Straw Dogs (1971 film)
| Straw Dogs | |
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| Directed by | Sam Peckinpah |
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| Based on | The Siege of Trencher's Farm by Gordon M. Williams |
| Produced by | Daniel Melnick |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | John Coquillon |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Jerry Fielding |
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Running time | 117 minutes 112 minutes (Edited cut) |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.2 million or £1,055,829 or $3,251,794 |
| Box office | $8 million (rentals) |
Straw Dogs is a 1971 psychological thriller film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Dustin Hoffman and Susan George. The screenplay, by Peckinpah and David Zelag Goodman, is based on Gordon M. Williams's 1969 novel, The Siege of Trencher's Farm. The film's title is derived from a discussion in the Tao Te Ching that likens people to the ancient Chinese ceremonial straw dog, being of ceremonial worth, but afterwards discarded with indifference.
The film is noted for its violent concluding sequences and two complicated rape scenes, which were censored by numerous film rating boards. Released theatrically the same year as A Clockwork Orange, The French Connection and Dirty Harry, the film sparked heated controversy over a perceived increase of violence in films generally.
The film premiered in the U.K. in November 1971. Although controversial at the time, Straw Dogs is considered by some critics to be one of Peckinpah's greatest films, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Music (Original Dramatic Score). A remake directed by Rod Lurie and starring James Marsden and Kate Bosworth was released on 16 September 2011.