Lanton Mills


Lanton Mills is an American comedy short film written and directed by Terrence Malick and starring Malick, Warren Oates, Harry Dean Stanton, and Paula Mandel. The film was Malick's thesis project for the American [Film Institute], was completed in 1969, and is known to have screened in 1974.

Summary

The story concerns two apparently 19th-century cowboys plotting to rob a bank in Texas, which they do in the 20th century.
A film writer who viewed a VHS copy at the American Film Institute described it:
The producer was John Roper, the cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, and the editor John Palmer, with Malick composing the music.
The film was influenced by Don Quixote and classic westerns.

Cast