Essential Westerns: 1924 - 1962 (1 Viewer)

[Ernest Rister]

The Film Forum in New York City is holding an oustanding retrospective through the month of March, celebrating the great American western.

For the website with titles and showtimes, go here:
http://www.filmforum.com/films/western.html

For a New York Times article about the event, go here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/06/movies/06raff.html

Here are the titles in the series:

THE SEARCHERS
STAGECOACH
THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE
COLORADO TERRITORY
TUMBLEWEEDS
THE GREAT K&A TRAIN ROBBERY
3:10 TO YUMA
THE TALL T
THE NAKED SPUR
WINCHESTER ‘73
GARDEN OF EVIL
THE VIOLENT MEN
SHANE
HIGH NOON
THE IRON HORSE
LAW AND ORDER
FORT APACHE
SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON
RIO BRAVO
RIDE LONESOME
COMANCHE STATION
JOHNNY GUITAR
FORTY GUNS
INFERNO
THE CHARGE AT FEATHER RIVER
RIO GRANDE
WAGON MASTER
BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK
GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL
DUEL IN THE SUN
THE GUNFIGHTER
MY DARLING CLEMENTINE
THE OX-BOW INCIDENT
PURSUED
THE FURIES
RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY
THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE

 

[Robert Crawford]

I have a big problem with such a listing if it doesn't have "Red River" or "Union Pacific" on it. Furthermore, "Bad Day at Black Rock" is a fine film, but it isn't a western.







Crawdaddy

 

[george kaplan]

I have no problem leaving out Red River (and they could leave out The Searchers as far as I'm concerned), but I have a major problem with a list that doesn't include The Magnificent Seven Hell that just about makes the whole list a joke as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Brook K]

Yikes, I'm further behind then I thought. I don't believe I've seen even half of these.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

I'm playing it this Saturday for the opening weekend in my 2005 season of Big Screen Classics, c'mon up George! It's only a short ride from San Antonio to Suffern, New York

Click HERE for details.

 

[Seth--L]

Anyone else not a fan of The Searchers? The ending just ruins the film for me. Ford corrects this mistake in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

 

[Lew Crippen]

Thanks for the list Ernest.

It is always interesting to see what others consider ‘best’ or ‘essential’—even if they did leave off Red River.

 

[Joe_Konsol]

No love for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? That's one of my all-time favorites.

This list =



-JK

 

[andrew markworthy]

What about The Big Country? If you can have the overblown Duel in the Sun, why not something with some real intelligence that neatly undermines the whole macho posturing of the traditional western?

And, as others have said, no Magnificent Seven?

And isn't Treasure of the Sierra Madre a Bogart film set in the 1920s?

Not a proper list IMHO.

 

[Holadem]

Y'all just jealous because you don't get to live in the Center of the Known Universe where they get to watch stuff like that all the time on the big screen.

--
H - That's for you Markworthy

 

[Walter Kittel]

Perhaps the organizers were attempting to give a little more visibility to some titles which are not available on home video, as well as focusing on the era of the 'classic' Westerns. I suggest that since the cut off date is set at 1962 which automatically precludes some of the most visible Westerns (the films of Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.)

Any reasonably short list is going to omit someone's favorite film, and while I would place films from that period such as Red River, The Big Country, and The Magnificent Seven on my Essential Westerns list, I still think it is a pretty solid list of films. Regardless, it sounds like a neat event. Wish I could see some of those titles on the big screen.

- Walter.

 

[Ernest Rister]

By the way, this isn't called "THE" Essential Westerns, it is just "Essential Westerns" meaning "SOME" Essential Titles. On that basis, it is a fantastic celebration of some great Western films. No reason to feel slighted because one of your favorites isn't on the list.

No love for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?

Not released prior to 1962.

 

[andrew markworthy]

Eh?