by Against the general opinion, Clint Eastwood decided to play in a film completely apart in his filmography: a wacky comedy where he shares the screen … with an orangutan. The result? One of the greatest successes of its beginnings in the cinema!
We are in the late 1970s. Clint Eastwood is already a star thanks to virile and dark roles, especially in Inspector Harry. However, in 1978, he made an astonishing bet by agreeing to play in sweet, hard and crazy, a completely offbeat action comedy. The film was released in December 1978 in the United States (and in April 1979 in France), and almost no one believes in this project … except him.
The pitch is rather unexpected: Philo Beddoe, a slightly braking mechanic, makes ends meet by participating in bare hands. But when Lynn, a singer with whom he is in love, disappears, he embarks on his search. To help him? His brother from heart Orville… and Clyde, his faithful Orang-Outan companion. A muscular and crazy investigation begins.
Why accept such an atypical role?
In an interview granted in 2003 to the Guardian, the actor and director of Legend returned to this amazing choice.
“” “Yes, I made strange choices during my career. This film, my agent, everyone, begged me not to do it. It was after Inspector Harry, I had made a lot of action and adventure films and they said to me: 'It doesn't look like you' and I answered: 'So what looks like me? I don't know. '»
Warner Bros.
What motivated Clint Eastwoodit is above all the desire to break the codes and to touch another audience. He explained: “In my opinion, it allowed me to touch a younger generation, to make a film that children could see (…). And there was something surprisingly 'trendy' with this film-this strange guy confides in an orangutan and was removed his girlfriend: everything is a little different [des films habituels]. It seemed to me to do at the time.»
An orangutan for co-star
As for playing with an orangutan, Clint Eastwood has kept a tender memory of his hair partner.
“” “It was great, it was like working with a six -year -old child. They are supposed to reach the level of a seven -year -old child and have only the attention of a child, so you have to give everything from the first catch.»
Warner Bros.
Against all expectations, Soft, hard and crazy Make a box: more than $ 100 million harvested at the world box office. An impressive score for the time. Building on this success, a suite was born two years later: it will bang (1980), which in turn brought in $ 70 million. These two films are among the biggest commercial triumphs of Clint Eastwood In the 1980s. Like what, sometimes, following your instinct can lead much further than following the advice of experts in the field!
Soft, hard and crazy can be found in VOD.
