Western movie - help... need DVD recommendation (2 Viewers)

[Richard--W]

Thanks for reminding me about COWBOY.
Unfortunately, Sony / Columbia released it pan & scan when it should be widescreen. It makes no sense to ruin an important western like that. Instead of buying the DVD I recorded TCM's widescreen broadcast on a DVD-R. That will teach 'em.

What was the pornographic half, do you mind my asking?

Delmer Daves made several solid westerns, beginning with BROKEN ARROW (1950), a vivid Technicolor western that completely screws up history but still tells the classic story of indian agent Tom Jeffords and the Apache chief Cochise. Bad history, great cinema. It's available on region 2 and maybe someone who reads here can tell us if it's worth buying.

Another Delmer Daves western, THE LAST WAGON (1956) is coming out from Fox on May 23rd.

I could never get into DESTRY RIDES AGAIN.
I've never liked it, and I don't know why.
Maybe it has to do with believabiltiy or with Marlene Dietrich. Her films for von Sternberg are so stunning, when I see her do the saloon singer for someone else, it seems like less, a trivialization.

What about ADVANCE TO THE REAR (1960-) with John Dehner wasn't that another George Marshall western comedy? And didn't it also inspire the TV series F Troop (which I hated with a vegeance).

 

[Charles H]

Frank Harris's MY LIFE AND LOVES was about his sexual and social experiences in Victorian England--a sort of underground cult classic officially published by Grove Press in the 1960s. You might want to look up the Customer reviews on Amazon.com. By the by, Jack Lemmon was excellent as Harris in COWBOY in a very uncharacteristic performance.

 

[Richard--W]

Okay, I revised the checklist and ratings on the previous page.

Check it Out.

 

[Simon Howson]

I agree. Consider that most of Paul Schrader's early scripts were influenced by The Searchers. But that doesn't make Hardcore or Taxi Driver Westerns.

 

[Jim Bur]

In reply to your question Eric, I don't believe any one western is definitive, though I agree with some of the others that the Searchers made in 1956 is probably the best all around western. If you, or anyone else that is interested, want to give the western film a fair shot, I would recommend that you start out by watching at least a dozen to three dozen westerns made during the golden age of western filmaking which began around 1946 and continued thereafter until sometime in the 1956 through 1962 timeframe. After 1962, the American western film, with a few notable exceptions, declined dramatically. The main problem you are going to encounter is that many of the best westerns from the golden age have not yet been released on DVD, so you would have to catch some of these westerns either on cable TV or on videotape. If you're interested, I would recommend that you watch these westerns in chronological order beginning in 1946 with the black and white western "My Darling Clementine", and the technicolor western "Canyon Passage". I believe that these two westerns, more that any others, helped usher in the great period of western filmaking that was to follow. My Darling Clementine has been released by Fox on DVD, however for some unfathomable reason Universal has so far not gotten around to releasing Canyon Passage on DVD, though it did release Canyon Passage on VHS back in the 1990's. After watching those two westerns I would further suggest that you watch some or all of the Luke Short westerns make in the late 1940's and early 1950's. These are the westerns based on the writings of Luke Short, who was to Western films of that period what Raymond Chandler was to the film noir/detective genre. The best of the Luke Short western films are Ramrod (1947), Blood On the Moon (1948), Station West (1948), Coroner Creek (1948) and Ride the Man Down (1952). All of these films were released on videotape at various times, and you could probably get used copies, and Station West and Blood on the Moon are periodically played on TCM. I would also recommend you check out Pursued (1947), which was the seminal psychological/film noir type western. Pursued has been released on DVD. I would also recommend that you check out Four Faces West (1948), a little black and white gem based on the work of the great western writer. Eugene Manlove Rhodes, and starring Joel McCrea. Four Faces West has also been released on DVD. I would also recommend still another Joel McCrea golden age western, Colorado Territory (1949), which is a reworking in a western setting by Raoul Walsh of his earlier great film, High Sierra. In addition, I recommend that you check out John Ford's cavalry trilogy, Fort Apache (1948), She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949), Rio Grande(1950), which are based on the stories of the western writer James Warner Bellah. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande have been released on DVD, and it is my understanding that Warners will be releasing Fort Apache on DVD in a few months. I also suggest that you check out such great western films as Red River (1948), The Gunfighter (1950), High Noon (1952), Hondo (1953), Shane (1953) and the Searchers (1956). All of these films have been released on DVD except for The Gunfighter, which Fox has so far inexplicably failed to release. I would further suggest that you check out the Anthony Mann/Jimmy Stewart collaborations. These include 5 outstanding westerns starring Jimmy Stewart and directed by Anthony Mann, namely Winchester 73 (1950), Bend of the River (1952), The Naked Spur (1953), The Far Country (1955), and The Man From Laramie (1955). All have been released on DVD except for The Naked Spur, and it is my understanding that Warners will release The Naked Spur on DVD sometime this year. In addition, I would recommend that you watch the Budd Boetticher/Burt Kennedy/Randolph Scot collaborations. This includes four westerns starring Randolph Scott, directed by Budd Boetticher, and written by Burt Kennedy, namely Seven Men From Now (1956), The Tall T (1957), Ride Lonesome (1959), and Comanche Station (1960). Of this group only Seven Men From Now has so far been released on DVD. Sony/Colubmia has so far inexplicably failed to release The Tall T, Ride Lonesome, or Comanche Station on DVD, though Columbia did release Comanche Station on VHS in the 1990's. You might want to also check out the Glenn Ford/Delmer Daves collaborations, which consist of 3 outstanding westerns, Jubal (1956), 3:10 to Yuma (1957), and Cowboy (1958). Thankfully, Sony has released these three westerns on DVD. In addition, I would recommend another outstanding Delmer Daves western, The Hanging Tree (1959),starring Gary Cooper. It is my understanding that Warners is going to release this film on DVD later this year. Some of the best westerns made during the golden age also include small budget films made by the minor studios such as Republic and Monogram. Among the best of these are those starring William Elliott, made at Republic in the late 1940's and 1950 the best of which include, among others, Hellfire (1949), The Savage Horde (1949), and The Showdown (1950). Another example of an outstanding small studio (Monogram) western, was Panhandle (1948), co-written by Blake Edwards. You should also check out Sam Peckinpah's three greatest films, namely Ride the High Country (1962)(perhaps the last great western of the golden age). The Wild Bunch (1969)( a great post-golden age western and the best western of the 1960's), and Junior Bonner (1972) ( a beautiful slice of life rodeo film). To round out the list I would recommend you check out Clint Eastwood's two greatest westerns, namely, The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) (another great post golden age western, and the greatest western of the 1970's), and Pale Rider (1985). Both of these films are on DVD. I would also recommend you check out The Long Riders (1980), the best western of the 1980's. I believe that if you watch all or most of the aforementioned westerns, you will likely become a lifelong western film devotee. Happy viewing. c Jim Bur

 

[Richard--W]

Good post, Jim Bur.
Well done.

 

[Jeremy Stockwell]

I "discovered" the western genre just a few years ago, myself. I'm still in the process of exploring, but the suggestions you've received so far (despite differences of opinion) should lead you in the right direction.

Obviously, for me, it's "Once Upon a Time in the West." (See Sig.) It (and the excellent commentary on the 2-disc DVD edition) was the one that got me interested in seeing what else the Western had to offer.

Another one that I really liked that I didn't see mentioned was "Ox Bow Incident."

Happy Trails!!

JKS

 

[Charles H]

Another great western not mentioned is Blake Edwards' WILD ROVERS--an eccentric but endearing reworking of THE WILD BUNCH, OF MICE AND MEN, and even LOVE STORY--that offers a superb performance by William Holden and Ryan ONeal (hence the homage to LOVE STORY), Karl Malden, Joe Don Baker, Rachel Roberts, and Tom Skerritt. Shamefully not available on dvd, there is an extended road show version on VHS and ld. Terrific Jerry Goldsmith score. It screams out for a widescreen dvd release with the participation of Blake Edwards.

 

[Richard--W]

I agree with your comments except for calling it a reworking of LOVE STORY which is quite a stretch. Just because Ryan O'Neal is ina movie doesn't make it a reworking of his biggest hit.

An MGM title which means Warner Bros. owns it now, I guess.

A charming, endearing, and original western from Blake Edwards. The widescreen laser-disc is an absolute must-own until a DVD comes out. To that list of must-own widescreen laser-discs I would add:

Brando's One-Eyed Jacks (1961) for the image-quality
Abraham Polansky's Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969)
William Wyler's There Was A Crooked Man (1970)
Blake Edward's The Wild Rovers (1971)
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982)

Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here is a manhunt / culture-shock western that remains light years ahead of its audience in terms of understanding indian-anglo relations.

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez is an objective docudrama that pointed out a new direction for the western to explore ... much admired, but it went over the studios collective heads.