Although his experience as a movie director has been with Civil War soldiers and things that go bump in the night, Augusta filmmaker Christopher Forbes feels like his entire life has led up to making iconic American westerns.
Mr. Forbes, the writer and director behind independent releases such as The Battle of Aiken , Basketweave and Firetrail , recently completed his first western, titled Long Shot . The movie stars Jim Hilton, who worked with Mr. Forbes on Firetrail, and the late David Carradine, who plays an aging U.S. marshal who has a history with Mr. Hilton's sharp-shooting gunman.
"It's not necessarily an original story," Mr. Forbes said of his gunfights-and-redemption tale. "But that's never really the point with a western. The point is how you do it and who you do it with."
Mr. Forbes said he and Mr. Hilton, who co-wrote the movie, had discussed a western during the production of the Civil War-era Firetrail . It's a genre that resonates with both men and a film Mr. Forbes felt he could make relatively inexpensively. The real coup, he said, was securing the services of Carradine for two days of shooting.
"We could not have been more excited if it were Eastwood himself," Mr. Forbes said. "Carradine has marquee value."
Mr. Forbes said Carradine was a consummate professional, up and running scenes as soon as he was on set. Mr. Forbes said one of his initial exchanges with the legendary actor involved Carradine's horse in the film.
Mr. Forbes said he watched as Carradine approached a line of horses. When asked whether he was picking out a horse, the actor shook his head.
"He said 'No, the horse is picking out me,'" Mr. Forbes said.
Mr. Forbes said the cast and crew took the news of Carradine's death hard, but they took comfort in the fact that Long Shot , one of his final films, was the type that had made him famous.
"Yes, we had a dip," Mr. Forbes said. "It was a real shame. We enjoyed working with him and had planned to do another film. But I'm also thrilled, because this is where he was at home, in a film like this."
Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Long Shot world premier
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: The Imperial Theatre, 745 Broad St.
COST: $10. Call (706) 722-8341.
Films starring David Carradine
Kung Fu (1972-75)
Boxcar Bertha (1972)
Death Race 2000 (1975)
Bound for Glory (1976)
Gray Lady Down (1978)
The Long Riders (1980)
North and South (1985)
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
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