The Western Thread

I would argue about this but it's 3AM now.
The Westerner - haven't seen it, but a search of my filmic Internet places of interest revealed this

Been wanting to see The Westerner for ages. The library lost it. :x

Klown wrote:

I would argue about this but it's 3AM now.

Have you even watched an American western after that time you watched and hated both THE QUIET MAN and THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE?

The Quiet Man is not a western, and I didn't hate Liberty Valance. And yes, I have. :roll:

Klown wrote:

The Quiet Man is not a western

Well obviously - but if I remember it soured Ford for you a great deal.

dr. strangelove wrote:

I've got ONCE UPTON A TIME IN THE WEST sitting on top my DVD player right now. I've been wanting to get around to it for at least a week now, but it's tough to must up enough strength to watch a 3-hour film when I come home tired from work and the last thing I want to do is, well....think or pay attention to something (as bad as that sounds). I'll probably get around to it tomorrow. I'm told that I'm in for a life-changing experience with OUaTitW.

you are certainly are in for a life-changing experience. Drop what ever you are doing and watch this film!!!

Am I the only one who likes Leone's second trilogy more than the Dollars trilogy?

...a lot more?

FourDot wrote:

Am I the only one who likes Leone's second trilogy more than the Dollars trilogy?

...a lot more?

Hm. If it didn't include ONCE UPON A TIME... THE REVOLUTION/FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE/DUCK, YOU SUCKER! I might be with ya. But I think it's a pretty weak link in that chain.

I bounced back quickly with My Darling Clementine, which is pretty close to a masterpiece.
FD - my love for Leone is well known, particularly The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, but I'm tempted to agree. Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More are great films, but not as good as ...West or Dynamite (which is incredibly underrated), so the latter trilogy is indeed superior (and provides more variety)

Arkadin wrote:

FourDot wrote:

Am I the only one who likes Leone's second trilogy more than the Dollars trilogy?

...a lot more?

Hm. If it didn't include ONCE UPON A TIME... THE REVOLUTION/FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE/DUCK, YOU SUCKER! I might be with ya. But I think it's a pretty weak link in that chain.

I kinda loved Duck, You Sucker (that was the version I watched). I even like it a bit more than Once Upon a Time in America (although America is the better film.)

Then again, I could have watched Coburn and Steiger play cards for 2.5 hours and I would have loved it.

FourDot wrote:

I kinda loved Duck, You Sucker (that was the version I watched). I even like it a bit more than Once Upon a Time in America (although America is the better film.)

Well, I only saw it once. I should probably see it again. But during that one viewing, I found the film clumsy and awkward.

Pretty cool: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Western_films

I finally sat down and watched Mangold's remake of 3:10 to Yuma this evening. Not often that a film leaves me nonplussed but this one managed it.

What the hell was all that redemptive stuff about? Today's storytelling is all very one note.

ambler wrote:

I finally sat down and watched Mangold's remake of 3:10 to Yuma this evening. Not often that a film leaves me nonplussed but this one managed it.

What the hell was all that redemptive stuff about? Today's storytelling is all very one note.

How did you like the not-so-subtle gay undertones between Charlie Prince and Ben Wade? ;)

Salomé wrote:

ambler wrote:

I finally sat down and watched Mangold's remake of 3:10 to Yuma this evening. Not often that a film leaves me nonplussed but this one managed it.

What the hell was all that redemptive stuff about? Today's storytelling is all very one note.

How did you like the not-so-subtle gay undertones between Charlie Prince and Ben Wade? ;)

Too subtle for me. I didn't notice them.

ambler wrote:

Salomé wrote:

ambler wrote:

I finally sat down and watched Mangold's remake of 3:10 to Yuma this evening. Not often that a film leaves me nonplussed but this one managed it.

What the hell was all that redemptive stuff about? Today's storytelling is all very one note.

How did you like the not-so-subtle gay undertones between Charlie Prince and Ben Wade? ;)

Too subtle for me. I didn't notice them.

Really? It was quite obvious to me that Charlie Prince was driven by more than just loyalty to his boss in his quest to save him. They also allude to it in the scene at Vinessa Shaw's Saloon. Wade is aware of it but chooses to ignore it and use it to his advantage.

And the Old Pinkerton whose name now escapes me also alludes to Prince's reputation when it comes to his sexuality right after they ambush the stagecoach.

Salomé wrote:

ambler wrote:

Salomé wrote:

ambler wrote:

I finally sat down and watched Mangold's remake of 3:10 to Yuma this evening. Not often that a film leaves me nonplussed but this one managed it.

What the hell was all that redemptive stuff about? Today's storytelling is all very one note.

How did you like the not-so-subtle gay undertones between Charlie Prince and Ben Wade? ;)

Too subtle for me. I didn't notice them.

Really? It was quite obvious to me that Charlie Prince was driven by more than just loyalty to his boss in his quest to save him. They also allude to it in the scene at Vinessa Shaw's Saloon. Wade is aware of it but chooses to ignore it and use it to his advantage.

And the Old Pinkerton whose name now escapes me also alludes to Prince's reputation when it comes to his sexuality right after they ambush the stagecoach.

Apologies, I forgot who Charlie Prince was. I was thinking of the rancher's boy, whatever his name was.

I'm still gonna do some "Best" Picture viewing, so I can check 'em all off and then someday return to the dozen or so I give a shit about, but I wanna git back into more Western viewing. I was gonna watch THE DEADLY COMPANIONS on Netflix Instant, but it's fullscreen. I hear the only widescreen DVD of it is in Region 2. :x

They have LONESOME DOVE on Instant. Anyone recommend it?

Jut finished watching God's Gun with Lee Van Cleef and Jack Palance. A nice little story and I really enjoyed the brother arc of it. The score was quite good too.

Fae wrote:

Looking to get started on Westerns, methinks - something for me to watch during the holidays. I've seen the latest True Grit and The Magnificent Seven but that is my extent ... so ... yeah ...
But yeah - any ones I must watch?

did you enjoy those?
if you want something with some charm and camaraderie, like TM7, then "Rio Bravo" Howard Hawks always keeps things moving along
from Ford I like "Stagecoach" for John Wayne and "My Darling Clementine" for Henry Fonda (about the OK Corral, not a miners daughter by the by)
Gary Cooper shows off his folksy charming side in "The Westerner"
I prefer "Jose Wales" of Clint's American Westerns
Glenn Ford and Shirley MacLaine in "The Sheepman" has always been a favourite of mine
and Robert Mitchum in "Blood On The Moon" is a little known gem
but in the end I can't go past "Shane", I guess it will always be on the top of the pile for me
Alan Ladd plays a real man, not a superman

while I'm not generally a big fan of out and out comedy in a western, I have a soft spot for "Destry Rides Again" with James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich
and also for "Cat Ballou" with Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin

ambler wrote:

Fae wrote:

But yeah - any ones I must watch?

Vera Cruz. High Noon, Shane, Ford, Leone, are the usual answers.
If you insist on something a bit more recent then Kevin Jarre's Tombstone is entertaining.

all great films, but 'old' Coop Westerns might be a bit grim for beginners, a bit like Randolph Scott
Burt Lancaster is there to lighten the mood in "Vera Cruz" though
Leone could be a bit on the harsh side too, from him I'd probably recommend "TGTB&TU" or "Fist Full Of Dynamite" because they have a bit more humour
of the sporadic modern ones Tombstone is indeed more fun than most

bondfan06 wrote:

This thread needs Seve. I really enjoyed my discussions about Westerns with him.
The last Western I watched was A Fistful of Dynamite which is quite overlooked with an extravagant Morricone soundtrack.

thanks for the kind words
alas I haven't seen a Western in weeks

Salomé wrote:

The White Tuxedo wrote:

Salomé wrote:

Any Boetticher fans?

Yup. But it's been a while. I've not seen all of his Westerns, but I think most of them.

My favorite is Comanche Station.

I really want to see that one
did he also do "Seven Men From Now"?
that's my favourite 'proto Clint' era Randoph Scott so far

The White Tuxedo wrote:

I haven't seen that one. I've seen the earlier ones like SEVEN MEN FROM NOW and THE TALL T. I've maybe seen four of the seven he did with Big Gay Randy.

and there's my answer
"The Tall T" is very good as well, but Randy gets a bit too grim for my liking in "Ride Lonesome"

colly wrote:

But the reason I ventured into this thread was to ask if anyone had seen the Wyler/Cooper Brennan-Oscar-win Western called THE WESTERNER? My interest has been piqued, but the pricetag scares me somewhat. Has anyone got a view on it?

it's been a favourite of mine since childhood
IMO 'younger' Coops best Western, showing off the folksy charm that won him an oscar for "Sergeant Yorke" rather than the grimness of 'older' Coop in "High Noon"
not really a typical Western, it's lighter in tone without being a comedy, it's all about interplay between Brennan and Coop

Arkadin wrote:

FourDot wrote:

Am I the only one who likes Leone's second trilogy more than the Dollars trilogy?

...a lot more?

Hm. If it didn't include ONCE UPON A TIME... THE REVOLUTION/FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE/DUCK, YOU SUCKER! I might be with ya. But I think it's a pretty weak link in that chain.

I probably would, except I think "OUATI America" is just pretentious twaddle
being an amatuer historian has ruined it for me, because the story is ridiculous in terms of what I know about the period and the people of the time
also it's devoid of decent action sequences when compared to all the other Leone movies

but "OUATITW" and the restored version of "Dynamite" are aces

Arkadin wrote:

FourDot wrote:

I kinda loved Duck, You Sucker (that was the version I watched). I even like it a bit more than Once Upon a Time in America (although America is the better film.)

Well, I only saw it once. I should probably see it again. But during that one viewing, I found the film clumsy and awkward.

"Duck You Sucker" is the restored version
if you watched the butchered original American release version I can perhaps understand how you may have been underwhelmed

Klown wrote:

Sharky wrote:

Klown wrote:

bondfan06 wrote:

This thread needs Seve. I really enjoyed my discussions about Westerns with him.

Oh, no, keep him out of here, please. His posts hurt my eyes.

It's only the formatting.

That's exactly what I was referring to. The (lack of) formatting only adds to how rambling his posts are. I'll admit he's quite a knowledgeable member though, not all bad all things considered.

thanks for the kind words…

Interesting to have you here Seve, its good to have someone else here who might actually consider watching a Van Heflin western. ;)

And yep, Boetticher and Scott paired up for SEVEN MEN FROM NOW. Love that title.

Thank goodness you're here, Seve. :face:

Anyone here seen the first 3:10 to Yuma? I'd be interested to know how it differs from the remake. I found the ending of the Mangold version unbelievable and wondered whether that had been lifted from the original.

ambler wrote:

Anyone here seen the first 3:10 to Yuma? I'd be interested to know how it differs from the remake. I found the ending of the Mangold version unbelievable and wondered whether that had been lifted from the original.

In the original version, the rancher does not die, instead Wade makes sure the both of them get on the train and can escape. And just Charlie Prince dies - by the rancher's hands, not Wade's - the rest of the gang survives.

I think the new version was a bit of writing cowardice in that they didn't want the audience to go home without the pay-off of one last stand-off.