On Zion’s Mount: Mormons, Indians, and the American Landscape by Jared Farmer (review)

b o o k R e v ie w s 4 2 9 A l t h o u g h E a st w o o d e v o k e s t h e co n st rain t s o f g e n r e , h is w o r k fr u st r a t e s e x p e c t a t io n s b y e x p l o d i n g o r d e r . A s D e n n is R o t h e r m e l n o t e s , E a st w o o d ’s “fo n d n e ss fo r ja z z im p r o v is a t io n ” p e r m e a t e s h is n a r r a t i v e st y le a n d p a c in g ( 2 3 0 ) . L i k e p r a c t i c e d m u sic i a n s , h e a n d h is c r e w h a v e p e r fe c t e d a m u t u a l r h y t h m so t h a t t h e film s w a n d e r fr e e ly in u n p r e d i c t a b le d ir e c t io n s. M y st ic R iv e r ( 2 0 0 3 ) b a it s t h e a u d ie n c e w it h t h e h o p e o f s o l v i n g a c r im e b u t in st e a d r e v e a ls a “m ia sm a ” o f in t e r c o n n e c t io n s: “ N o d e e d is u n d e r st a n d a b le o n it s o w n , b u t a r ise s w it h i n t h e in e p r e s si b l e t a n g e n t s o f c a u s a lit y t h a t c o n n e c t t o a t h o u s a n d d e e d s” ( 2 3 4 ) . R a y m o n d F o e r y id e n t ifie s a si m ila r ly fr e e - fo r m st y le in T h e B rid ge s o f M ad iso n C o u n t y ( 1 9 9 5 ) , in w h ic h E a st w o o d d e v e lo p s a h y p n o t ic p a c e t h a t p r o g r e sse s lo o se ly a n d su r e ly . B u t w h a t sh o u l d fe m in is t s d o w it h E a st w o o d ? Is it t r u e t h a t E a st w o o d c r e a t e s a “p o i so n o u s m a s c u li n e sp a c e b u ilt o n t h e p e r fo r m a n c e o f a g g r e ssio n ” (M e t z 2 1 6 )? C o n t r a r y t o W a lt e r M e t z ’s d e p ic t...