Back to the Future Part III
The final chapter of the Back to the Future trilogy.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
**Back to the Future Part III** is a 1990 American science fiction Western film directed by Robert Zemeckis. It serves as the sequel to *Back to the Future Part II* (1989) and the third and final installment of the *Back to the Future* trilogy. The story picks up right where the previous film left off: after being stranded in 1955, Marty McFly learns that his friend Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown is stuck in 1885 and was shot dead by Biff Tannen’s great-grandfather, Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen. Marty travels back to 1885 to save Doc and return to 1985, but things get complicated when Doc falls in love with a woman named Clara Clayton. The movie was shot in California and Arizona, produced on a $40 million budget, and filmed back-to-back with *Part II*.
Released in the United States on May 25, 1990—just six months after the previous installment—*Back to the Future Part III* earned $245 million worldwide during its initial run, making it the sixth-highest-grossing film of 1990. Critics responded positively, noting it as an improvement over *Part II*.
**Plot** On November 12, 1955, moments after watching Doc vanish in the DeLorean, Marty learns that Doc was sent 70 years into the past, to 1885. Using information from Doc’s letter, Marty and the 1955 Doc locate and repair the DeLorean (hidden by Doc in 1885) so Marty can return to 1985. While finding the car, Marty discovers a tombstone with Doc’s name on it, stating that Doc was killed by Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen over $80, just six days after writing the letter.
Ignoring the letter’s warning, Marty travels to September 2, 1885, to save Doc. He arrives in the middle of a cavalry chase of Native Americans, damages the car’s fuel line, and is knocked unconscious while fleeing a bear. He’s found by his Irish-born great-great-grandparents, Seamus and Maggie McFly, who let him stay the night. The next morning, using the alias Clint Eastwood, Marty reaches the newly founded Hill Valley but immediately clashes with Buford and his gang. Doc rescues Marty from a lynching attempt. After learning his fate, Doc agrees to leave 1885, but without gasoline, the DeLorean can’t reach 88 mph. They plan to use a steam locomotive to push the car to that speed.
While inspecting a rail spur, Doc saves the town’s new schoolteacher, Clara Clayton, from falling into a ravine—preventing her death in the original timeline. They fall in love. At
- release_date
- May 25, 1990
- director
- Robert Zemeckis
- budget
- $40 million
- worldwide_gross
- $245 million
- genre
- Science fiction Western
- starring
- Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson, Lea Thompson
Lore & Background
The origins of the Western theme lay in the production of the original Back to the Future film. During filming, director Robert Zemeckis asked Michael J. Fox what time period he would like to see; Fox replied he wanted to visit the Old West. Zemeckis and writer/producer Bob Gale held off the idea until Part III. The film was shot back-to-back with Part II throughout 1989, over eleven months with a three-week hiatus between parts, concluding in January 1990. The western scenes were filmed on location in Oak Park, California and Monument Valley, with some shooting in Jamestown, California and on a purpose-built set at the Red Hills Ranch near Sonora, California. Train scenes were filmed at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park.
Reader's Guide
Back to the Future Part III was released six months after Part II and grossed $245 million worldwide, making it the sixth-highest-grossing film of 1990. Critics noted it as an improvement over Part II. The film features cameo appearances from veteran Western actors Pat Buttram, Harry Carey Jr., and Dub Taylor as saloon old timers. The role of Clara Clayton was written with Mary Steenburgen in mind; she was initially reluctant until her children hounded her to take it. The Hill Valley Festival Dance scene proved dangerous for Lloyd and Steenburgen, with Steenburgen tearing a ligament in her foot from overzealous dancing. The film concludes the trilogy with Doc Brown and his family flying off in a steam locomotive time machine.
Did You Know?
- The film was produced on a $40 million budget back-to-back with Part II.
- The role of Clara Clayton was written with Mary Steenburgen in mind.
- The Hill Valley Festival Dance scene caused Mary Steenburgen to tear a ligament in her foot.
- ZZ Top cameo as the band at the Festival.
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