Way back when the Sam Peckinpah film The Wild Bunch premiered, a woman journalist raised her hand at the press conference and asked the following: Why in the world do you have to show so much blood all over the place? She was pretty worked up about it. One of the actors, Ernest Borgnine, looked a bit perplexed and fielded the question. Lady, did you ever see anyone shot by a gun without bleeding? This film came out at the height of the Vietnam War. I love that line. That's gotta be one of the principles behind reality. Accepting things that are hard to comprehend, and leaving them that way. And bleeding. Shooting and bleeding.
During a press conference for the film The Wild Bunch, a female journalist expressed concern over the graphic violence portrayed, questioning the necessity of depicting so much blood. Her emotional reaction prompted actor Ernest Borgnine to respond with a thought-provoking statement, emphasizing that gun violence inherently involves bloodshed. This exchange reflects the stark realities of life, particularly in the context of the film's release amid the Vietnam War.
Murakami highlights this interaction to explore deeper themes of reality and acceptance. He suggests that confronting uncomfortable truths, like violence and its consequences, is part of understanding the complexities of life. The straightforward acknowledgment of blood in the context of shooting serves as a metaphor for facing harsh realities and embracing the difficult aspects of human existence.
