Clint Eastwood Overload In One Slick Box

“Go ahead, make my day!”

Those famous words were spoken by Clint Eastwood as the character of Harry Callahan in the 1983 film Sudden Impact. It was the fourth film in the Dirty Harry series and the only one Eastwood directed himself. It was also the highest grossing film of the series and secured Eastwood’s relationship with Warner Bros. — where he has starred in and/or directed a total of 35 films since 1968’s World War II drama Where Eagles Dare. To honour Eastwood’s filmography with the studio, Warner Bros. is releasing the retrospective collection Clint Eastwood: 35 Films, 35 Years. It’s the largest box set dedicated to one artist ever produced and it is quite an impressive package.

Besides the 34 films of Eastwood’s in the set, which includes titles ranging from Dirty Harry and Pale Rider to Every Which Way But Loose, Unforgiven, and Million Dollar Baby, there is also a 20-minute documentary (the 35th film) by Time Magazine film critic (and Eastwood’s close friend) Richard Schickel, entitled The Eastwood Factor. While I recommend the longer version (sold separately) for a more intimate look at Eastwood, the short version is a great introduction to the films in the set. The set also comes with a 24-page excerpt from Schickel’s in-depth book Clint: A Retrospective as well as reproduced memorabilia.

I’ve always been a fan of Eastwood, who turned 80 on May 31, however I never quite realized how important he’s been to the history of American cinema. Schickel’s doc, along with rewatching the films in the set (and discovering titles I’ve never seen, such as Bronco Billy), has given me a new appreciation for him and his work. Yes, the ultimate fan will be in Eastwood heaven with this collection but I also feel even the casual film buff will get a lot out of it and possibly learn something new.

Full list of films included in the set:

1. Where Eagles Dare (1968)
2. Kelly’s Heroes (1970)
3. Dirty Harry (1971)
4. Magnum Force (1973)
5. The Enforcer (1975)
6. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
7. The Gauntlet (1977)
8. Every Which Way but Loose (1978)
9. Bronco Billy (1980)
10. Any Which Way You Can (1980)
11. Honkytonk Man (1982)
12. Firefox (1982)
13. Sudden Impact (1983)
14. City Heat (1984)
15. Tightrope (1984)
16. Pale Rider (1985)
17. Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
18. Bird (1988)
19. The Dead Pool (1988)
20. Pink Cadillac (1989)
21. White Hunter, Black Heart (1990)
22. The Rookie (1990)
23. Unforgiven (1992)
24. A Perfect World (1993)
25. The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
26. Absolute Power (1997)
27. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)
28. True Crime (1999)
29. Space Cowboys (2000)
30. Blood Work (2002)
31. Mystic River (2003)
32. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
33. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
34. Gran Torino (2008)
35. The Eastwood Factor (2009)

Note: 2009’s Invictus is the 35th film Eastwood has made under Warner Bros. but is not included in the set.

Clint Eastwood: 35 Films, 35 Years is available on DVD June 1 with a suggested retail price of $179.99CDN. Richard Schickel’s feature length documentary The Eastwood Factor is available on DVD June 1 as well. Schickel’s book, Clint: A Retrospective, is currently available.

brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com

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