Pocket Money

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This article is about the 1972 film. For a monetary allowance paid to children, see Allowance.

Pocket Money is a 1972 film directed by Stuart Rosenberg from a screenplay written by Terrence Malick. It stars Paul Newman and Lee Marvin and takes place in 1970s Arizona and Northern Mexico.

[edit] Role in the history of film

It is an important 'divider' between what could be termed 'the Western era' and the 'post-Western era' in American cinemology. Other films with the status of Western genre divider include the Western films of Clint Eastwood and some films by Robert Altman including Nashville and 3 Women, his first major commercial release. The genre of Western has been subsumed in part by the Country music and music video genre. Some Australian films such as The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Mad Max work well as Westerns.

Pocket Money is important because it is the only one of the films listed above that represents the American West as it exist(ed) at the time of the filming. Thus it is important as a reference point in understanding the very many classic Western movies that also represent actual life in the American West. The Australian movies and the Clint Eastwood Westerns listed here, as well as parts of very many other movies including Star Wars movies and films such as Holes, are only partially Westerns, or are relatively fantastical and/or story-like instead of being verite and genre-self-conscious in terms of their nature as Westerns.