''The Reivers'' (also known as ''The Yellow Winton Flyer'' in the U.K.) is a 1969

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

film in

Panavision Panavision Inc. is an American motion picture equipment company (law), company founded in 1954 specializing in cameras and photographic lens, lenses, based in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, Woodland Hills, California. Formed by Robert Gottschalk a ...

starring

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of counterculture of the 1960s, 1960s counterculture, made him a top box office draw for his films of the late ...

and directed by

Mark Rydell Mark Rydell (born Mortimer H. Rydell; March 23, 1929) is an American film director, producer and actor. He has directed several Academy Awards, Academy Award-nominated films including ''The Fox (1967 film), The Fox'' (1967), ''The Reivers (film) ...

, based on the 1962

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer. He is best known for William Faulkner bibliography, his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in fo ...

novel '' The Reivers, a Reminiscence''. The supporting cast includes

Sharon Farrell Sharon Farrell (born Sharon Forsmoe, December 24, 1940 – May 15, 2023) was an American television and film actress, and dancer. Originally beginning her career as a ballerina with the American Ballet Theatre company, Farrell made her film debu ...

, Rupert Crosse,

Mitch Vogel Mitchel L. "Mitch" Vogel (born January 17, 1956) is an American former child actor, musician and director. As of 2023, he is one of two surviving main cast members from ''Bonanza'', next to Tim Matheson. Having begun his professional acting ca ...

and

Burgess Meredith Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed radio, theater, film, and television. Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" ...

as the narrator.

Plot

Set in 1905, the film follows the exploits of the likable but raffish Boon Hoggenbeck, who takes an interest in a new car, a new 1905 Winton Flyer owned by Boss, patriarch of the McCaslin family, who live in the Mississippi area where Boon lives. When the taking of the car, first by Boon, then by Ned — who are reivers, or thieves — leads to a public brawl, the local magistrate lets them off on a bond that Boss pays on the condition that both men stay out of trouble and far away from the car while he is away with family to attend a funeral. Boon violates the condition when he takes the car again to go to Memphis to see his love interest Corrie, and talks his young friend Lucius into going for the ride. Ned stows away as well, but Boon grudgingly allows him to come. Other characters include a racehorse that loves sardines, a friendly bordello madam and her amiable employees, and a man with a horse who lives near an impassable sinkhole full of mud for which he charges expensive rates to get both carts and cars through.

Cast

as Boon Hogganbeck *

as Corrie *

as Lucius McCaslin * Rupert Crosse as Ned McCaslin * Ruth White as Miss Reba *

Michael Constantine Michael Constantine (born Gus Efstratiou (or Ευστρατίου); May 22, 1927 – August 31, 2021) was a Greek-American actor. He is most widely recognized for his portrayal of Kostas "Gus" Portokalos, the stubborn Greek father of Toula Port ...

as Mr. Binford *

Clifton James George Clifton James (May 29, 1920 – April 15, 2017) was an American actor known for roles as a prison floorwalker in '' Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), Sheriff J.W. Pepper alongside Roger Moore in the James Bond films '' Live and Let Die'' ...

as Butch Lovemaiden * Juano Hernandez as Uncle Possum * Lonny Chapman as Maury McCaslin (Lucius' father) *

Will Geer Will Geer (born William Aughe Ghere; March 9, 1902 – April 22, 1978) was an American actor, musician, and social activist who was active in labor organizing and communist movements in New York City and Southern California in the 1930s and 1940 ...

as Boss McCaslin (Lucius' grandfather) * Allyn Ann McLerie as Alison McCaslin (Lucius' mother) * Lindy Davis as Otis * Diane Shalet as Hannah * Pat Randall as May Ellen *

Diane Ladd Diane Ladd (born Rose Diane Ladner; November 29, 1935) is an American actress. She has appeared in over 200 films and television shows. She received three Academy Award nominations for her roles in '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' (1974), '' ...

as Phoebe * Ellen Geer as Sally * Dub Taylor as Dr. Peabody *

as the narrator (voice)

Box office

In its first 2 weeks it grossed $4,166,123 from 281 engagements.

Awards

1970 Oscar Nominations: * Actor in a Supporting Role – Rupert Crosse, making him the first African American to receive a nomination in this category * Music (Original Score – for a motion picture ot a musical –

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

Home media

''The Reivers'' was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

Paramount Home Video Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Media Distribution, originally Paramount Home Video, and operating as the namesake film studio since 2022) is the home video distribution arm of Paramount Pictures. The division oversees Para ...

on June 14, 2005, in Region 1 widescreen. The film was later released on

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

Kino Lorber Kino Lorber is an international film distribution company based in New York City. Founded in 1977, it was originally known as Kino International until it was acquired by and merged into Lorber HT Digital in 2009. It specializes in art film, art ho ...

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reivers 1969 films 1960s coming-of-age comedy-drama films American coming-of-age comedy-drama films Cinema Center Films films Films about automobiles Films based on American novels Films based on works by William Faulkner Films directed by Mark Rydell Films set in 1905 Films set in Mississippi Films shot in Mississippi Films scored by John Williams American horse racing films American road comedy-drama films 1969 comedy-drama films 1960s English-language films 1960s American films English-language comedy-drama films National General Pictures films