The Power of the Dog: Reviewing the reviewers

March 8, 2022

“The Power of the Dog” is one of the great movies of the past year, certain to be awarded many times by the industry and well worth the mature public’s interest.  A cornucopia of intertwined story lines and deeply wrought characters, the picture blooms radiant colors on a background of a seemingly desolate West untouched by the excesses of the Roaring Twenties.

That said, two opposing viewpoints emerge from reviews, one off the cuff E!News interview with an industry professional, another by a leading professional movie analyst.  Both may have lost the forest amongst the trees.

Sam Elliott’s lustrous career may have been tarnished by his recent interview, widely published on the behavioral modification empire of social media.  He summarized the movie as a “piece of shit” and referred to its production and director Jane Campion with many “f” words.  Unlike many I do not read rampant homophobia into his comments, but anger at an unnecessarily dense emphasis on homosexuality (in his view). …