Distinctly Montana Magazine

47 w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m JLB: It allowed me to work full-time. I resigned the teaching job I had in Kansas and we bought a house back in Old Montana. Dave Robicheaux and Clint Purcell love to come out here too. RR: (Laughs) Yeah. So I know Guthrie was unhappy with the film versions of Big Sky and The Way West for good reason too. They're not very good. But have you had better experience. I know you've had a cou- ple of books made into films. JLB: Yeah, I've, I've had four features. Four of them. With various degrees of success. The most suc- cessful in terms of, oh, you know, a work of art, I think is God's Country, which came out last year. It opened at Sundance. and Julian Higgins direct- ed it. He's young, but an extremely good director. And he's done two adaptations of mine. And I had Heaven's Pris- oners and then In the Electric Mist. Oh, and then a story of the Texas Revolution called Two For Texas. I love movies and I love watching them, and I love the people who make them because it's an outdoor mental asylum. It's just great. Who needs LSD... Ev- eryone in the industry virtually is neurotic. But when it's all over, they make something like Gone With the Wind and The Godfa- ther, how did these guys make this? Hey what's his name? Burt Reynolds. I had a short little communication with him, but I'll nev- er forget a line of his: why grow up when you can make movies? RR: Do you have any film interest now? JLB: Yeah. I've got quite a bit of film interest right now. I have four books coming out. I have a historical book that's coming out in July titled Flags on the Bayou. It takes place in the year 1863 in Louisiana. My last book deals with the Baker Massacre, but it's it's science fiction as well, and a memorial for my, our daughter. We lost our daughter, Paula, two and a half years ago. We call it Paula's book. It's dedicated to her. It's my most powerful book... I mean, I probably have a bias perhaps. RR: Is it non-fiction? JLB: No, it's fiction, but my daughter's spirit is in it. RR: You got any final thoughts, sir? JLB: Well no... yeah, I guess I do. Mr. A.B. Guth- rie was a very gentle and kind man, and oh golly, he, he could not be more humble. He never talk- ed about... I didn't see him that much, but after I read his work I taught it in university. And so my students would write him. In fact, when we had our final, we actually cooked buffalo meat in the classroom. RR: Oh, that's awesome. JLB: That was our final, and we sent a card from the class to Bud, and he wrote us back. They really loved his work and he, he took that as a great honor, and he was a man who had great honors. Bud was honored by our expression of respect for his work... You would think that he, of all people would be aware of the amount of respect that other writers had for [the screenplay for Shane], be- cause if you're a screenwriter, you cannot walk away from Shane. It's just incredible. The last scene, when Shane walks into the sa- James Lee Burke in Conversation wi Russell Rowland Loved by USA TODAY, Mother Nature, and ever yone who rides it, the historic Route of the Hiawatha Trail is an experience you'll never forget. Glide 15 miles downhill, through 10 amazing tunnels, over 7 sky-high trestles, and past epic natural beauty. TM Trail open May 26–September 17 Reserve your seat at RideTheHiawatha.com 208.744.1301 | I-90 Exit 0 at the ID/MT line.

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