Meek's Cutoff

As a History buff who has studied the Meek's Cutoff, this Movie is only 2% close to being accurate. It should have been called something else.The Meek Wagon Trains had thousands of head of Cattle, Oxen and horses. There were over a thousand people in the Wagon Train.They stayed at the Alkali lake for a period of time, drinking the bad water, and had numerous people die. The Indian, actually spoke broken english.The only factual parts I saw were the hardships, the finding of the Indian, the trading of the Blanket.The Indian actually led them to Water.I find it difficult to watch a film portraying something historical, and completely destroying History in the process. A simple Wikipedia search will show how inaccurate this Movie is.Even a low budget Film could show the accurate history. A horrible excuse of a movie to portray this as Meek's Cutoff.It simply should have been titled a tale of American Pioneers or something else, and I wouldn't have such a problem with this Film.

A couple of families (connected somehow but how I forget) hire a guide to take them to western Oregon in the mid-1840's to hopefully cash in on a gold rush. Having conquered the Rockies, they are optimistic that the dry, rolling brushland of eastern Oregon will soon be behind them. Their vigilant guide, having noticed an American Indian on their tail, captures him and tries to compel him to give up a nearby source of water. The problem is, the Indian knows no English and the crude signing the White Americans try does not seem to register either. Initially, the would-be settlers are a bit antsy that comrades from the Indian's tribe would attack. This fear is unfounded - in fact, all they have done is simply add to their overburdened lot another mouth to feed, another glass to fill. I'm a bit mystified by many of the reviews of this film. It seems to have completely sailed by the minds of many that this is a horror/suspense film done as a Western. You have kindhearted families following a guide who knows nothing, scared out of their wits that Indians will attack them, rape them and kill them, only to find that there's no one around, no water around and that even the Indian seems to be making his peace. That leaves only the settlers with virtually nothing left off of which to survive. When the camera fades, you know what will happen. The same kind of scenario took place time and again when would-be-settlers headed West - it's just that they never lived to tell us. I believe this film is trying to get that across.

This movie doesn't claim to be either "portraying history" or a documentary. It states it is "based on", and the screenplay writer and the director have picked and chosen what they want to convey about a few months long journey in a 100 minutes, so take it on its own terms, not the movie you want it to be - which you should just make yourself!I read the wikipedia article, just to get some context, then watched the movie, and tried to trace the route on a map. I loved the movie, the "slowness", if you are accustomed to thriller/action movies or whatever, is understandable. In this movie, it is completely in keeping with the landscape, which is a major character.When a reviewer says it is only "2% accurate", I have no idea what their denominator is. Does the standard for accuracy include clothing?, griminess?, materials,? methods,? lack of evidence of grazing? lack of utility poles etc included? How about the casual racism of the white invaders towards the inhabitants? How about the "If he doesn't understand English (God's language of course), yell louder and then kick him in the face!", which is mirrored in current American approach to the rest of the world? That's pretty accurate.The last scene, with the ostensible Paiute walking downhill from the tree, doesn't imply that he did or did not lead them to water. There are a number of other occasions in which he stops, looks back and then continues walking. Meek concedes decision-making to Mrs. Tetherow, and if we were to not know history (or even as we do) we can speculate about the film character's decision.I don't know if The historical Meek was as bloodthirsty (recall his pride in spending an afternoon shooting Indians) a show-off as portrayed, but if we desperately want Abrahamic "good vs. evil" closure, then I see the last scene as a temporary victory of the force of good over the forces of ignorance and evil.

I'd call it a work of history realism and a story not told enough. It's a story we need to hear about our rugged persevering ancestors who settled the West. As far as I'm concerned the ending was perfect. It is probably the point many hopefuls reached and your mind will tell you the most likely ending. It doesn't need an ending to make viewers happy .... the ending is about truth, often lost in today's world. Movies often twist the truth to keep the viewers enthralled. This story makes you appreciate those who came before us.

Terrific. solid acting, scenery, and plot kept my interest in the film.

One reviewer thought the difficulty was technical: no dialogue. Only background. But that's the deal. I didn't have the patience to wait around to find out how long it took for some dialogue to show up. I just said. 'No.'

Terrible movie. Boring boring and did I say it as boring. Lol would not recommend to anyone.

OH! It's one of those art films! As players of the Oregon Trail game, we thought it was a good movie depicting one of the less successful ventures. It starts somewhere in the midst of Meek's cutoff and ends with Meek cutting himself off as the trail guide the group hired. The dialogue was difficult to hear; turn on the subtitles. Barren, desolate, and sparse in scenery, action, and dialogue. Realistic as far as our understanding of what it was like crossing (and getting lost in) an unknown country with a (surprise!) vast desert in the middle of it. As we learned playing the Oregon Trail game, and watching this movie, best to travel with a large wagon train, and don't take any cutoffs; stay on the trail.

Things worked out well, no problem

MEEK'S CUTOFF (Edizione francese:La dernière piste) di Kelly Reichardt - USA 2010.Siamo nel 1845 in Oregon. Una carovana di tre famiglie si fa guidare da Stephen Meek, un montanaro che conosce il deserto, verso le Cascade Mountains. L’uomo però ha preso una scorciatoia ed ha perso la strada. Ora tutti non sanno bene cosa fare e che decisioni prendere, mentre le risorse finiscono e trovare l’acqua si rivela essere un’impresa sempre più difficile. Finché un giorno un indiano non attraversa il loro cammino, e quello che è considerato da sempre il nemico numero 1 può diventare la loro salvezza…La Reichardt (Oltre che regista,anche curatrice del montaggio) si era già fatta notare prima,ed ora torna con un film che ci parla del mito americano,della frontiera e della netta contrapposizione tra indiani nativi e neo-coloni invasori (l’Oregon non era ancora territorio americano all’epoca),e lo fa con uno stile sapiente e coraggioso,elogiando con la macchina da presa – a volte statica e a volte dinamica – paesaggi e colori. A suo modo può sembrare un inno alla straordinaria bellezza di quella terra,ma dall’altra parte Meek’s Cutoff ci dice molto sui conflitti interni dei personaggi.Ad impersonificare questi conflitti, con un gran bel personaggio ricco di dubbi, sfumature e anche difetti, c’è Emily, interpretata dalla brava Michelle Williams.Notevole risulta il suo sviluppo, che inizia con paura e totale avversione verso l’indiano, ritenuto pericolosissimo, passando anche per la furbizia (mentre gli sistema un sandalo: “Lo faccio solo perché così mi deve qualcosa”), fino ad essere l’unica del gruppo a saper interpretare il suo linguaggio. Il razzismo striscia sottopelle, e le distanze tra gli esseri umani diventano enormi…Forse non sarà possibile che Meek’s Cutoff venga apprezzato da tutti.Non è un film facile, e la sua aria da variante western crepuscolare già seleziona impietosamente quella parte del pubblico meno ricettiva alle sfumature sia di linguaggio che caratteriali.La celebratoria recensione che ne fa il Morandini dandogli ben 4 stelle mi sembra azzardata.Forse anch'io non l'ho capito in quanto appassionato di western...ma di quelli definiti in qualche modo "classici".Non mi rimane,tra qualche tempo,di rivederlo.....

This movie is a masterpiece, if you consider it as a faithful depiction of the way of life and daily problems of settlers of the old West during their travel to the promised land. Sceneries are appropriately austere. Human interactions are sober but well characterized. Based on true events involving several hundred of individuals, it has been reduced to a skeleton of a few wagons and persons.That being said, the movie is extremely boring to watch and the viewer is left to imagine the end.I bought the DVD, watched it once and gave it away to charities, that which may not be very charitable, after all...

BIn absolut enttäuscht. Originalton in Englisch ( es wird so genuschelt dass man rein garnichts versteht ) UNter-titel in Skandinavisch ( Finnisch, Schwedisch, Dänisch u. Norwegisch) . Die Handlung selbst extrem langatmig und auch langweilig. Teilweise Dialoge von vielen Minuten Länge nur in der Dunkelheit ( praktisch ohne Bild ) geführt.Einzig die Kamera ist bemerkenswert aber das allein rechtfertigt keinen Film.

Ein sehr realistischer Film. Ohne große Action. Eigentlich langweilig, wie das wahrscheinlich auch in Wirklichkeit auf diesen langenTrails war. Vielleicht war sogar dieses monotone Weiterziehen das größte Problem für die "Westernhelden". Auch das Verhältnis zu den unbekannten Ureinwohnern ist vorstellbar rübergekommen.

This is a minimal, art-house western. It is for people who like artsy directors like Resnais, Rohmer, Ceylan, the Dardennes, Haneke, Antonioni, etc. I love this film. The acting is uniformly at a high level, the cinematography is wonderful, the atypical score adds a lot. This is a very spare film. There is not a lot of dialogue, but I became very much immersed in the story.**Don't buy it if you want the CLASSIC, normal western.**

« La dernière piste » est un western atypique et minimaliste. Le film suit les traces de trois familles de pionniers et de leur guide, le trappeur Stephen Meek (un personnage qui a réellement existé), sur les pistes de Haut désert de l'Orégon.En quête d'un raccourci, dans cette zone aride et montagneuse, les familles se rendent progressivement compte que leur guide a très largement exagéré ses connaissances de la région et que, bien qu'il se refuse à l'avouer, il les a perdu son chemin vers la « terre promise » tant désirée. La recherche d'un point d'eau, la rencontre avec un Indien Païute dont on espère qu'il pourrait aider à trouver une source bouleverse les rapports de force au sein de cette toute petite communauté gagnée par le doute. Les hommes tentent de jouer leur rôle, les femmes, et notamment Emily (Michelle Williams), font également entendre leurs voix, et leurs choix.Le film, tourné à l'ancienne en format 1/3, se révèle très vite angoissant. Perdus dans l'immensité de paysages sauvages mais sans vie, les pionniers sont un peu comme les héros du « Gerry » de Gus Van Sant : ils errent dans un monde hostile et leur errance est tout le sujet du film. « La dernière piste » ré-explore ainsi d'une manière sobre et réaliste un des grands mythes de l'Amérique. La réalisation fait de son côté preuve d'une grande maîtrise. Intense et immersif, le film de Kelly Reichart offre un regard original sur la migration vers l'ouest des colons américains. Il s'agit d'une piste à suivre, avec fascination, pour les passionnés du Far West.

Dieser Film erzeugt eine einzigartige Stimmung. Ein Kammerspiel, platziert in die Ödnis, die Strapazen, den Schmutz, die Sehnsucht auf dem Weg nach Westen. Vorbildlich werden alle Westernklischees ignoriert und eine völlig nüchterne und intelligente Geschichte erzählt. Wirklich bewegend und nachdenklich. Toller Film!

Un excellent film qui retrace la vie de plusieurs familles se déplaçant dans l'Orégon pour trouver l'endroitrêvé pour s'installer et commencer une nouvelle vie. Bien entendu ce voyage s'avère très difficile dansune contrée désertique, de plus avec un guide qui n'est pas ce qu'espérait ce groupe d'immigrants ! Ce"Western" n'est pas ce qu'on espérait car l'action est lente, et cette pérégrination se déroule sans coupsde feu, ni actions violentes avec des images de toute beauté et de longs plans fixes qui peuvent heurter,d'autant qu'il a été tourné dans un format "carré" 1.33 ! Il faut savoir que l'image est en Haute définitionavec une qualité irréprochable alors que ce film est édité sur DVD, un produit exceptionnel qui auraitmérité une édition plus somptueuse dans un Digibook avec BD et DVD, et un livret inclus à l'intérieur !

Oregon, 1845. Un convoi de braves pionniers cheminent péniblement sous un soleil de plomb. Ils sont perdus, malgré ce que leur affirme l'homme sensé leur servir de guide. Il a réussit à les convaincre de quitter le convoi principal des pionniers pour leur faire gagner du temps en les faisant passer par une autre piste...Mais le manque d'eau et la fatigue les fait douter du sérieux de leur guide...L'avantage de ce film est de nous montrer les réalités que devaient être les conditions de vie de ces gens qui osaient quitter leur pays, leurs familles et leurs proches dans l'espoir d'une vie meilleur.Je vous le conseille, même si la fin nous laisse un peu sur notre soif...

They must have left the real film on the cutting-room floor (by mistake I hope)? What we're left with is the bits that you rarely ever get to see in a film, the bits where nothing at all is happening: except it's not 'bits' in this case, it's the whole film. What it does manage to convey though, is the bleakness & the never-ending sameness of the prairie; what it must have been like - if only in a very small part - to be a part of that great 19th century migration West!

Todo en orden. Justo en tiempo

Très beau film , tout en simplicité : histoire très bonne , simple , acteurs très bons , sans surjouer , et cadre très beau aussi

film prégnant,interprété de manière juste, paysages linéaires comme ce film.bravo à la réalisatrice et merci pour l'histoire vraie des USA, rappel des raisins de la colère, même si le sujet traité est différent.

Un rythme lent, un conte philosophique qui met en scène des femmes courageuses et attachantes dans une épopée de conquête de l'Ouest. De belles images.