Charles Bronson the 1970s Film Icon
Bronson as a Box Office Attraction from 1974 to 1977
Nov 8, 2009
Helped by a run of top-grossing films in Europe, Bronson became a marquee attraction through most of the world. One exception to his success, however, was the United States. Despite films like Rider on the Rain and Red Sun setting box office records, most of Bronson’s European co-productions had limited release in the U.S., if screened at all.
Becoming a Name In His Home Country
Bronson was a favorite face in cinema by 1970, called ‘Le Monstre Sacré’ in France and ‘Il Brutto’ in Italy. In 1972, he accepted a special Golden Globe Award for ‘most popular actor in the world.’
One year earlier, Bronson was cast in Chato’s Land as a half-breed Apache who kills a White man in self-defense. The Western drama, costarring fellow tough guy Jack Palance, was filmed in Spain but reconnected Bronson to Hollywood through director Michael Winner.
Winner, who had a relationship with Bronson’s second wife Jill Ireland during the 1950s, felt compatible with Bronson and directed him in three noteworthy films: Chato’s Land (released 1972), The Mechanic (1972), and The Stone Killer (1973). With Bronson returning to the United States and finally becoming a name in his home country, Winner offered him the role of Paul Kersey in Death Wish, a 1974 film based on the novel by Brian Garfield.
A Controversial Role
Death Wish was published as a hardback novel in 1972 and not overtly successful in bookstores. Ideas for crime films were in great demand, however, and it drew the attention of producers Hal Landers and Bobby Roberts. Garfield's novel became a Hollywood movie project and Wendell Mayes, also known for Anatomy of a Murder, took on duties as screenwriter.
The film's production underwent false starts and radical changes. Landers and Roberts originally planned for Sidney Lumet to direct and United Artists to release the film, but its screenplay was eventually loaned to Winner. It was picked up by Dino DeLaurentiis, who had already employed Bronson on The Valachi Papers and The Stone Killer. Death Wish underwent revisions to suit Winner’s quirky direction and Bronson’s rugged persona before shooting began.
The movie was released by Paramount Pictures in July 1974. There was mixed speculation about whether or not Death Wish would be profitable, but everyone was certain of its controversy. Portraying an architect who begins killing street criminals after his wife and daughter are harmed in a robbery, the film led American box offices during its opening week. New York theaters even raised ticket prices from $3.50 to four dollars as lines grew exceptionally long.
Bronson's Image In the Mid-1970s
For better and for worse, Bronson’s image became synonymous with Death Wish: an icy exterior hiding a supply of energy and wrath. Though he was not yet typecast as an action star, his career began to gradually move in this direction. After Death Wish and Mr. Majestyk in 1974, Bronson appeared in Breakout (1975), the mining town fable Hard Times (1975), and Breakheart Pass (1975). All three films enjoyed Bronson’s worldwide marketability and turned large profits.
Bronson, however, reached the upper echelons of Hollywood at a late age. Bronson turned 53 in 1974, an almost unheard-of age to finally reach the ‘big time.’ He also desired roles that were unlike Death Wish and began working in unusual projects. Films such as From Noon Till Three (1976), The White Buffalo (1977), and Telefon (1977) showed a versatile Bronson, but also marked a decline in his box office value.
Bronson's appearances in the late 1970s showed his eagerness for different material. An actor’s career sometimes requires changes and by the early 1980s, Bronson was ready to make another.
Sources
'Charles Bronson.' IMDB web site, 1990-2009.
Talbot, Paul. Bronson's Loose!: The Making of the Death Wish Films. New York, NY: iUniverse, 2006.
Winner, Michael. Winner Takes All. London, England: Robson Books, 2004.
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