Malpaso Productions is Clint Eastwood's production company. It was established in 1967 as The Malpaso Company by Eastwood's financial adviser Irving Leonard for the film Hang 'Em High (1968), using profits from the Dollars Trilogy. Leonard served as President of the Malpaso Company until his death on December 13, 1969.

Name origins

The name is derived from Malpaso Creek (Spanish for "bad step", or "misstep"), located south of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Eastwood had received U.S. Army basic training at nearby Fort Ord, where he remained as a lifeguard until discharged in 1953. On December 24, 1967, Eastwood bought five parcels totaling of land along Malpaso Creek from Charles Sawyer. He later added more land until he owned . The land bordered the south bank of Malpaso Creek from the eastern side of Highway 1 to the coastal ridge. He sold it to Monterey County in 1995 for $3.08 million. Near the coast, a trail and later a road ran from Carmel to Big Sur during the 1800s. The creek has very steep side slopes and there was only one crossing (a ford only above sea level) until the Malpaso Creek Bridge was built in 1935 as part of Highway 1.

Founding

When Eastwood agreed to take the role of The Man with No Name in A Fistful of Dollars in 1964, his agent told him that it would be a "bad step" for his career. The Dollars Trilogy was surprisingly successful. After filming Where Eagles Dare in 1968, Eastwood grew annoyed about the money he considered wasted during these big productions. He wanted more creative control over his films and decided to form his own production company. He thought the choice of "Malpaso" was appropriate.

Irving Leonard, Eastwood's financial adviser, organized the company for Eastwood following the success of and using the earnings from the Dollars Trilogy. The first feature they produced was the 1968 film Hang 'Em High. Leonard served as President of the Malpaso Company and associate producer of Eastwood's films from Hang 'Em High until his death in 1969.

Eastwood is known for very tight shooting schedules, finishing his films on schedule and on budget, or earlier and under budget, typically in much less time than most production companies.

Malpaso is unique among film production companies for its over-fifty year relationship with one distributor. Warner Bros. Pictures has served as the distributor of many of Clint Eastwood's produced, directed and starred films, a relationship that has lasted for over half a century and resulted in more than 40 features.

Filmography

1960s YearTitleDirectorDistributorNamesNotes1968Hang 'Em HighTed PostUnited ArtistsThe Malpaso Companyco-production with Leonard Freeman Productions; first filmCoogan's BluffDon SiegelUniversal Pictures1969Paint Your WagonJoshua LoganParamount Picturestop production billing went to Alan Jay Lerner Productions

1970s YearTitleDirectorDistributorNamesNotes1970Two Mules for Sister SaraDon SiegelUniversal PicturesThe Malpaso Companyco-production with Sanen Productions1971The Beguiledco-production with Jennings Lang ProductionsPlay Misty for MeClint EastwoodDirty HarryDon SiegelWarner Bros. Pictures1972Joe KiddJohn SturgesUniversal Pictures1973High Plains DrifterClint EastwoodBreezyMagnum ForceTed PostWarner Bros. Pictures1974Thunderbolt and LightfootMichael CiminoUnited Artists1975The Eiger SanctionClint EastwoodUniversal Picturesco-production with Zanuck/Brown Productions1976The Outlaw Josey WalesWarner Bros. PicturesThe EnforcerJames Fargo1977The GauntletClint Eastwood1978Every Which Way But LooseJames Fargo1979Escape from AlcatrazDon SiegelParamount Pictures

1980s YearTitleDirectorDistributorNamesNotes1980Any Which Way You CanBuddy Van HornWarner Bros. PicturesThe Malpaso Company1982FirefoxClint EastwoodHonkytonk Man1983Sudden Impact1984TightropeRichard Tuggleuncredited scenes directed by Clint EastwoodCity HeatRichard Benjamin1985Pale RiderClint Eastwood1986Heartbreak RidgeRatboySondra Locke1988The Dead PoolBuddy Van HornMalpaso ProductionsBirdClint EastwoodThe Malpaso CompanyThelonious Monk: Straight, No ChaserCharlotte ZwerinMalpaso Productions1989Pink CadillacBuddy Van Horn

1990s YearTitleDirectorDistributorNamesNotes1990White Hunter, Black HeartClint EastwoodWarner Bros. PicturesMalpaso ProductionsThe Rookie1992Unforgiven1993A Perfect Worldco-production with Mark Johnson Productions1995The Bridges of Madison Countyco-production with Amblin EntertainmentThe Stars Fell on HenriettaJames Keach1997Absolute PowerClint EastwoodSony Pictures Releasingco-production with Columbia Pictures and Castle Rock EntertainmentMidnight in the Garden of Good and EvilWarner Bros. Picturesco-production with Silver Pictures1999True Crimeco-production with The Zanuck Company

2000s YearTitleDirectorDistributorNamesNotes2000Space CowboysClint EastwoodWarner Bros. PicturesMalpaso Productionsco-production with Mad Chance Productions, Village Roadshow Pictures and Clipsal Films2002Blood Work2003Mystic Riverco-production with Village Roadshow Pictures and NPV Entertainment2004Million Dollar Babyco-production with Lakeshore Entertainment2006Flags of Our FathersParamount Pictures/Warner Bros. Picturesco-production with DreamWorks Pictures and Amblin EntertainmentLetters from Iwo JimaWarner Bros. Picturesco-production with DreamWorks Pictures and Amblin Entertainment2007Rails & TiesAlison Eastwood2008ChangelingClint EastwoodUniversal Picturesco-production with Relativity Media and Imagine EntertainmentGran TorinoWarner Bros. Picturesco-production with Village Roadshow Pictures2009Invictusco-production with Spyglass Entertainment

2010s YearTitleDirectorDistributorNamesNotes2010HereafterClint EastwoodWarner Bros. PicturesMalpaso Productionsco-production with Amblin Entertainment and The Kennedy/Marshall Company2011J. Edgarco-production with Imagine Entertainment and Wintergreen Productions2012Trouble with the CurveRobert Lorenz2014Jersey BoysClint Eastwoodco-production with RatPac-Dune Entertainment and GK FilmsAmerican Sniperco-production with Village Roadshow Pictures, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, Mad Chance Productions and 22nd & Indiana Pictures2016Sullyco-production with Village Roadshow Pictures, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, Flashlight Films, The Kennedy/Marshall Company and Orange Corp2018The 15:17 to Parisco-production with Village Roadshow Pictures and RatPac-Dune EntertainmentThe Muleco-production with Imperative Entertainment and Bron Creative2019Richard Jewellco-production with Appian Way Productions, Misher Films and 75 Year Plan Productions

2020s Year Title Director Distributor Names Notes 2021 Cry MachoClint EastwoodWarner Bros. Pictures Malpaso Productions 2024 Juror #2co-production with Dichotomy and Gotham Group

References

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