Supernatural Overtones
In an audio interview, Clint Eastwood revealed that his character Preacher "is an out-and-out ghost". But whereas High Plains Drifter resolves the supernatural story-line by means of a series of unfolding flash back narratives (although ambiguity still remains), Pale Rider does not include any such obvious clues to the nature and past of the 'Preacher'. One is left to draw one's own conclusions regarding the overall story line and its meaning.
Pale Rider also uses religious and spiritual language. Most notably, the movie's title is a reference to the fourth and most sinister of God's avenging angels of the Apocalypse who rides a pale horse, as told in The Book of Revelation, chapter 6, verse 8: "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him." The reading of the biblical passage describing this character is neatly choreographed to correspond with the sudden appearance of the Preacher, who arrived as a result of a prayer from 14-year-old Megan (Sydney Penny), in which she quoted Psalm 23. The main opponent of the Preacher is called Stockburn, whose name refers to hell. Eastwood's comment after beating one of the villains is, "Well, the Lord certainly does work in mysterious ways." After the temptation to shift his ministry to the town, Preacher says, "You can't serve God and Mammon, Mammon being money." Eastwood himself has admitted that the film contains a great number of biblical parallels. According to Robert Jewett the film's dialogue parallels Paul's teaching on divine retribution (Romans 12:19-21).
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Famous quotes containing the words supernatural and/or overtones:
“As a natural process, of the same character as the development of a tree from its seed, or of a fowl from its egg, evolution excludes creation and all other kinds of supernatural intervention.”
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“Uses are always much broader than functions, and usually far less contentious. The word function carries overtones of purpose and propriety, of concern with why something was developed rather than with how it has actually been found useful. The function of automobiles is to transport people and objects, but they are used for a variety of other purposes—as homes, offices, bedrooms, henhouses, jetties, breakwaters, even offensive weapons.”
—Frank Smith (b. 1928)