This Dustin Hoffman Psychological Thriller Is Still Unavailable to Stream

A psychological thriller, Straw Dogs (1971) was directed by Sam Peckinpah from a script he co-wrote alongside David Zelag Goodman. They adapted the story from a 1969 novel titled The Siege of Trencher’s Farm, which was, in turn, written by Gordon M. Williams. Both cover the same plot, albeit with some exceptions here and there. For instance, there are different names for their respective lead characters.

In the film, Dustin Hoffman stars as David Sumner, a scholar of applied mathematics – another difference from the book, as his original counterpart teaches English. With regard to Straw Dogs, he’s married to a younger woman named Amy, played by Susan George. Together, the couple kicks off the plot by moving to a new house in Amy’s hometown of Wakely, a fictional village in the real-life county of Cornwall, England.

The locals of Wakely don’t often take kindly to outsiders, which is evident immediately upon their arrival in the village. In particular, Amy’s ex-boyfriend Charlie is upset with a stranger getting married to one of their native residents. His former love, to boot. When his friends are hired to fix the Sumner’s roof, the men begin to heckle David, and at the same time, the mathematician’s marriage slowly starts to unravel. What ensues is a high-caliber home-invasion thriller with some interesting stories regarding its production and premiere.

The Release of Straw Dogs by Sam Peckinpah

Decent money accrued at the box office and great reviews from critics – Straw Dogs was quite a success upon release, at least on paper. The plot is also controversial, featuring two disparate rape scenes in a two-hour time span that received notable flack from critics for their ostensible futility. Intensity embedded the sequences to such an overwhelming extent that it’s been reported that audiences walked out of the film’s initial showing. But behind the scenes, careful tactics of various crafts were implemented to make Straw Dogs a high-quality movie overall.

Composing credits were doled out to Jerry Fielding, who was recognized for his efforts at the 44th Academy Awards. It was Fielding’s second nomination for Best Score, with his first being The Wild Bunch (1969) – also directed by Sam Peckinpah. They’re frequent collaborators, even working together on The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1971), which was released just between The Wild Bunch and Straw Dogs, followed by Junior Bonner (1973) to amass four movies in four years – all critical darlings, to boot.

Straw Dogs is among Fielding’s finest works. He crafted an imposing score that helped set the tone for his greatest collaborator to paint another masterpiece. This home-invasion thriller is commonly considered by critics to be one of Peckinpah’s highest-quality films, and despite the controversy that arose from his graphic depiction of violence, audiences widely agreed.

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It’s also a key performance from the career of Dustin Hoffman, who beat the likes of Donald Sutherland, Jack Nicholson, and Sidney Poitier for the role of David Sumner. That’s an impressive list of names, and in the end, it’s clear that Peckinpah and casting director Miriam Brickman made the right decision with Hoffman. He shines as David Sumner, sharing wonderful chemistry with each of his co-stars as their characters interact within a violent dynamic.

To the dismay of critics and film fans alike, Straw Dogs by Sam Peckinpah intensifies when two of the roof workers force themselves onto Amy. To imply such an atrocious act is one thing, but to include the sequence in the final product results in controversy of an entirely separate ilk. Due to the nature of the scenes – in the original cut, there are two – the film was widely censored in theaters, and today, the original Straw Dogs is completely unavailable with regard to online streaming services.

Straw Dogs Is Unavailable on Streaming Services

Straw Dogs

Straw Dogs is a crime thriller by writer-director Sam Peckinpah. The film is based on the 1969 novel The Siege of Trencher’s Farm and follows David and Amy Sumner, a couple recently relocated to the English countryside. Having gained a research grant, David moves with his wife back to her hometown in Wakely, only to be besieged by an influx of violence from the locals.

Release Date

December 22, 1971

Runtime

1h 53m

Parts of the film were heavily redacted to earn an R rating in the United States, but even then, Straw Dogs was still controversial upon release. In most cinemas, the rape scenes were cut substantially. After its theatrical release, distribution of the film on VHS and DVD was prohibited from 1984 to 2002. When it was allowed distribution, the original cut of the film was included in its entirety, much to the chagrin of the British Board of Film Classification.

If physical copies are your thing, they’re still obtainable today, albeit not on VHS, obviously. But Straw Dogs is available for purchase on both Blu-ray and DVD, and they’ll come in some slick and stylish packaging that’s courtesy of Criterion. These editions are replete with additional content, from archival interviews with the cast and crew to a documentary about the film’s production.

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There’s also a remake, directed by Rod Lurie in 2011, with the lead couple portrayed by James Marsden and Kate Bosworth instead of Dustin Hoffman and Susan George. Though not as successful with most critics, famous pundit Roger Ebert favored Rod Lurie’s remake over the original with Dustin Hoffman. Equally controversial in many respects, the 2011 version is nonetheless a high-quality film that makes up for the unavailability of Straw Dogs by Peckinpah.