Editing Sam Peckinpah (section)

===''Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid''===
{{main|Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid}}
It was in this state of mind that Peckinpah agreed to make ''[[Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid]]'' (1973) for [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]. Based on the screenplay by [[Rudolph Wurlitzer]], who had previously penned ''[[Two-Lane Blacktop]]'', a film admired by Peckinpah, the director was convinced that he was about to make his definitive statement on the Western genre.{{sfn|Weddle|p=453}} The script offered Peckinpah the opportunity to explore themes that appealed to him: two former partners forced by changing times onto opposite sides of the law, manipulated by corrupt economic interests. Peckinpah rewrote the screenplay, establishing Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid as friends, and attempted to weave an epic tragedy from the historical legend. Filmed on location in the [[Mexican state]] of [[Durango]], the film starred [[James Coburn]] and [[Kris Kristofferson]] in the title roles, with a huge supporting cast including [[Bob Dylan]], who composed the film's music, [[Jason Robards]], [[R. G. Armstrong]], [[Richard Jaeckel]], [[Jack Elam]], [[Chill Wills]], [[Katy Jurado]], [[Matt Clark (actor)|Matt Clark]], [[L. Q. Jones]], [[Rutanya Alda]], [[Slim Pickens]], and [[Harry Dean Stanton]].{{sfn|Pat Garrett|IMDB}} From the beginning, Peckinpah began to have clashes with MGM and its president [[James T. Aubrey|James Aubrey]], known for his stifling of creative interests and eventual dismantling of the historic movie company.{{sfn|Weddle|p=463}} Numerous production difficulties, including an outbreak of influenza and malfunctioning cameras, combined with Peckinpah's alcoholism, resulted in one of the most troubled productions of his career. [[Principal photography]] finished 21 days behind schedule and $1.6 million over budget. Enraged, Aubrey severely cut Peckinpah's film from 124 to 106 minutes, resulting in ''Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid'' being released in a truncated version largely disowned by cast and crew members. Critics complained that the film was incoherent, and the experience soured Peckinpah forever on Hollywood. In 1988, however, Peckinpah's director's cut was released on video and led to a reevaluation, with many critics hailing it as a mistreated classic and one of the era's best films. Filmmakers, including [[Martin Scorsese]], have praised the film as one of the greatest modern Westerns.{{sfn|Weddle|p=483}}{{sfn|Simmons|pp=169–188}}