Open Season (1974 film)

Open Season is a 1974 thriller film directed by Peter Collinson. It stars Peter Fonda, John Phillip Law, William Holden, Mabel Escaño and Cornelia Sharpe.[1] The film was shot in both Spain and England, with parts of those countries used to portray the American backwoods. The screenplay was by David Osborn and Liz Charles Williams, based on Osborn's novel.

Open Season
Directed byPeter Collinson
Screenplay byDavid Osborn
Liz Charles-Williams
Based onThe All Americans
by David Osborn
Produced byJosé S. Vicuña
StarringPeter Fonda
Cornelia Sharpe
John Phillip Law
Richard Lynch
Alberto Mendoza
William Holden
CinematographyFernando Arribas
Edited byAlan Pattillo
Music byRuggero Cini
Production
companies
Arpa Productions
Impala
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release dates
  • August 1974 (1974-08) (USA)
  • 26 December 1974 (1974-12-26) (London)
Running time
104 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
Spain
LanguageEnglish

Plot

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The film follows three Vietnam veterans who are stimulated by violence, and by the subjugation and debasement of those they victimize. Every year they go on vacation in the wilderness, where they engage in a spree of brutality and violence. They choose unsuspecting pairs of victims and hunt them down like wild animals. This year, they decide to kidnap a middle-aged man and his young mistress. After enduring an intense period of sexual manipulation, beatings, and humiliation, the two victims are eventually given time to try and escape after which they will be tracked down and killed. Both make a break, separately, but are found and killed by their tormentors. At the end, one by one, the killers themselves are eliminated by an unknown stalker. He is revealed to be the father of a girl who was raped by the group prior to their military service, and who subsequently committed suicide after giving birth.

Cast

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Production

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Fonda later said "I had a good time on that one. That was my first chance to play a really evil guy. I liked working with Richard Lynch and John Phillip Law. We shot it just outside Madrid and in Detroit. "[2]

  • Theme song 'Casting Shadows' composer and performer: John Howard

References

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  1. ^ "Open Season (1974) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast". AllMovie. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  2. ^ Goldman, Lowell (Fall 1990). "Peter Fonda: I Know What It's Like to Be Dead". Psychotronic Video. No. 7. p. 36.
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