The movie Western has been in decline for so long that no one film is going to pull it from its commercial doldrums. Yet the success of the Coen brothers' "True Grit" -- $36 million in ticket sales over its first five days in theaters -- offers a glimmer of hope that a once-beloved genre may yet retain a bit of life in those stiff bowed legs. Expect "Grit" to surpass the Coens' previous box-office record of $74 million for 2007's "No Country for Old Men." Paramount Pictures reports that 70 percent of the opening weekend audience was older than 25 -- but that still means "True Grit" was seen by thousands of young people who had never before watched an oater on the big screen. For them the sight of tiny horsemen galloping across a vast landscape and enacting a classic tale of murder, pursuit and revenge must have been a wake-up call. Now, perhaps, they begin to understand why Grandpa rhapsodizes about the Duke and Jimmy Stewart, about gunfights and barn dances, about the thrill of a cavalry column riding through the spectacular buttes of Monument Valley. And maybe, just maybe, a few of those young people will be moved to further explore the genre, to see what pleasures they've been missing. But where to begin? Glad you asked...
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Many will disagree with this list, as do I (McCabe and Ms. Miller? Come on), but its interesting to see what he thinks makes a good movie.
I would like to hear your comments on his list and how you might change it.
3 comments:
I agree that Stage Coach should be at or near the top of the list. Red River must be added to that same general position, and in my opinion, is the perhaps one of the two or three most technically correct movies of the West ever. I also think All the Pretty Horses was superb in strict tehnicality. When the two characters stood outside of the Balle looking in and discussing whether they should wear their hats inside was so Western correct. Although Quigley Down Under can't be Western, the most beautiful scene of true unity was filmed in that movie when Tom Selleck was going for help and there was a scene at dusk through dust with that horse collected that was just gorgeous. I am also a big fan of the Snowy River stuff where riders can still ride and not pound the horses' backs like sacks of potatoes. Other than the Selleck, Duvall, Elliot, Tommy Lee Jones stuff of the last 20 years the riding makes me sick. I could go on, but the greatest movie of the modern age as for strict horsemanship was probably Giant. Remember the scene out in front of the house when Rock put his little grandson on the horse with him? The cowboys in the backdrop riding around were from the Means family of the Valentine area . . .go back and watch that. Those guys were truly cowboys and were having a heck of a time . . . Anyway . .
SWilmeth called me on the phone to add another two cents to this like I have the time to do that! Anyway, he had two more cents (like that is the gospel!) and they are there are two more movies where horsemanship and horses need to be elevated in memory. The first was the Gary Cooper movie we think was . . . Dallas (does that sound right?) where he rode a total of five or six horses. The horses were typical California style finished horses all pretty small, but in S's view "great little horses" that Mr. Cooper or his double rode really well. I liked the clothes Gary wore. Stuff that fit and didn't hang to the ground. You know what I mean? The second movie was Big Country and the stars of the movie were the double for Jean Simmons when she rode across the flat to confront Gregory Peck when he was picking around the old house on the Big Muddy. The other stars were the double for Charlston Hestin and the little paint horse he rode. That in my mind was the cutest horse in movie history! S wonders if it was a Visalia Stock Saddle with those long tapaderos hanging down both sides. Could'a been in that era and it was filmed in the Simi Valley California country. Anyway, I gotta' go. You make up your own mind if S. has a leg to stand on!
Lonesome Dove,Tombstone, Jesse James, She wore a yellow ribbon ( a cavalry movie , but a good one with John Wayne and Ben Johnson),Jerimiah Johnson( a pre-cowboy western) are some I would put on the list. My favorite movie is of course"The Rounders" with Glenn Ford,Henry Fonda and Chill Wills.
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