What If: ‘The Hateful Eight’ Was Made in the 1970s?
Okay, so I’m aware that the last edition of “What If” discussed a Tarantino movie (Jackie Brown), but given the love that Tarantino has for movies of the 1970s, it’d be difficult not to make his newest film one of the topics of this series.
First, let me point out that there was a film with a similar name that came out in 1972 called Cut-Throats Nine, but that film really doesn’t have that much in common with The Hateful Eight outside of it being set in a snowy, remote cabin filled with nine despicable people. If you want a (humorous) look at that film, check out The Cinema Snob’s review of the movie.
But enough stalling — let’s get on with “What If” The Hateful Eight was made in the 1970s? Much like the last one, it’s going to be more about the cast and crew instead of a history scenario.
So, who would direct this movie? Who would have handled this star-packed, violent, cuss-filled crew?
Sam Peckinpah. His style fits along the same lines as Tarantino’s in a lot of ways. Both tend to include violent and over-the-top action sequences in their films. They both also deal with unconventional characters as the leads and have their own distinct style of filmmaking.
But what about the cast? The cast in Tarantino’s latest film is pretty magnificent! But, nonetheless, there are some pretty good candidates that could fill the eponymous eight roles of this film.
For the role of the bounty hunter, Maj. Marquis Warren, the choice was pretty obvious: Woody Strode, an actor who frequently appreared in Westerns including Once Upon the Time in the West (1968) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). I could see this guy filling in this former soldier.
For John Ruth — “The Hangman” — it was some what difficult to come up with a selection, but once the perfect actor popped into my head, I smacked myself on the head figuratively and thought, “Duh!” That selection is Ernest Borgnine. In the movie, Ruth is kind of a bully, pushing people around to get what he wants, and Borgnine played plenty of those characters in films, so I think it would have worked. A great example of this is in Emperor of the North (1973).
For the role of the rather despicable (and that’s saying something) Daisy Domergue who is being led to the hangman’s noose by Ruth this, yet again, was pretty hard. Which veteran actress at the time could portray this sociopath? That ultimately led to Shelley Winters. The inspiration for this selection came because of her role in Pete’s Dragon (1977). Now, granted, her character in that film wasn’t as bad (she wasn’t spouting racial slurs in that film) but that slightly edgier role make me think she do this part justice.
I found that my favorite performance in The Hateful Eight (not an easy thing to say, all were good in the film) was Walton Goggins as the new sheriff of Red Rock, Chris Mannix. Really, it just boils down to the fact that Goggins was just so completely into his performance and going all out with his portrayal. Every scene Goggins was in, he stole the scenes and was just so gleeful. But while watching him in the role, I was thinking, “If this was made in the 1970s, this part would have been played by Warren Oates.” And it was with that revelation that inspired this article. I honestly don’t think I could see another actor playing this part in the ’70s.
The requisite Mexican character called “Bob” throughout the movie (played by Demian Bichir) is probably the toughest — not because there was a lack a Hispanic actors at the time, but because I was trying to find someone who could play an almost unsuspecting “employee.” Ultimately, I picked Emilio Fernandez, because while he is primarily known for playing villains, he has had a couple roles where he was the good guy, too.
For “The Little Man” named Oswaldo Mobray, I had to pick an actor who could play suspicious character but in a very British way. I was at first thinking of Jon Pertwee (the Third Doctor in Doctor Who) but ultimately decided to go with fellow Doctor Who alum Patrick Troughton (Second Doctor) because of his history as a character actor and playing multiple roles.
Do you agree with this fantasy casting? Who would you choose to star in a ’70s version of The Hateful Eight? Let us know in the comments!
Cover photo of Sam Peckinpah on the set of The Getaway, 1972 Solar/Fine Art © 1978 Mel Traxel
