Where the Buffalo Roam 1

Where the Buffalo Roam

Where the Buffalo RoamTheatrical release poster

Directed by Art Linson

Produced by Art Linson

Screenplay by John Kaye

Based on "The Banshee Screams for Buffalo Meat" and "Strange Rumblings inAztlan" by Hunter S. Thompson

Starring Bill MurrayPeter BoyleBruno KirbyRené Auberjonois

Music by Neil Young

Cinematography Tak Fujimoto

Editing by Christopher Greenbury

Distributed by Universal Pictures

Release dates •• April 25, 1980

Running time 99 minutes

Country United States

Language English

Box office $6,659,377

Where the Buffalo Roam is a 1980 American semi-biographical comedy film which loosely depicts Hunter S.Thompson's rise to fame in the 1970s and his relationship with Chicano attorney and activist Oscar Zeta Acosta. ArtLinson directed the picture, while Bill Murray portrayed the author and Peter Boyle portrayed Acosta, who isreferred to in the film as Carl Lazlo, Esq. A number of other names, places, and details of Thompson's life are alsochanged.Thompson's obituary for Acosta, "The Banshee Screams for Buffalo Meat," which appeared in Rolling Stone inOctober 1977, serves as the basis of the film, although screenplay writer John Kaye drew from several other works,including Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, The Great Shark Hunt, and Fear and Loathing in LasVegas. Thompson served as "executive consultant" on the film.

PlotThe film opens in the Rocky Mountains on the Colorado ranch of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, a journalist furiouslytrying to finish a story about his former attorney and friend, Carl Lazlo, Esq. Thompson then flashes back to a seriesof exploits involving the author and his attorney.In 1968, Lazlo is fighting to stop a group of San Francisco youngsters from receiving harsh prison sentences forpossession of marijuana. He convinces Thompson to write an article about it for Blast Magazine. Thompson's editor,Marty Lewis, reminds Thompson that he has 19 hours to deadline. The judge hands out stiff sentences to everyone,and the last client is a young man who was caught with a pound of marijuana and receives a five-year sentence.Lazlo reacts by attacking the prosecuting attorney and is then jailed for contempt of court.

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The magazine story about the trial is a sensation, but Thompson does not hear from Lazlo until four years later, whenThompson is on assignment covering Super Bowl VI in Los Angeles.[1] Lazlo appears at Thompson's hotel andconvinces him to abandon the Super Bowl story and join his band of freedom fighters, which involves smugglingweapons to an unnamed Latin American country. Thompson goes along with Lazlo and the revolutionaries to aremote airstrip where a small airplane is to be loaded with weapons, but when a police helicopter finds them, Lazloand his henchmen escape on the plane while Thompson refuses to follow.Thompson's fame and fortune continues. He is a hit on the college lecture circuit and covers the 1972 presidentialelection campaign. After being thrown off the journalist plane by The Candidate's press secretary, Thompson takesthe crew plane and gives straight-laced journalist Harris from the Post a strong hallucinogenic drug and steals hisclothes and press credentials. At the next campaign stop, in the airport bathroom, Thompson is able to use hisdisguise to engage The Candidate in a conversation about the "Screwheads" and the "Doomed". The Candidate tellsThompson "fuck the doomed".Thompson, still posing as Harris, returns to the journalist plane. Lazlo then appears, striding across the airport tarmacin a white suit. He boards the plane and tries to convince his old friend to join his socialist paradise somewhere in thedesert. After causing a disturbance, Thompson and Lazlo are thrown off the plane and Lazlo's papers that describethe community are blown across the airport runway. Lazlo, presumably, is not heard from again.The action then returns to Thompson's cabin, just as the writer puts the finishing touches on his story, explaining thathe didn't go along with Lazlo because "it never got weird enough for me."

Cast• Bill Murray as Hunter S. Thompson• Peter Boyle as Carl Lazlo, Esq.• Bruno Kirby as Marty Lewis• René Auberjonois as Harris from the Washington Post• R.G. Armstrong as Judge Simpson• Mark Metcalf as Dooley• Craig T. Nelson as Cop on Stand• Richard M. Dixon/Brian Cummings as the Candidate

ProductionIn the late 1970s, film producer Thom Mount paid US$100,000 for the film rights to the obituary of Chicano activistOscar Zeta Acosta, "The Banshee Screams for Buffalo Meat", written by Hunter S. Thompson. Thompson agreed tohave it optioned without seeing a screenplay figuring that the film would never get made, as the vastly more popularFear and Loathing in Las Vegas had been optioned several times and was never made. In 1978, producer Art Linsonstarted planning to make the film, which would be his directorial debut, having already produced four films.Thompson remembered, "Then all of a sudden there was some moment of terrible horror when I realized they weregoing to make the movie". Linson asked illustrator Ralph Steadman to create a poster for the film in the style of theillustrations he had done for Thompson's articles. He used a drawing titled Spirit of Gonzo as the basis.Thompson met with the film's screenwriter John Kaye but felt that the man understood more than what was in thescript, which he described as "bad, dumb, low-level, low rent". Thompson admitted that he signed away having anykind of control so that he could not be blamed for the end result. In the original script, Lazlo's surname was Mendozabut this was changed after Nosotros, a group of Chicano actors and filmmakers, threatened to create controversy ifthe character was played by Anglo actor Peter Boyle. Just before principal photography was to begin, Bill Murraybecame apprehensive about the project because of the shortcomings of the script.

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Before principal photography began, Linson took a four-month crash course on directing. Thompson was eventuallybrought aboard the film's production as "executive consultant", but claimed he had no substantial role other than tohave "wandered around and fired machine guns on the set". Kaye has claimed that Thompson and Murray changedparts of the script during filming and, at that point, he chose to no longer be involved in the production. Steadmanobserved Linson on the set and said that it was "pretty obvious that he was in no frame of mind to catch theabandoned pure essence of gonzo madness, which can only happen in uncontrolled conditions". He also felt thatLinson's "fanaticism for the subject he was trying to portray was undoubtedly there, and his sincerity, too", but feltthat he was under the impression that the film was a runaway hit before he had even begun filming it and thereforerefused to take any chances with the material. Steadman and Thompson spent time on the set and the former talkedto Murray about his impressions and observations of the latter's mannerisms. Within two weeks of Thompson beingon set, Murray had transformed into him.During production, Murray and Thompson engaged in a series of dangerous one-upmanship contests. "One day atThompson's Aspen, Colorado, home, after many drinks and after much arguing over who could out-Houdini whom,Thompson tied Billy to a chair and threw him into the swimming pool. Billy nearly drowned before Thompsonpulled him out." Murray immersed himself in the character so deeply that when Saturday Night Live started its fifthseason, Murray was still in character as Thompson. "In a classic case of the role overtaking the actor, Billy returnedthat fall to Saturday Night so immersed in playing Hunter Thompson he had virtually become Hunter Thompson,complete with long black cigarette holder, dark glasses, and nasty habits. 'Billy,' said one of the writers, echoingseveral others, 'was not Bill Murray, he was Hunter Thompson. You couldn't talk to him without talking to HunterThompson.'"Murray and Thompson were concerned with the film's lack of continuity and in early 1980 added voice-overnarration. When the film was sneak-previewed in late March, the last two scenes and narration were absent. Murraywas outraged and the studio ended up shooting a new ending. Three days before it was to be released in theaters apress screening was suddenly canceled because of editing problems.

ReceptionThe film opened on April 25, 1980 in 464 theaters, earning $1,750,593 in its opening weekend and more than $6.6million for a total lifetime gross.It has been panned critically for being a series of bizarre episodes strung together rather than having a cohesivecentral plot. Movie historian Leonard Maltin remarked that "Even Neil Young's music score can't save this dreadfulcomedy, which will baffle those who aren't familiar with Hunter S. Thompson's work and insult those who are." Filmcritic Roger Ebert gave Where the Buffalo Roam two stars out of four and said that "The movie fails to dealconvincingly with either Thompson's addictions or with his friendship with Lazlo". However, Ebert also noted that"this is the kind of bad movie that's almost worth seeing". In his review for The Washington Post, Gary Arnoldwrote, "Well, the actors haven't transcended their material. They're simply stuck with it. Murray and Boyle don'temerge as a swell comic team, and they aren't funny as individuals either." Jack Kroll wrote, in his review forNewsweek magazine, "Screenwriter John Kaye has reduced Thompson's career to a rubble of disjointed episodes, andthe relentless mayhem becomes tiresome chaos rather than liberating comic anarchy." In his review for the Globeand Mail, Paul McGrath wrote, "Murray is, nonetheless, the salvation of this patched-together film", and felt that"the rest is mostly filler. The story is so badly put together in the first place - and from there, badly scripted - that themovie makes almost no impact outside the infrequent hilarity". The New Yorker magazine's Roger Angell wrote,"The most surprising thing ... is how much of Thompson's tone gets into the picture".The film review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes lists the film as "rotten" with a 25% favorable rating amongcritics.Universal Studios quickly pulled it from distribution. Thompson hated the film, saying he liked Murray's performance but that he "was very disappointed in the script. It sucks – a bad, dumb, low-level, low-rent script."

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Years later, Murray reflected on the film, "I rented a house in L.A. with a guest house that Hunter lived in. I'd workall day and stay up all night with him; I was strong in those days. I took on another persona and that was tough toshake. I still have Hunter in me".

Soundtrack

Where the BuffaloRoam

Soundtrack album by various artists

Released 1980

Genre Rock, R&B

Length 38:00

Label Backstreet/MCA

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source Rating

Allmusic link [2]

The film was scored by Neil Young, who sings the opening theme, "Home on the Range", accompanied by aharmonica. Variations on "Home on the Range" are played by Young on electric guitar as "Ode to Wild Bill" and byan orchestra with arrangements by David Blumberg on "Buffalo Stomp". Music in the film included rock and R&Bsongs by Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, The Temptations, the Four Tops and Creedence Clearwater Revival.Additionally, characters played by Bill Murray and Rene Auberjonois sing lyrics from "Lucy in the Sky withDiamonds".Because of the high cost of music licensing, most VHS and all DVD releases have retained only the Neil Youngscore and the Creedence song, "Keep on Chooglin'", with the rest of the music replaced by generic approximations ofthe original songs. Only the theatrical release and early VHS releases contained the songs found on the soundtrack.The choice of songs for the DVD version was somewhat anachronistic, since it featured 1980s-style songs in a 1960sand 1970s setting.The soundtrack album was released by Backstreet Records in 1980 as a vinyl LP and included bits of dialogue fromthe film. It has not been re-issued on CD.

No. Title Performed by Length

1. "Buffalo Stomp" Neil Young with the Wild Bill Band of Strings 3:10

2. "Ode to Wild Bill #1" Neil Young 0:48

3. "All Along the Watchtower" The Jimi Hendrix Experience 3:58

4. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" Bill Murray 1:24

5. "Ode to Wild Bill #2" Neil Young 1:01

6. "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" The Temptations 6:59

7. "Home, Home on the Range" Neil Young 1:44

8. "Straight Answers" (dialogue) Bill Murray 0:21

9. "Highway 61 Revisited" Bob Dylan 3:21

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10. "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" Four Tops 2:43

11. "Ode to Wild Bill #3" Neil Young 0:40

12. "Keep on Chooglin'" Creedence Clearwater Revival 7:39

13. "Ode to Wild Bill #4" Neil Young 0:32

14. "Purple Haze" The Jimi Hendrix Experience 2:47

15. "Buffalo Stomp Refrain" Neil Young with the Wild Bill Band of Strings 0:53

Total length: 38:00

References and notes[1] Super Bowl VI was actually played in New Orleans, Louisiana.[2] http:/ / www. allmusic. com/ album/ r244327

External links• Where the Buffalo Roam (http:/ / www. imdb. com/ title/ tt0081748/ ) at the Internet Movie Database• Where the Buffalo Roam (http:/ / www. rottentomatoes. com/ m/ where_the_buffalo_roam/ ) at Rotten Tomatoes

Article Sources and Contributors 6

Article Sources and ContributorsWhere the Buffalo Roam  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=602224876  Contributors: A bit iffy, Alai, AlphaEta, Andrzejbanas, Ashadeofgrey, BabuBhatt, Ben Ben, Bensin,Calmer Waters, Catgut, Chinasaur, Cinetar, Clemmy, Count Ringworm, CyberSkull, Darev, Darkhorse82, Daveliney, Donmike10, Eagor, Erik, Everyking, Fallout boy, Fuhghettaboutit, Gildir,Hellboy42, J.D., JamesAM, Jogers, Jonathan F, Kazantakis60, Kenpocourage, Kerowyn, Khaosjr, Khazar2, Koavf, Longhair, Magister Mathematicae, Mallanox, Mark Arsten, Mark Lungo,Nehrams2020, Ok!, P. S. Burton, Pekaje, Pie4all88, Registered user 92, Rich257, Rmcnabb, Salamurai, Stefanomione, Stusutcliffe, Sugar Bear, Tassedethe, Tehw1k1, ThatFilmGuy92,TheLastAmigo, TheOldJacobite, Toddsschneider, Trivialist, WhisperToMe, Wiki brah, Wisekwai, Xeno, Zdim, Ziggur, 50 anonymous edits

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