While surveying a telegraph line in 1861, Western Union engineer Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger) is severely injured in an accident. He is discovered by Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott), an outlaw on the run from a posse. Forced to travel on foot after his horse was hurt, Shaw at first considers stealing Creighton's horse, but changes his mind and takes the man with him, saving his life.
Sometime later, following his recovery, Creighton returns to Omaha, Nebraska and plans the construction of a telegraph line from Omaha to Salt Lake City, Utah. Facing considerable opposition to the line from Confederate soldiers, Indians, and outlaws, Creighton elicits the help of his sister Sue (Virginia Gilmore), foreman Pat Grogan (Minor Watson), and assistant Homer Kettle (Chill Wills).
Looking to put his outlaw past behind him, Shaw arrives at Creighton's Western Union office looking for honest work and is hired as a scout by Grogan who is unaware of his past. Creighton recognizes him among the men and allows him to stay despite his suspicions. Creighton also hires tenderfoot Richard Blake (Robert Young), a Harvard-educated engineer as a favor to Blake's father. Shaw and Blake are both attracted to Sue and vie for her attention, but their romantic rivalry is cut short when construction of the telegraph line starts on July 4, 1861.
After work commences on the line, one of the men is killed apparently by a mysterious band of cattle-rustling Indians. Unconvinced that Indians are to blame, Shaw rides out to investigate and follows the rustlers' trail to the camp of Jack Slade, a former friend and cohort, whose gang committed the killing disguised as Indians—the gang Shaw left following his last bank robbery. Slade reveals that they are working for the Confederacy to disrupt Western Union because they believe the telegraph service will help the Union. Shaw rides away and returns to the line. Not wanting to turn in his former friends, Shaw tells Creighton that a large band of Dakota Indians stole the cattle, and recommends that they simply replace the herd and not risk a fight with the Indians.
Sometime later, a confrontation takes place between men working on the forward line and a band of drunken Indians. When one of the Indians tries to steal some equipment, a nervous Blake shoots him, ignoring Shaw's order to remain calm. After word arrives that the main camp is under attack by other Indians, the Western Union men rush back to help with the defense. At the main camp, Slade's men, who are again disguised as Indians, steal the Western Union horses. The company discover the ruse when one of the wounded Indians turns out to be a white man. Forced to buy back their stolen horses from Slade, Creighton becomes suspicious of Shaw's involvement, especially when he admits to knowing the gang.
Soon the U.S. Army arrives and announces the Indians have now refused to allow the telegraph lines to go through their territory in response to Blake's shooting of the drunken Indian. Creighton, Shaw, and Blake ride out to convince Chief Spotted Horse to allow them to build the line through Indian territory, even though the man Blake wounded was Spotted Horse's son. Creighton is finally able to persuade the Indians to allow them passage, and work continues until the company approaches Salt Lake City.
Sometime later, Shaw receives word that Jack Slade wants to meet with him. On the way to see Slade, Shaw is captured and bound by Slade's men. Slade says his group is going to burn down the Western Union camp and they don't want Shaw to interfere. After Slade and his men ride off, Shaw escapes from his ropes but arrives back too late to prevent the fire. He helps rescue some of the Western Union men from the flames and burns his hands in the process.
After the fire, Creighton confronts Shaw for an explanation, but Shaw does not reveal what he knows and is fired by Creighton. As Shaw leaves the camp, he tells Blake that Slade is actually Shaw's brother and that he, Shaw, will find Slade's gang and stop them from interfering with the telegraph project. Shaw rides off and finds Slade and his men in a nearby town. At the barber shop, Shaw confronts his brother, whose gun is concealed under the barber's sheet. Slade shoots Shaw through the sheet. Shaw fights back in spite of his wound, killing some of the gang members, and then dies. Blake arrives and continues the fight with Slade who dies from his wounds. Soon after, the Western Union line is completed and the workers celebrate. When Sue laments the absence of Shaw, Creighton tells her that Shaw can hear them.
当然真正打动我的还是由始至终那股放不下的悲伤和执着，离开我们生活的那些人那些面孔，那些往事和回忆，都在远处群山中，在草原和荒野尽头，一定都还在，一定都还在。
有人天生创作语言的美好，挺好。
联想到阿克曼的《安娜的旅程》。区别在于阿克曼风格化的镜头语言下是非常现实主义的片子，而赵婷现实主义外表下的镜头和情节是非常浪漫主义，甚至带有乌托邦色彩的。It’s not a bad thing. I like this film and hope I can practice this kind of life myself one day.
4-4.5，多给麦克多蒙德一星。「Home is just a word, or is it something you carry within you.」开头这句台词可能已经代表了全部。很奇妙地，我想到的是最近美国的辞职潮、三和大神、字节的CQC以及最近几年投资颇多的「零工经济」方向。当然这类问题可能很难得出什么「答案」甚至没有答案，但审视本身，可能也有存在的价值。
只要人能呼吸眼不盲
其实更喜欢<骑士>啦，这部也不赖，但也不至于惊叹好得过分，你能看到一个人而非只是个女性与这个世界自处的方式，和解真的存在吗？越过山水，才知道答案。
献给不得不上路的人，脑子里是John Ford，属于这个世纪的“愤怒的葡萄”，虽然“愤怒”几乎消失。
剪辑和叙事的果断和延宕导致整部片子的时间和空间都比较模糊，更像是动物迁徙一般无知无觉，我觉得是优点。
See you down the road
看哭了。选择独处在别人眼里可能是偏执，但内心的孤独不足为外人道也。 -不是每个人都能抛下一切。-你确定我是抛下一切？
吟游诗人。see you down the road.
It's like I want to go through that time and have the feelings you gave me
今年的NYFF有点可怜，但是Nomadland在汽车影院观影体验可能更胜于传统影院。一个无依的人，串起更多漂泊的故事。科恩嫂的克制，广袤的风景，自然的音乐，观感很舒适。对于赵婷这是又一次突破，对于公路片，似乎也没有什么新意。Drive-in观影加一星
那些真实的人物在镜头下述说自己的经历，这时候的主角特别像一个聆听的记者，而那些路上遇到的对象像一个个受访者，怎么讲呢，这种处理也不是说好与坏，总觉得略刻意。see you down the road.
I'm not homeless,I'm just houseless.
都市生活对空间占有与不确定性的驱赶不可避免，乡土游牧却又饱含自然性风险。似乎“房车”在二者间做着一种温和的调停：给你空间，给你流动。
大概可能有无字幕的原因，影片整体给我的感受与豆瓣剧情简介完全不同，我看到的更多的是一种自主选择，而不是被迫。明明可以放弃她的破车，但女主宁可求人也要守护她移动的家；明明好多人邀请她留下来，她毅然上路。在山林中奔跑，收集一个个好看的石头…生活孤独却热爱
配乐毁了Frances McDormand的表演，空镜很像国家地理，这部片子真的走入那些游牧者的心了吗？
第77届威尼斯电影节金狮奖。赵婷是继侯孝贤（1989年《悲情城市》）、蔡明亮（1994年《爱情万岁》）、张艺谋（1999年《一个都不能少》）、李安（2005年《断背山》及2007年《色，戒》）和贾樟柯（2006年《三峡好人》）之后，第六位获得金狮奖的华人导演，她也是第一位获得该奖的华人女导演。还有本届的重要奖项，许鞍华是第一位获得荣誉金狮奖（相当于终身成就奖）的华人女性电影人。有这样的结果，相信跟这一届的评审团主席凯特·布兰切特有很大关系。海报创意十足，内华达州、加利福尼亚州、南达科他州、内布拉斯加州、亚利桑那州的车牌拼接。剧情简单但让人感动，仿佛看到世界上的某个自己。我们路上见。See you down the road.
女主在别人眼里看似窘迫的公路生活，在习惯漂泊的人眼里，有着自己的孤傲与浪漫。让我想起《猜火车》里的那段经典台词，生活中就是有人不想买他妈的大电视，而选择不停地在路上，看群山，看飞鸟，looking ahead, to the day you die.
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