HE RESTED IN PEACE ALRIGHT!!!! AND GOD SAID: BEHOLD, THE PALE HORSE, AND THE MAN THAT SAT UPON HIM WAS DEATH! AND (HELL) FOLLOWED WITH HIM!!! LOOSLY TRANSLATED.
According to Brando, what makes a good movie is when the storyline is open to interpretation from the members of the audience watching it according to their life experiences, so that it actually becomes a living reality, in a sense, because the audience brings it alive by becoming active participants in it. That's when a movie crosses over into something more than just a movie, because it lives in people's minds.
It was Jim Duncan himself. The town only thought he was killed. The mortician buried a box of dirt. In the opening scene, you can see the mortician looking at the "High Plains Drifter" riding into town; it was a look of recognition. How could the stranger remember the whipping to supposed death? No one in the town would have talked about it. Only the victim would know that. The gunslingers knew the stranger had a vendetta. They just did not know who he was.
@@Jim_L Artistic effect for the movie. Think of the scene when he was asleep in the hotel room, and he sees how Jim Duncan was killed. Only Jim Duncan would know that. He did not have a beard then. It wasn't a revenant. Some people thought it was his brother. The brother was not there, so he could not have that recollection. Eastwood has never explained the movie; that is his genius. Remember the last scene: Mordecai: "I never did know your name." The Drifter: "Yes you do. Take care" You then see the camera move toward the headstone of Jim Duncan. It was Jim Duncan; an honorable man.
@@Macdelcley I like your theory a lot! You do know, however, that there are many who subscribe to the idea that Jim Duncan is a ghost. So when he rides off in the distance and then vanishes, he's essentially making the case that, "My work is done here," and goes back to wherever it is ghosts go to finally be able to rest in peace. But me being an atheist, I like your take on this better. 👍
@@Jim_L I just don't believe Clint Eastwood would make a supernatural western. It is not his style. I searched for an answer to this question, and none has been offered. One explanation was it was Jim Duncan's brother, but how would his brother know how he died? The town's corrupt leaders conspired in the attempted murder, so it was a secret to the outside world. When I was a little boy, we would drive to southern California from Arizona in the summer time, and I would see what looked like water in the distance. You can see things disappear like that in that view (e.g. people walking, cars, etc.). The drifter disappearing is an optical illusion. It is caused by the heat, and it plays tricks with your vision. Eastwood is from California, so he saw things like this as well. I am certain it was Jim Duncan.
I never did like the music in the post Spaghetti Westerns featuring Clint Eastwood; how could one not get spoiled by Ennio Morricone?! But I really did like that haunting, eerie bit of music/sound at the end of this movie, with Eastwood's character galloping away on his horse, until vanishing into the distance like that.
THE BEST WESTERN EVER MADE IN MY EYES!!! JOHN WAYNE WOULDA'VE ONLY SCREWED THIS TIMELESS MOVIE UP AMYWAYS! BEHOLD THE PALE HORSE! GOD HAS HIM (DRIFTING) AROUND, RIGHTING WRONGS, IS WHATS GOING ON HERE!! LOTA SPECULATION ABOUT THIS MOVIE! BUT NONE, HAS VOICED THE OBVIOUS RIGHTEOUS NATURE, WITH THAT INTENTION BEING THE REASON FOR THESE ACTIONS! HE'S A HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER ALRIGHT!! BY DESIGN!
@@taylorpack7705 Did they dub it over at the last second and the foreign language audio tracks were already recorded internationally? That could have been the only possibility. I always thought the German translators just didn't like the fact that Clint Eastwood was a ghost in the story and thought they were doing something great that just kills the twist and the surreal thing in a western. But was probably really thought that he is the brother. Ultimately, this last scene somehow gives the film something special and I'm glad that at least in the original the only true version of course you get the "yes you do".
??? Clint is the ghost of Jim Duncan, back for revenge on his killers and the town that hired them. Remember, the dead can't rest in an unmarked grave; now Jim Duncan can rest.
@@kingbeauregard Clint himself said that he always meant for it to be explicit that he was playing Duncan's brother, hence why Duncan was played by his stunt double.
@@vishaansingh1019 No, he actually said the exact opposite of what you claim he said. The original screenplay written by the screenwriter (who wasn't Clint Eastwood) made it explicit he was Duncan's brother and Clint Eastwood didn't like that, he wanted it to be ambiguous and liked the idea of the guy being possibly a ghost. So he changed it to leave it open to interpretation.
I watched these movies with my father growing up. All of the Clint westerns.
This one was always a favorite.
Marshal Jim Duncan Rest In Peace .
HE RESTED IN PEACE ALRIGHT!!!! AND GOD SAID: BEHOLD, THE PALE HORSE, AND THE MAN THAT SAT UPON HIM WAS DEATH! AND (HELL) FOLLOWED WITH HIM!!! LOOSLY TRANSLATED.
What a powerful movie.
According to Brando, what makes a good movie is when the storyline is open to interpretation from the members of the audience watching it according to their life experiences, so that it actually becomes a living reality, in a sense, because the audience brings it alive by becoming active participants in it.
That's when a movie crosses over into something more than just a movie, because it lives in people's minds.
Great movie. My favorite was The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, though. But this one was unsettling. So was Pale Rider.
Still gives me goosebumps
Clint Eastwood is a Spirit of Vengeance.
Classic Clint, Riding Into The Sunset.
Marshal Jim Duncan 😢 just his brother, ''town'' well deserved...
RIP
It was Jim Duncan himself. The town only thought he was killed. The mortician buried a box of dirt. In the opening scene, you can see the mortician looking at the "High Plains Drifter" riding into town; it was a look of recognition. How could the stranger remember the whipping to supposed death? No one in the town would have talked about it. Only the victim would know that.
The gunslingers knew the stranger had a vendetta. They just did not know who he was.
Then how did he just vanish in thin air like that at the end? 😃
@@Jim_L Artistic effect for the movie. Think of the scene when he was asleep in the hotel room, and he sees how Jim Duncan was killed. Only Jim Duncan would know that. He did not have a beard then.
It wasn't a revenant. Some people thought it was his brother. The brother was not there, so he could not have that recollection. Eastwood has never explained the movie; that is his genius.
Remember the last scene:
Mordecai: "I never did know your name."
The Drifter: "Yes you do. Take care"
You then see the camera move toward the headstone of Jim Duncan.
It was Jim Duncan; an honorable man.
@@Macdelcley I like your theory a lot! You do know, however, that there are many who subscribe to the idea that Jim Duncan is a ghost. So when he rides off in the distance and then vanishes, he's essentially making the case that, "My work is done here," and goes back to wherever it is ghosts go to finally be able to rest in peace. But me being an atheist, I like your take on this better. 👍
@@Jim_L I just don't believe Clint Eastwood would make a supernatural western. It is not his style. I searched for an answer to this question, and none has been offered. One explanation was it was Jim Duncan's brother, but how would his brother know how he died? The town's corrupt leaders conspired in the attempted murder, so it was a secret to the outside world.
When I was a little boy, we would drive to southern California from Arizona in the summer time, and I would see what looked like water in the distance. You can see things disappear like that in that view (e.g. people walking, cars, etc.). The drifter disappearing is an optical illusion. It is caused by the heat, and it plays tricks with your vision. Eastwood is from California, so he saw things like this as well.
I am certain it was Jim Duncan.
I never did like the music in the post Spaghetti Westerns featuring Clint Eastwood; how could one not get spoiled by Ennio Morricone?! But I really did like that haunting, eerie bit of music/sound at the end of this movie, with Eastwood's character galloping away on his horse, until vanishing into the distance like that.
Back when movies had actual storylines
Jim Duncan, the original Crow…
He was Lucifer. Enraged by humans tormenting other humans without purpose.
Great Ghost story!
THE BEST WESTERN EVER MADE IN MY EYES!!! JOHN WAYNE WOULDA'VE ONLY SCREWED THIS TIMELESS MOVIE UP AMYWAYS! BEHOLD THE PALE HORSE! GOD HAS HIM (DRIFTING) AROUND, RIGHTING WRONGS, IS WHATS GOING ON HERE!! LOTA SPECULATION ABOUT THIS MOVIE! BUT NONE, HAS VOICED THE OBVIOUS RIGHTEOUS NATURE, WITH THAT INTENTION BEING THE REASON FOR THESE ACTIONS! HE'S A HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER ALRIGHT!! BY DESIGN!
And along came the Preacher.
So Clint was Jim Duncan all along then?
In the french version he said he is the brother of of Jim. But yes I prefer to believe he is the ghost of Jim Duncan.
@@LauCass i see
@@LauCass In the german dub too.. Terrible decision
They changed it at the last second to a ghost story that’s why in different countries he says brother but in American version he’s actually a ghost
@@taylorpack7705 Did they dub it over at the last second and the foreign language audio tracks were already recorded internationally?
That could have been the only possibility. I always thought the German translators just didn't like the fact that Clint Eastwood was a ghost in the story and thought they were doing something great that just kills the twist and the surreal thing in a western.
But was probably really thought that he is the brother. Ultimately, this last scene somehow gives the film something special and I'm glad that at least in the original the only true version of course you get the "yes you do".
revenant
Shit i dont know my little brother was a demon
??? Clint is the ghost of Jim Duncan, back for revenge on his killers and the town that hired them. Remember, the dead can't rest in an unmarked grave; now Jim Duncan can rest.
Yeah. This ending always gives me the chills. You are right about that, he is the ghost
@@kingbeauregard Clint himself said that he always meant for it to be explicit that he was playing Duncan's brother, hence why Duncan was played by his stunt double.
@@vishaansingh1019 No, he actually said the exact opposite of what you claim he said. The original screenplay written by the screenwriter (who wasn't Clint Eastwood) made it explicit he was Duncan's brother and Clint Eastwood didn't like that, he wanted it to be ambiguous and liked the idea of the guy being possibly a ghost. So he changed it to leave it open to interpretation.