. One criticism of the film that I heard from a friend who saw it before me was that it "dragged." I couldn't disagree more. The development of the story until the extremely violent climax is a perfect pace because it made me feel like I was sitting in a dentist chair, knowing that this low boil could explode at any time. After the dust settles, the viewer is left to decide whether Hoffman's character made the right decision, and left to speculate on the ramifications of the choices made. This is by far one of the best films I've seen in recent months and plan to seek out the newly released Criterion edition in my quest to find out as much about this film as I can.

--Shelly

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This film is rubbish apw1988
What do you think would have happened if... jwsiegel
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Most Disturbing Scene Ever... bruins2111
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Criterion vs. MGM govman101
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