What it’s about
An adaptation of a William Faulkner tale set at the dawn of the last century, concerns exuberant plantation worker Boon Hogganbeck (McQueen), who gets so excited by his rich employer’s purchase of a spanking new “horseless carriage” that when the boss leaves town by train, Boon requisitions the vehicle for a road trip to Memphis, where a host of pleasant diversions beckon. For company, Boon’s stable hand friend Ned (Crosse) accompanies him, along with the boss’s impressionable grandson Lucius (Vogel). A host of colorful adventures await them on their journey.
Why we love it
This picaresque, whimsical tale benefits from Rydell’s warm, yet keen sense of nostalgia in portraying a charmingly innocent period, not to mention a refreshingly atypical McQueen performance as a sweet, lovable rogue. Inspired, light-hearted support from co-star Crosse earned him an Oscar nod, along with John Williams’ jaunty score. (Note: though the motley trio spends time in a Memphis “bawdy house,” the sequence is handled with sufficient delicacy to make the movie appropriate for older children.)
Steve McQueen, Sharon Farrell, Ruth White, Mitch Vogel, Rupert Crosse, Michael Constantine Mark Rydell