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Photograph: (Image Courtesy: Collider)
From his early days as a television cowboy to becoming one of the most recognisable film stars in the world, Clint Eastwood’s journey in Hollywood has been nothing short of extraordinary. It’s particularly ironic that the character who made him an icon—Sergio Leone’s silent antihero from the 'Dollars' trilogy—has become so embedded in pop culture that even Eastwood’s trademark squint remains instantly recognisable across generations.
Although he could have easily coasted through his career on the strength of his acting alone—after all, one of 1978’s biggest box office hits was the offbeat comedy 'Every Which Way But Loose', where he starred alongside an orangutan—Eastwood has consistently proven himself as one of the industry’s most persistent creative forces. Over the last 50 years, he has directed films in nearly every genre and continues to do so. In fact, his 2024 film 'Juror #2' was widely considered a masterful courtroom drama, remarkable not just for its quality but for the fact that Eastwood delivered it at the age of 94.
His directing career began with the 1971 psychological thriller 'Play Misty for Me', a laid-back yet tense film set by the sea and remembered for a standout performance by Jessica Walter. While 'High Plains Drifter' is often cited as his second outing as a director, Eastwood’s actual follow-up was a short documentary that remains elusive to this day.
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In the same year as his directing debut, Eastwood also appeared in his third collaboration with director Don Siegel, starring in the southern gothic thriller 'The Beguiled'. Based on Thomas P. Cullinan’s novel ‘A Painted Devil’, the film follows a wounded Union soldier, John McBurney—played by Eastwood—who finds refuge in a girls’ seminary during the Civil War. His presence unsettles the fragile harmony of the household, leading to deadly consequences. The story was later reimagined by Sofia Coppola in 2017, with a notable shift in perspective.
The Elusive 12-Minute Documentary Directed by Clint Eastwood
Tied to the release of Siegel’s version was a 12-minute documentary short directed by Eastwood titled 'The Beguiled: The Storyteller'. Strangely, very little is known about it. It was never commercially released and remains out of reach for most viewers. Some who claim to have seen it recall it as a behind-the-scenes featurette, with one Letterboxd user mentioning a rare screening alongside a 35mm print of 'Coogan’s Bluff'—Eastwood and Siegel’s first collaboration—at a Chicago Film Society event. Beyond that, information is scarce. One of the few pieces of visual evidence is a photo of Eastwood holding what seems to be the film’s script.
What makes 'The Storyteller' particularly significant is that Eastwood has rarely directed anything outside of full-length features. Only a handful of exceptions exist, including an episode of Steven Spielberg’s 'Amazing Stories', the final instalment of Martin Scorsese’s PBS documentary series 'The Blues', and the music video for Diana Krall’s 'Why Should I Care'.
Most of Eastwood’s work is easily accessible today via streaming, physical releases, or digital rental. Yet this rare short remains a curious gap in his otherwise well-preserved catalogue. Not even the Kino Lorber Blu-ray release of 'The Beguiled' includes it. For fans and film historians alike, there remains hope that Universal might one day release this overlooked piece of Eastwood’s directorial legacy.
