Changeling (2008): Clint Eastwood Proves His Directorial Skills yet Again

Clint Eastwood's career as an actor has spanned well over fifty years. In that time he has been the star of some of Hollywood's greatest and most well recognized films from Play Misty for Me (1971) to Million Dollar Baby (2004) Clint Eastwood has demonstrated that he is one of the best actors to ever hit the screen.

Clint Eastwood's latest directorial debut is the greatly anticipated upcoming release of Changeling (2008). Do not make the mistake of confusing this film with The Changeling (1980), this movie was a very well received horror film from the eighties...but it has absolutely nothing to do with our current film of nearly the same name. A changeling traditionally refers to a strangely behaved child swapped for an amicable and charming child kidnapped by fairies. In that vein, our current story tells of woman who believes that her returned son (who had been previously kidnapped) is not her own. The distraught mother has to then contend with even more grief over the whereabouts of her true child and the venemous backlash of a public who believes that she is a bad mother who has simply gone mad. Changeling (2008) is the fact-based retelling of the Winfield Coop Murders. The story is engaging and it offers great promise--under the directorial hand of Clint Eastwood...this promise will surely be fulfilled.

Indeed we may all be well informed of Clint Eastwood's acting ability-- but it seems that not many people are as well informed of his incredible ability to direct. People in the entertainment industry are all over Clint's directorial skills. But, for all of those who aren't in "the business" and are just starting to meet Clint Eastwood the director... here is a run-down of some his directorial projects:

Million Dollar Baby (2004) - Clint Eastwood acted and directed this multiple Academy Award winning, powerful film about a driven, young female boxer. Clint Eastwood won the Academy Award for directing this film and Morgan Freeman and Hillary Swank both took home Oscars for their acting roles. Click on the film's link to watch a preview and add it to your Netflix queue.

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) - Clint Eastwood directed this thought provoking film about the famous battle as told from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers who fought. Click on this film's link to watch this entire movie online.

Mystic River (2003) - This critically acclaimed film features a brilliant cast and a thoroughly engrossing story about pedophilia, murder, and star crossed lovers among many other themes. Clint Eastwood directed this amazing film that garnered Tim Robbins and Sean Penn Academy Awards. Click on the film's link to watch an online preview and add it to your Netflix queue.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997) - Kevin Spacey, Jude Law and John Cusack take their directorial cues from Clint Eastwood in this Southern gothic film based on John Berendt's book by the same name. The book/film's title refers to a well known voodoo notion about the period of time between black and white magic. I have to say here that the book was far superior to the film (such is usually the case with any novel based film) but the film was still pretty good. Click to see a video tour of the Bonaventure Cemetery featured in the film. And, click the film's title to watch this film online in its entirety.

The Bridges of Madison County (1995) - Clint Eastwood directs and stars with Meryl Streep in a beautiful love story about two people who fall passionately in love over the course of four days. This film is also based on a novel of the same name--the book's author, Robert James Waller, wrote a following book called A Thousand Country Roads...this book fills in the rest of the story (epilogue). If you are as engrossed in the first story as I was, be sure to satisfy your curiosity by reading Waller's epilogue. Click on the film's title to put it in our Netflix queue.

Unforgiven (1992) - Clint Eastwood directs, produces and stars in this western about a retired gunslinger and his last job. This is the film that sparked a whole new generation of interest in westerns, it was a powerhouse of a movie, and it won Clint Eastwood two Oscars for this efforts: Academy Award for Best Film & Academy Award for Best Director. Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman also star in this film. Click on the title to watch the entire film online.

Clint Eastwood is a consummate director and this is just a very short list of his directorial accomplishments. An afternoon spent watching a couple of his films would be sure to please even the pickiest film fan.

*The Changeling (1980) was a super scary horror film starring George C. Scott.

*There was yet an even earlier release of The Changeling (1974) - this teleplay was part of a BBC series (so you can bet that it isgood)... and it stars Helen Mirren, which pretty much guarantees that it is excellent. I put it in my Netflix queue.

*Morgan Freeman's Supporting Actor Oscar for Million Dollar Baby (2004)

*Hillary Swank's Lead Actress Oscar for Million Dollar Baby (2004)