“When I showed the first cut of the film to the filmmaker Peter Hutton, he said, ‘Oh, I get it. MEEK’S CUTOFF. The film was shown in competition at the 67th Venice International Film Festival. “You’re exhausted and it’s hard to say goodbye to everyone. The year is 1845, the earliest days of the Oregon Trail, and a wagon team of three families has hired the mountain man Stephen Meek to guide them over the Cascade Mountains. Sidebar #1. Over the years from watching movie Westerns, I've developed a composite image of wagon trains as Conestoga … Reichardt began to claim “Meek’s” by scouting locations for the film. The road was named for frontiersman Stephen Meek, who was hired to lead the first wagon train along it in 1845. Derek Chauvin opts not to testify. Meek Cutoff was a horse trail road that branched off the Oregon Trail in northeastern Oregon and was used as an alternate emigrant route to the Willamette Valley in the mid-19th century. When their guide leads them astray, the expedition is forced to contend with the unforgiving conditions of the high plain desert. "The desert is beautiful," says Reichardt. !, that ran from June 2017-May 2018. To set aside its many other accomplishments, "Meek's Cutoff" is the first film I've seen that evokes what must have been the reality of wagon trains to the West. Lurking danger and implied brutality. With no clear sense of where they are going, tensions rise as water and food run low. [4], https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Meek%27s_Cutoff_(film)&oldid=967284913, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 12 July 2020, at 10:21. Meek's Cutoff is assuredly that, riding a thin line between the intangibly graceful and the merely frustrating in its rejection of narrativity, extremely counter-dramatic even by the standards of director Kelly Reichardt's notoriously slow-moving, plotless features. Meek’s Cutoff Production: An Evenstar Films, Filmscience and Harmony/Primitive Nerd presentation. Meek's Cutoff(Oscilloscope Features) is Kelly Reichardt's fifth feature film, and the third to receive any significant theatrical release. Subject: Describes three different Oregon Trail cutoff routes that wagon trails took from this location. “Once I got into the desert I felt I could put my own stamp on it,” she says. The Meek Cutoff … Me and (cinematographer) Chris Blauvelt could have kept going, but the two of us would have been standing there alone.”. And it was funny because we were always worried that these period covered wagons we were using would break. “There’s a trancelike quality about the journey that I … Eager to save time on the Oregon Trail, emigrants often attempted shortcuts. GET BREAKING NEWS IN YOUR BROWSER. But, since I’m the one making these films, I’ll go ahead and trust my own voice and be mad at myself later if I f— up. Reichardt and cinematographer Chris Blauvelt, who was also a camera operator on Joaquin Phoenix's twisted journey I'm Still Here [], shot Meek's Cutoff on location in the desolate Oregon wilds, filming their Western on old-fashioned film at an old-fashioned 1.33:1 aspect ratio. With a limited budget and plenty of needs, lessening our spending without lowering our quality of living can feel like a massive undertaking. Between 1845 and 1854, tree wagon trains left this campsite seeking a cutoff to the Willamette Valley. Critics often mistake inertia for high-art. (International sales: Cinetic Media, New York.) It's a long way from the punishing conditions of the desert near Burns, Oregon where Meek's Cutoff was shot. As a result, Reichardt says she sometimes feels like Meek, leading her creative team into the unknown, and sometimes feels like the settlers, lost and not sure where to turn next. Claiming to know a short cut, Meek leads the group on an unmarked path across the high plain desert, only to become lost in the dry rock and sage. When we started working on the film, that all felt pretty current to us,” Reichardt says. So when did you decide that Meek’s Cutoff was a story that you wanted to tell? [2] The story is loosely based on a historical incident on the Oregon Trail in 1845, in which frontier guide Stephen Meek led a wagon train on an ill-fated journey through the Oregon desert along the route later known as the Meek Cutoff in the western United States. Sort of: “There’s no saying, is there?”. Kelly Reichardt. “We stayed in Burns, Oregon, which I’ve been told is the least populated town in America,” Reichardt said. But I also don’t think they would have stayed with me for one second longer. In the end, after the group encounter the positive sign of a tree, Meek submits to majority opinion and the group continue to follow the native. The following is a loose transcript of a presentation I gave on Meek's Cutoff, a film that was part of the Pickford Film Center's repertory series, West of What? By … “We stayed in Burns, Oregon, … We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. Walz says this is 'unacceptable. This is all about Obama and Afghanistan, right?’ Racism, the tea party – the topics change, but the film keeps feeling more and more current.”, And where are all those hot-button topics leading us? Woman found dead in St. Paul apartment was mom and grandma. It’s fitting that the filming of “Meek’s Cutoff” was an arduous journey because it’s about an arduous journey. Good afternoon and welcome to the screening… The story is loosely based on a historical incident on the Oregon Trail in 1845, in which frontier guide Stephen Meek led a wagon train on an ill-fated journey through the Oregon desert along the route later known as the Meek Cutoff in the western United States. Starring: Michelle Williams Bruce Greenwood Will Patton Zoe Kazan Paul Dano. "[3] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 85 based on 36 reviews. Director: Kelly Reichardt. “It’s the story of a man who was a bit of a showman and who must have had powers of persuasion because he persuaded people to follow him out into the desert. Later, when Meek prepares to shoot the native, Mrs. Tetherow intervenes. “Leaving is always bittersweet because, especially on this kind of film, you become close,” Reichardt said of the low-budget Western drama that opens today. ‘Meek’s Cutoff’ director Kelly Reichardt says…, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Submit to Stumbleupon (Opens in new window), ‘Meek’s Cutoff’ director Kelly Reichardt says filming took place in remote locations, ‘Peaky Blinders’ actor Helen McCrory dies of cancer at 52, MN 7-year-old’s short story is now a song on a hit podcast, Children’s Theatre creates video presentation of ‘Something Happened in Our Town’ to help with difficult conversations, 5 things to know about Sinclair Lewis, from a new MN History Center exhibit, Take the kids to see some kids … and piglets, lambs and chicks, After crafting hit records, Minnesota native Gena Johnson is female engineer nominated for ACM Award, Union activists boot MN National Guard from St. Paul Labor Center. Meek's Cutoff is a montage of seductive landscape paintings masquerading as a movie. ', St. Paul teen among 2 fatally shot after cars collide in South Minneapolis, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter vetoes council vote against Alatus housing proposal, Racist threats in White Bear Lake were a 'hoax' to call attention to racist incidents at high school, officials say, Daunte Wright, slain by police officer, was doting dad, hoops player, Brooklyn Center chief: Cop pulled gun not Taser, shot Daunte Wright in error, The quiet life of Derek Chauvin before the public death of George Floyd, Ex-Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter arrested and charged in Daunte Wright's death. Meek's Cutoff follows a couple of families as they follow a man named Meek who promised them he could get them to the mountains quicker then the trail. A small group of settlers travelling across the Oregon High Desert in 1845 suspect that their guide, Stephen Meek, may not know the area well enough to plot a safe and certain route. The presentation included a slideshow; the images below correspond to the slideshow images. Meek's Cutoff is a 2010 American Western film directed by Kelly Reichardt. Chris Hewitt gives “Meek’s Cutoff” four stars. The film stars Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, and Paul Dano. “Meek’s Cutoff” is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). here. CLICK HERE TO TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS. The journey was a particularly hard one, and many of the pioneers lost their lives. Director Kelly Reichardt on Filming “Meek’s Cutoff” “After reading journals [from real settlers making their way across the Oregon Trail] about this whole idea of space and time, I realized that it’s just completely different,” she says. Meek's Cutoff is a 2010 American Western film directed by Kelly Reichardt. Matt Sayles/AP Photo Kelly Reichardt's frontier drama Meek's Cutoff opens in the year 1845, on the wide-open plains of Oregon, where a wagon team of three families has set out on a … Which I inevitably will.”. “We had to drive about two hours, the last hour being off-road driving, to get to our locations. Homicide investigation continues. Jon and I had made a trip out there with the painter Storm Tharp who knows the area really well. “Meek’s Cutoff” opens this Friday, April 8. Set in 1845, this drama follows a group of settlers as they embark on a punishing journey along the Oregon Trail. The year is 1845, the earliest days of the Oregon Trail, and a wagon train of three families has hired mountain man Stephen Meek to guide Meek's Cutoff. Over the coming days, the emigrants must face the scourges of hunger, thirst … Not sure whether to believe in Meek or an Indian they capture or each other, the pilgrims ultimately demonstrate that, as spoken by a devastated woman played by Michelle Williams, “There’s no saying, is there?”, Faced with difficult conditions and a barrage of questions, Reichardt says directors often come to the same conclusion: “I learned it long ago. Meek's Cutoff – review | Drama films | The Guardian. Starting where the Oregon Trail … So, a film that once seemed to be about George W. Bush could also seem to be about his successor in the Oval Office. They were grueling, dirty, thirsty, burning and freezing ordeals. A journey that was supposed to take two weeks, via what became known as the Meek Cutoff, stretches into five. Director Kelly Reichardt freely admits when her cast and crew were done filming “Meek’s Cutoff,” they were more than ready to see the back of her. This review was originally published during indieWIRE’s coverage of last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. It reported the consensus, "Moving at a contemplative speed unseen in most westerns, Meek's Cutoff is an effective, intense journey of terror and survival in the untamed frontier. "But it's 110 degrees. The film was shown in competition at the 67th Venice International Film Festival. “Then, Obama was elected and I realized that there’s always so much going on in America that it’s really easy to project most of the basic American mythology onto this story.”. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. The film has an answer for that, too. When it comes to personal finance, one of the most challenging aspects is how to lessen our expenditure. As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The performances, photography and score are excellent. The wagons were completely fine – they were built for this – but every other vehicle we had broke down numerous times.”. The dynamics of power shift when they capture a lone native and hold him in the hope he will lead them to a source of water, despite Meek's wish to kill him at once. Meek argues that the native cannot be trusted, but the group by now have no greater confidence in Meek. See our full terms of use The film was produced by Oregon native Neil Kopp and it is his third film with Kelly (“Old Joy” and “Wendy and Lucy“). Chris Hewitt was the Pioneer Press movie critic and then an arts and entertainment reporter from 1993 to 2017. Leave a Reply. Categories: Movies. But she made the film she wanted to make, and she has learned that it speaks to audiences in surprising ways. Perhaps it knows that if it does nothing it can't be accused of doing anything wrong. There isn’t one answer; there are a million answers. “Alone” meant being marooned on some of the same locations where the true events depicted in the movie took place. The defense rests its case. You must be … Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 86% based on reviews from 127 critics and reports a rating average of 7.54 out of 10, a generally positive reception. The Venice International Film Festival announced that Kelly Reichardt’s feature “Meeks Cutoff” which was shot in Burns, OR, will be in competition at this year’s festival in September. Opens on Friday in Manhattan. Meek’s Cutoff will be released in the spring by Oscilloscope Laboratories. Raymond and Reichardt's coming film, "Meek's Cutoff," opening in April, is no exception. The wives look on, unable to participate in the decision making, as their husbands discuss how long they should continue to follow Meek. Attacks by Indians were not the greatest danger; accidents and disease were. 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