“Scarecrow” A road movie about misfits created by a “scarecrow” made from scrap wood.

"Scarecrow" synopsis

One day, Max, who has finished a six-year sentence for assault, meets Ryan, a former sailor, on a journey. Max was hitchhiking for business, and Ryan was hitchhiking to meet a child he had never met. Despite having completely opposite personalities, the two somehow manage to hit it off. Meanwhile, Max gets into a fight at a bar along the way and ends up being sent to an institution...

Index

• Stories born from “waste materials”
• “Walking Scarecrow” ─ Futen’s Max and Lion
• What makes up a scarecrow?

Stories born from “waste materials”

“Scarecrow is beautiful!”

“Scarecrows are beautiful!” To be honest, I have never thought that way when I was actually in front of a real scarecrow. If we were to unexpectedly come across one while walking down a country road, any of us would feel not only a ``crow'' but also a ``scare.'' However, if you look closely at them, you will feel a surprising sense of familiarity. It's not because they look "human-like." I think this is because many of them are made using waste materials that are all around us. Since their bodies are made from scrap wood, most of them look rough and shabby. But I stopped and looked back. Perhaps their purpose is not to strike fear into those they encounter.

──There is probably only one movie in this world that makes you think like that. ``The Scarecrow'' (1973), directed by Jerry Schatzberg. This film, which won the Palme d'Or at the 26th Cannes Film Festival, depicts the friendship between men with contrasting personalities. As the title, which means "scarecrow," suggests, they look shabby. However, through the journey (story), you will soon realize that this is "nothing more than appearances." Outside doesn't necessarily mean inside.

"Scarecrow" preview

This film is a road movie about Max (Gene Hackman), who has finished six years in prison, and Lionel (Al Pacino), who has finished five years as a sailor. Max is a giant who is almost 190cm tall, and Lionel is petite and is only about 170cm tall. While hitchhiking to their respective destinations, the two meet and end up working together, and eventually become irreplaceable.

Max, who was serving time in prison for a violent incident, and Lionel, who left behind his pregnant wife and their unborn child, went on a journey. Although they each have their own opinions on the current situation, they are both "misfits" in society. You could say that it is a waste material produced by society. Ultimately, this road movie can be said to be a story created from such waste materials. With its human appearance, it can be said that it resembles a scarecrow.

From the perspective of people who lead fairly normal social lives, these people are not normal. They are also different from the people who aspired to freedom and who were born with the rise of American New Cinema. They are never needed by anyone. This is because, again and again, they are seen as "waste material = misfits."

“Walking Scarecrow” ─ Futen’s Max and Lion