The money and power that flow through movies make the world of cinema a center of often-bitter conflict: some films come into the world seeming troubled and traumatized, and others bear the alluring mark of their turbulent origins. That’s one of the reasons why behind-the-scenes glimpses at Hollywood filmmaking are often so fascinating. It takes a certain kind of person to get by there, and, judging from even the briefest of outlines of its production, Sam Peckinpah’s 1972 film, “The Getaway,” (which I discuss in this clip) was indeed made by those kinds of people. What appears as a straightforwardly stylish and violent action film, starring Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw, turns out to be the result of much push-and-pull in board rooms, in editing rooms, and on location. The hallmark of Peckinpah’s fierce aesthetic is a hysterical restraint in the face of violence; it plays like a poignant response to a way of life—and of work.
Goings On
What we’re watching, listening to, and doing this week, online, in N.Y.C., and beyond. Paid subscribers also receive book picks.
Dept. of Medicine
How to Die in Good Health
The average American celebrates just one healthy birthday after the age of sixty-five. Peter Attia argues that it doesn’t have to be this way.
By Dhruv Khullar
Infinite Scroll
The Internet’s New Favorite Philosopher
Byung-Chul Han, in treatises such as “The Burnout Society” and his latest, “The Crisis of Narration,” diagnoses the frenetic aimlessness of the digital age.
By Kyle Chayka
Daily Comment
The Supreme Court Asks What Enron Has to Do with January 6th—and Trump
The former President notwithstanding, the government’s position in Fischer v. United States is unsettling.
By Amy Davidson Sorkin
Elements
The Highest Tree House in the Amazon
In 2023, conservationists and carpenters converged on Peru to build luxury accommodations in the rain-forest canopy.
By Allison Keeley