A few words about...™ Westbound

Any news about "missing" 3 minutes? Strangely, the back cover says that the movie is 72 minutes but it's actually about 69 minutes.  I wonder if imdb and AFI were wrong about running time..

Thank you!

This is why I can't support the Archives. With next to nothing on the production slate for classic film releases this year, it strikes me as cheap and lazy. Why would the above not work? The studio might not profit as much from Westbound as releasing it individually on demand for $20 with no effort, but... I should think for such a high price tag and turnaround for Warners, the least they could do is present us a more professional looking package with proper cover art and even a short featurette or 10 min. interview like Sony does with their sets. Sheesh, even someone like Robert Osborne or any film historian or person of signifigance to introduce the film or say a few words. Better yet, a couple of shorts or cartoons would not cost anything extra or require additional effort. Anything at all to merit the ridiculously high price tag! It costs WAY less than retail DVD to produce, so we should not be paying more... Otherwise, bring the price down to reflect what we're getting which is a barebones digital transfer from existing masters. I would be satisfied!

I thought Budd classified it as the runt of the litter because it was a film in trouble that he took over from someone else and finished as a favor to Randolph Scott to help him get out of his Warners contract. I think I saw an interview somewhere where Budd basically said he was suprised the movie turned out as well as it did.

I loved all of their other westerns so much that I HAD to see Westbound and I didn't really balk at the $20 price tag - just glad to have it available. It makes a nice compliment to the other Boetticher/Scott 'Town Movies' - 'Decision at Sundown' and 'Buchanon Rides Alone'.

That's one of the reasons why Westbound is one of the "lesser" Boetticher movies IMO. When he was confined to studios and sets he was never as interesting - let loose in Lone Pine and the quality rose considerably. Those Boetticher films that rely heavily on indoor settings really tend to show up the budgetary constraints while the outdoors pictures disguise it effortlessly. 

I do agree that Man alone on a trail of vengeance movies were superior, but I still think the Town movies have a lot of merit that make them a cut above a lot of other westerns of the time. 'Decision at Sundown' actually was yet another variation on the 'Man alone...' theme, only this time, set in a town. The fact that the 'Bad Guy' wasn't really that bad and that the woman who's virtue Randy was out to defend was less than virtuous were classic Boetticher twists and really gave meat to the story. "Buchanon Rides Alone' was considerably slighter but it did have that classic Yojimbo feel to it, and since it came out about three years before Yojimbo, it may have even served as an inspiration. You never know.

Indeed. I don't mean his town based movies were bad, just that the outdoors ones were classier, more stylish and gave the impression of being more expensive. I think Boetticher was just in his element out in Lone Pine.
And yes, even a lesser Boetticher movie is head and shoulders above many.