Home Theater Forum › HT Gear & Movies › DVD & Blu-ray › DVDs › Classics DVDs › The Cowboys (Deluxe Edition)
Community Rating
Read Reviews (1) | Write a Review
Ranked #3 in Classics DVDs
People who listed this
No additional images for this item.
What People are Saying
More Related Forum Threads and Articles ›The Cowboys (Deluxe Edition)
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/30/2008 Run time: 134 minutes
If you are familiar with this product, please update the details list so it is complete!
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Binding | DVD |
| Brand | Warner Brothers |
| EAN | 0085391145356 |
| Weight | 1 pounds |
| Label | Warner Home Video |
| List Price | $12.98 |
| Manufacturer | Warner Home Video |
| MPN | WARD114535D |
| Product Group | DVD |
| Product Type Name | ABIS_DVD |
| Publisher | Warner Home Video |
| Studio | Warner Home Video |
| Title | The Cowboys (Deluxe Edition) |
| UPC | 085391145356 |
| Number Of Items | 1 |
| Format | NTSC |
| Release Date | 2007-05-22 |
| Languages | French |
| Languages | English |
| Actor | Alfred Barker Jr. |
| Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 |
| Audience Rating | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) |
| Original Release Date | 1972-01-13 |
| Region Code | 1 |
| Running Time | 135 |
| Theatrical Release Date | 1972-01-13 |
| Director | Mark Rydell |
| Additional Features | |
| Number Of Discs |
Many products have multiple models (e.g. black edition, white edition, etc.). If you know of any other models of this product with a different MPN/UPC, please add them below.
| Model Name/Type | MPN | EAN/UPC |
|---|
User Reviews: The Cowboys (Deluxe Edition)
Featured Review
July 5, 2009 at 6:42 am
Reviewed by Ken_McAlinden
The Cowboys: Deluxe Edition
Directed By: Mark Rydell
Starring: John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern, Colleen Dewhurst, Slim Pickens, Robert Carradine, Sean Kelly, A Martinez, Stephen Hudis, Norman Howell, Jr.
The Film
"The Cowboys" tells the story of cattle man Wil Andersen (Wayne). He has lost all of his ranch hands to a gold rush, and cannot find replacements to drive his 1500 head of cattle the 400 miles from his ranch to Belle Fouche. Desperately facing the loss of a year's wages, he agrees to train and take a group of 12 local schoolboys on the cattle drive. In addition to the dangers associated with the cowboy work itself, Andersen, the boys, and cook and chuckwagon driver Jebediah Nightlinger (Roscoe Lee Browne) also must eventually contend with an ex-convict who calls himself Asa Watts (Dern - the character is only referred to as "Long Hair" in the film's credits) and his posse who are following their progress with the intent of rustling the herd from them before they reach Belle Fouche.
I used to have mixed feelings about this film, largely having to do with how things play out in the final act. Without spoiling too much, I'll just say that some frontier justice is dispatched, which is understandable given the circumstances leading up to it. What bothered me was the sadistic way in which it was done. As I thought about it over repeated viewings, I decided that the problem was more with me than with the movie. Thematically, I had always looked at the John Wayne character as the father figure to the boys in the film, but in fact, all three of the principle adult males in the cast have a paternalistic impact on the boys whether positive or negative. Once I got my head around that idea, I came around to regarding "The Cowboys" as one of my favorite John Wayne films.
Wil Andersen stands head and shoulders above any of John Wayne's 1970s characterizations with the possible exception of John Bernard Books from "The Shootist". Andersen literally embodies the paternalistic western hero persona that Wayne had been riffing on for many of his roles since the late 1950s, and arguably as far back as when Howard Hawks put him in old age make-up for 1948's "Red River".
Wayne is ably supported by the juvenile cast which was a 50/50 mix of rodeo kids and child actors, but between the direction and training they received, viewers would be hard pressed to identify which are which simply based on the film. "The Cowboys" also provides the unique experience of seeing John Wayne paired off with Actors Studio veterans Dern and Browne. While some "Old Hollywood" actors stick out like sore thumbs when playing opposite more modern "method" actors, Wayne's acting style proves to be perfectly complimentary to theirs, and the scenes between them are among the best in the film. Slim Pickens and Colleen Dewhurst also register well in brief supporting roles.
This was Rydell's first film that he produced in addition to directing, and he did an excellent job choosing his collaborators in addition to the cast. Multi-Oscar winning cinematographer Robert Surtees squeezed every bit of production value out of the New Mexico and Colorado locations, somehow evoking the feel of old sepia-toned photographs while still capturing vivid and colorful images. John Williams provides a rousing score, somewhat in the Elmer Bernstein mode. As with the earlier release, Overture, Entr'acte, and Exit Music score composed by Williams but never actually used for the film's theatrical release are inserted into the DVD presentation of the film to create the roadshow presentation that never was (you will have to add your own velvet curtains and ushers). I'm not sure this actually works, as the intermission point seems unnatural, and the return of the rousing title theme for the exit music feels out of step with the mood of the film's conclusion.
The Video
The 16:9 enhanced transfer matted to an approximately 2.4:1 aspect ratio is a marked improvement over the previous DVD release. There are many fewer visible signs of print damage and compression artifacts. The only thing that mars this presentation are an inconsistent level of grain, likely due to the film element rather than the transfer, and occasional light ringing along high contrast edges that crops up at times, but is not consistently present throughout the film.
The Audio
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is similar to the previous release, with a very straightforward mix that is conservative in its dimensionality, but adds a nice stereo spread to the score.
The Extras
The new Deluxe Edition of "The Cowboys" distinguishes itself from its predecessor via the inclusion of two substantial newly produced "making of" features.
First up is a screen specific audio commentary from director Mark Rydell. While its is nice to hear him wax nostalgic about his fondly remembered experience of making the film, his comments are of only sporadic interest. Rydell has a tendency to lapse into narration to the point that you may get the feeling you are listening to a descriptive video service track rather than a filmmaker's commentary. He also has a tendency to repeat himself and gets a number of facts incorrect ranging from John Wayne's height to John Williams prior work experience (He claims to have given Williams his first job on "The Reivers"). He does helpfully point out which parts of the film were shot on location in New Mexico and Colorado and which scenes were shot on soundstages. There are also some amusing anecdotes from the production, but most of the best ones are repeated in the cast/director reunion featurette.
Speaking of the cast/director reunion featurette, "The Cowboys Together Again" features recently recorded interviews with A. Martinez, Bruce Dern, Stephen Hudis, and Norman Howell, Jr. sitting together and interacting as well as Roscoe Lee Browne and Robert Carradine recorded separately. The featurette runs 28 minutes and 37 seconds and is presented in a 16:9 enhanced ratio with Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo sound. The newly shot interview footage is intercut with scenes from the movie, behind the scenes footage, production stills, and some stills digitally altered to give a three dimensional depth effect with simulated pans and zooms. This featurette is informative, fun, nostalgic, and by far my favorite extra on this Deluxe Edition. It also has an unfortunate poignancy since Roscoe Lee Browne succumbed to cancer and passed away less than four months after his contribution was recorded.
Next up is a contemporaneous featurette called "The Breaking of Boys and The Making of Men". It runs eight minutes and 35 seconds. It is in color, presented in 4:3 video, and features Dolby Digital 2.0 mono sound. It focuses primarily on the juvenile cast of the movie showing footage of them going through training and taking direction from Rydell. The video is extremely grainy, and the narration is a bit overwrought, but it does have a lot of interesting behind the scenes imagery. This featurette is a holdover from the previous DVD release.
The other holdover from the first release is the film's original theatrical trailer, which is presented here in 4:3 video that is not only grainy from the film source, but also has several artifacts due to its origination from a composite video source. Sound is Dolby Digital 2.0 mono.
The only extra not carried over from the previous DVD release of "The Cowboys" is a John Wayne Trailer Gallery which had included 12 additional trailers in addition to "The Cowboys".
Packaging
The dual layered DVD-9 disc is packaged inside a standard Amaray-style keepcase with a cardboard slipcover. The keepcase has the same artwork as the cardboard slipcase, except that it has a black matte surrounding the cover image, derived from vintage poster promotional art for the film, and a banner across the top indicating it is part of Warner's "John Wayne Collection".
Summary
If you are inclined to double dip on "The Cowboys", Warner has noticeably improved both the video transfer and the extras to make it worth your while. The transfer has some on and off light edge ringing, but is otherwise very pleasing and appropriately film-like. The main attraction extras-wise is a cast and director reunion featurette, with some additional interesting behind the scenes information peppered throughout a screen-specific commentary from director Rydell.
Note: If you are interested in an assessment of the HD-DVD release of this title, check out Neil Middlemiss' forum review at this link.
If you are interested in an assessment of the Blu-Ray Disc release of this title, check out Kevin Koster's forum review at this link.
Directed By: Mark Rydell
Starring: John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern, Colleen Dewhurst, Slim Pickens, Robert Carradine, Sean Kelly, A Martinez, Stephen Hudis, Norman Howell, Jr.
| Studio: Warner Brothers Year: 1972 Rated: PG Film Length: 134 minutes Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1:1 Subtitles: English, French Release Date: May 22, 2007 |
The Film
"The Cowboys" tells the story of cattle man Wil Andersen (Wayne). He has lost all of his ranch hands to a gold rush, and cannot find replacements to drive his 1500 head of cattle the 400 miles from his ranch to Belle Fouche. Desperately facing the loss of a year's wages, he agrees to train and take a group of 12 local schoolboys on the cattle drive. In addition to the dangers associated with the cowboy work itself, Andersen, the boys, and cook and chuckwagon driver Jebediah Nightlinger (Roscoe Lee Browne) also must eventually contend with an ex-convict who calls himself Asa Watts (Dern - the character is only referred to as "Long Hair" in the film's credits) and his posse who are following their progress with the intent of rustling the herd from them before they reach Belle Fouche.
I used to have mixed feelings about this film, largely having to do with how things play out in the final act. Without spoiling too much, I'll just say that some frontier justice is dispatched, which is understandable given the circumstances leading up to it. What bothered me was the sadistic way in which it was done. As I thought about it over repeated viewings, I decided that the problem was more with me than with the movie. Thematically, I had always looked at the John Wayne character as the father figure to the boys in the film, but in fact, all three of the principle adult males in the cast have a paternalistic impact on the boys whether positive or negative. Once I got my head around that idea, I came around to regarding "The Cowboys" as one of my favorite John Wayne films.
Wil Andersen stands head and shoulders above any of John Wayne's 1970s characterizations with the possible exception of John Bernard Books from "The Shootist". Andersen literally embodies the paternalistic western hero persona that Wayne had been riffing on for many of his roles since the late 1950s, and arguably as far back as when Howard Hawks put him in old age make-up for 1948's "Red River".
Wayne is ably supported by the juvenile cast which was a 50/50 mix of rodeo kids and child actors, but between the direction and training they received, viewers would be hard pressed to identify which are which simply based on the film. "The Cowboys" also provides the unique experience of seeing John Wayne paired off with Actors Studio veterans Dern and Browne. While some "Old Hollywood" actors stick out like sore thumbs when playing opposite more modern "method" actors, Wayne's acting style proves to be perfectly complimentary to theirs, and the scenes between them are among the best in the film. Slim Pickens and Colleen Dewhurst also register well in brief supporting roles.
This was Rydell's first film that he produced in addition to directing, and he did an excellent job choosing his collaborators in addition to the cast. Multi-Oscar winning cinematographer Robert Surtees squeezed every bit of production value out of the New Mexico and Colorado locations, somehow evoking the feel of old sepia-toned photographs while still capturing vivid and colorful images. John Williams provides a rousing score, somewhat in the Elmer Bernstein mode. As with the earlier release, Overture, Entr'acte, and Exit Music score composed by Williams but never actually used for the film's theatrical release are inserted into the DVD presentation of the film to create the roadshow presentation that never was (you will have to add your own velvet curtains and ushers). I'm not sure this actually works, as the intermission point seems unnatural, and the return of the rousing title theme for the exit music feels out of step with the mood of the film's conclusion.
The Video
The 16:9 enhanced transfer matted to an approximately 2.4:1 aspect ratio is a marked improvement over the previous DVD release. There are many fewer visible signs of print damage and compression artifacts. The only thing that mars this presentation are an inconsistent level of grain, likely due to the film element rather than the transfer, and occasional light ringing along high contrast edges that crops up at times, but is not consistently present throughout the film.
The Audio
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is similar to the previous release, with a very straightforward mix that is conservative in its dimensionality, but adds a nice stereo spread to the score.
The Extras
The new Deluxe Edition of "The Cowboys" distinguishes itself from its predecessor via the inclusion of two substantial newly produced "making of" features.
First up is a screen specific audio commentary from director Mark Rydell. While its is nice to hear him wax nostalgic about his fondly remembered experience of making the film, his comments are of only sporadic interest. Rydell has a tendency to lapse into narration to the point that you may get the feeling you are listening to a descriptive video service track rather than a filmmaker's commentary. He also has a tendency to repeat himself and gets a number of facts incorrect ranging from John Wayne's height to John Williams prior work experience (He claims to have given Williams his first job on "The Reivers"). He does helpfully point out which parts of the film were shot on location in New Mexico and Colorado and which scenes were shot on soundstages. There are also some amusing anecdotes from the production, but most of the best ones are repeated in the cast/director reunion featurette.
Speaking of the cast/director reunion featurette, "The Cowboys Together Again" features recently recorded interviews with A. Martinez, Bruce Dern, Stephen Hudis, and Norman Howell, Jr. sitting together and interacting as well as Roscoe Lee Browne and Robert Carradine recorded separately. The featurette runs 28 minutes and 37 seconds and is presented in a 16:9 enhanced ratio with Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo sound. The newly shot interview footage is intercut with scenes from the movie, behind the scenes footage, production stills, and some stills digitally altered to give a three dimensional depth effect with simulated pans and zooms. This featurette is informative, fun, nostalgic, and by far my favorite extra on this Deluxe Edition. It also has an unfortunate poignancy since Roscoe Lee Browne succumbed to cancer and passed away less than four months after his contribution was recorded.
Next up is a contemporaneous featurette called "The Breaking of Boys and The Making of Men". It runs eight minutes and 35 seconds. It is in color, presented in 4:3 video, and features Dolby Digital 2.0 mono sound. It focuses primarily on the juvenile cast of the movie showing footage of them going through training and taking direction from Rydell. The video is extremely grainy, and the narration is a bit overwrought, but it does have a lot of interesting behind the scenes imagery. This featurette is a holdover from the previous DVD release.
The other holdover from the first release is the film's original theatrical trailer, which is presented here in 4:3 video that is not only grainy from the film source, but also has several artifacts due to its origination from a composite video source. Sound is Dolby Digital 2.0 mono.
The only extra not carried over from the previous DVD release of "The Cowboys" is a John Wayne Trailer Gallery which had included 12 additional trailers in addition to "The Cowboys".
Packaging
The dual layered DVD-9 disc is packaged inside a standard Amaray-style keepcase with a cardboard slipcover. The keepcase has the same artwork as the cardboard slipcase, except that it has a black matte surrounding the cover image, derived from vintage poster promotional art for the film, and a banner across the top indicating it is part of Warner's "John Wayne Collection".
Summary
If you are inclined to double dip on "The Cowboys", Warner has noticeably improved both the video transfer and the extras to make it worth your while. The transfer has some on and off light edge ringing, but is otherwise very pleasing and appropriately film-like. The main attraction extras-wise is a cast and director reunion featurette, with some additional interesting behind the scenes information peppered throughout a screen-specific commentary from director Rydell.
Note: If you are interested in an assessment of the HD-DVD release of this title, check out Neil Middlemiss' forum review at this link.
If you are interested in an assessment of the Blu-Ray Disc release of this title, check out Kevin Koster's forum review at this link.
Post Comment
Article: The Cowboys (Deluxe Edition)
No one has edited this wiki yet - be the first! The headings below are just suggestions; feel free to make your own.
Related Media/Links:
Add related videos, links to item guides, etc.
Troubleshooting/Known Issues:
Had an issue other users should know about? Put it here.
How To:
Advice on installation, customization, and anything else.
Related Items and Accessories:
Not necessarily items within the community, just any other recommendations.
Home Theater Forum › HT Gear & Movies › DVD & Blu-ray › DVDs › Classics DVDs › The Cowboys (Deluxe Edition)
