Bound for Glory

Ashby forsakes the bleak satire of The Last Detail and Shampoo for an overlong, sentimental and lifeless biopic of Woody Guthrie. The film glosses the legendary folksinger-cum-hobo into a beatific eccentric who mimics the actions of others more than forges a radical lifestyle. Within these confines, Carradine's studious underplaying is impressive, and Haskell Wexler's Oscar-winning photography evokes a lyrical sense of atmosphere and location.