92 in the Shade is a 1975 American drama film written and directed by Thomas McGuane, based on his 1973 novel of the same name, it stars Peter Fonda, Warren Oates, Elizabeth Ashley and Margot Kidder. – Wikipedia
A man must keep his “creedence”, even when he finds himself locked in a purgatory of his own choosing. Such is the throughline of novelist-cum-filmmaker Thomas McGuane’s sole feature directorial effort, 92 In the Shade (’75) — a languid Florida Keys character study which sees a collection of losers circling the drain, even as the sun continues to shine, tanning their already leathery skin. The life of a fishing guide is one of cutthroat repetition, as McGuane invites us onto their tiny motorboats and takes us out to sea, allowing the audience to cast their own line and take in the surroundings. The blues, greens, and slowly setting sun amalgamate into a beautiful Southern America tableau, as we scan the warm, clear waters for trophies. But the stink of gasoline and corruption starts to fill our noses the longer we stay out with these dead end men, who aren’t really bothered by the fact that if they don’t kill each other first, skin, lung or liver disease will surely snatch up their lives and whisk them away from the current oasis they wait for death in. – Birth. Movies. Death.
| Drama, Comedy | 29 August 1975 (USA)
Though set in Key West, Florida, a goodly portion of 92 in the Shade was filmed in England. Peter Fonda plays Tom Skelton, a bum who gets a job as a fishing guide in his old home town. Nobody wants to have anything to do with Skelton, least of all rival guides Nichol Dance and Carter (Warren Oates and Harry Dean Stanton). Faced with financial disaster and widespread hostility, he turns to his wealthy grandfather Goldsboro (Burgess Meredith) for help. – Rotten Tomatoes
92 in the Shade contains a host of 70’s actors (Peter Fonda, Harry Dean Stanton, Warren Oates…) arguing and drinking whilst surrounded by boats. Everyone is hot and sweaty and the viewer is excited and confused.
I felt as though there must have originally been ten times more film and that it had been ruthlessly cut down.
Jay Snelling Art 