The Good, The Bad, and The Official Western Thread

[gwynplaine]

Finished The Professionals, great film. Lee Marvin is definitely the man and seeing him in the same movie as Palance, another giant, brought back memories of one of my favorite Westerns "Monte Walsh." I also really loved Burt Lancaster in it and Woody Strode was a great strong presence as well.
And Claudia Cardinale really had the most perfect breastst:

 

[Duke]

Lee Marvin was definitely a good actor in westerns & other movie genres. I also tip my hat to him because he also served in WW2!!!

 

[gwynplaine]

Yeah. Like Jack Palance too actually.
I was born in France and if it wasn't for men like them and many, many more brave soldiers, I would be speaking German.
So believe me, I'm particularly grateful

 

[C. Lee]

The PROFESSIONALS is one of my favorite movies. I remember the first time I saw it was at the drive in the 60's...we were still driving up to the speaker when it started, I got so mad mom and dad made me sit outside. t:

I fell in love with Claudia because of this movie. In case you didn't know, she costarred in the John Wayne movie CIRCUS WORLD.

There's a lot of great action in the Professionals...and the respect that they showed to Strode was fantastic.


On a side note, I recorded MORE DEAD THAN ALIVE yesterday, hope to get it watched sometime this weekend.

 

[gwynplaine]

The PROFESSIONALS is one of my favorite movies. I remember the first time I saw it was at the drive in the 60's...we were still driving up to the speaker when it started, I got so mad mom and dad made me sit outside. t:

I fell in love with Claudia because of this movie. In case you didn't know, she costarred in the John Wayne movie CIRCUS WORLD.

There's a lot of great action in the Professionals...and the respect that they showed to Strode was fantastic.


On a side note, I recorded MORE DEAD THAN ALIVE yesterday, hope to get it watched sometime this weekend.

I only knew Strode from Spartacus and thought he was great in The Professionals. Awesome movie.
I ordered all the Mann Westerns you recommended on Amazon.
I will watch them first, then I give them to my dad who's a huge Western fan as wellt:
Thanks again, C. Lee.

 

[C. Lee]

I'm a Strode fan (he did everything)....he costarred in the John Wayne/Jimmy Stewart/Lee Marvin western THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, starred in the great John Ford western SGT RUTLEDGE, cameoed in ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, and played an indian chief in Sean Connery's only western SHALAKO.

 

[gwynplaine]

THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE is probably in my Top 5 favorite Westerns of all time, but I forgot Woody Strode was in it.
I'm going to check out Sgt Rutledge that I didn't know about and I remember Shalako as one of the most unlikely Westerns I have ever seent:
Brigitte Bardot and Sean Connery, weird combination, specially for a Western.

 

[C. Lee]

Shalako was strange for sure. I don't remember how close it was to the original Louis L'Amour novel (read it back in the 70's) but I watched the movie again around a year ago.

Sgt Rutledge is a western from the 50's that takes on racial prejudices....touchy subject for the times.

If I remember right....Strode's last movie before he died was a cameo in Mario Van Peebles' western POSSE.

 

[gwynplaine]

Shalako was strange for sure. I don't remember how close it was to the original Louis L'Amour novel (read it back in the 70's) but I watched the movie again around a year ago.

Sgt Rutledge is a western from the 50's that takes on racial prejudices....touchy subject for the times.

If I remember right... .Strode's last movie before he died was a cameo in Mario Van Peebles' western POSSE.

Interesting.
And I had forgotten Strode was in Posse too. Great actor.

 

[C. Lee]

Just watched SHOWDOWN (1973) starring Rock Hudson, Dean Martin, and Susan Clark. It's nothing to go out of your way for. Not real interesting or exciting. Hudson and Martin are lifelong friends who parted ways a few years back. Hudson is now the sheriff of the small town they grew up in (some place in New Mexico), Martin has become a smalltime crook. Martin and some others rob a train in Hudson's district....Martin runs off with all the loot so is chased by his former partners and his former friend.

The music choices seem out of place (more jazzy than western), it has multiple flashbacks to thier childhood (the picture freeze frames and goes to B/W then starts moving and segues to color), and Martin seems to think he is in a comedy while Hudson is in a drama.

 

[gwynplaine]

Just watched Joe Kidd. Awesome Western. I can't believe and don't know why I hadn't checked it out before. Clint was fantastic as usual. I loved Robert Duvall, very subtle, scary and believable.
What a brilliant actor, that part could have been one note or ott in the hand of a lesser actor but he took it to another level.
I also really loved Lalo Schiffrin's score, as well as seeing Don Stroud facing off again with Eastwood a few years after Coogan's Bluff.
Not sure that I really bought John Saxon as a Mexican leader thought:.
Jack Palance was much more believable and powerful as a Mexican revolutionary leader in the great Professionals.

 

[Motown Marvel]

has anyone else here seen TEARS OF THE BLACK TIGER? its a surrealistic western from thailand. amazing visuals. totally worth checking out. i believe netflix has it on instant view.

also, how about EL TOPO? super weird movie, real experimental. some amazing ideas, but im not sure how i feel about it as a whole. i need to see it again. but still, totally worth checking out for any western fan.

 

[gwynplaine]

I saw El Topo so long ago that I need to see it again to form a proper judgment, but I remember it was pretty out there indeed.
As for the Thai Western, you have piqued my interest, sounds like fun. Thanks for the tip.
Also I have to look into the Django Westerns that I'm not familiar with at all either.

 

[Motown Marvel]

the best part of El Topo was the dude with no legs riding on the back of the dude with no arms. the no legs dude would draw the guns, while the no arms dude maneuvered. 2 men, 1 gunfighter. pure awesome.

let me know what you think of tears of the black tiger when you get around to it.

 

[gwynplaine]

the best part of El Topo was the dude with no legs riding on the back of the dude with no arms. the no legs dude would draw the guns, while the no arms dude maneuvered. 2 men, 1 gunfighter. pure awesome.

let me know what you think of tears of the black tiger when you get around to it.

 

[C. Lee]

has anyone else here seen TEARS OF THE BLACK TIGER? its a surrealistic western from thailand. amazing visuals. totally worth checking out. i believe netflix has it on instant view.

also, how about EL TOPO? super weird movie, real experimental. some amazing ideas, but im not sure how i feel about it as a whole. i need to see it again. but still, totally worth checking out for any western fan.

Never heard of TEARS OF THE BLACK TIGER....but after looking it up on IMDB I want to see it. I've heard and read about EL TOPO but never seen it. I hope to some day.

I saw El Topo so long ago that I need to see it again to form a proper judgment, but I remember it was pretty out there indeed.
As for the Thai Western, you have piqued my interest, sounds like fun. Thanks for the tip.
Also I have to look into the Django Westerns that I'm not familiar with at all either.

The true Django is the one starring Franco Nero. It became a hit and then dozens of others started calling thier character Django to ride on it's coattails.

 

[gwynplaine]

After watching Joe Kidd that I loved. I realized that John Sturges, the director was also the man who helmed The Magnificent Seven and Gunfight at OK Corral. I'm not very familiar with his other Westerns but I still wanted to salute him in this thread. Great director.

 

[gwynplaine]

Just saw "Big Jake" today and really liked it (Thanks C. Lee)
I like John Wayne. Generally, people seem to be judging him more for his political views than his acting skills and even though I don't share his political views, I think he was a better actor than he gets credit for.
I also liked Chris Mitchum (Robert's son I believe), not as great as his father of course but still pretty good imo. And I wasn't familiar with Richard Boone but he made an awesome villain. ("The better the villain, the better the film." Hitchcockt
Also since it was set in 1909, it was very interesting and refreshing to see cars and motorcycles in a Western setting. Really good film.

 

[C. Lee]

BIG JAKE is one of my favorites (western and Wayne).....great action, drama, and humor. Wayne rarely gets the recognition for being funny...but he was quite the comedian.

If you're not familiar with Boone, you really need to check into his films (and very popular TV series western HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL).

Big Jake is full of Wayne's family and friends (his actual son Patrick plays one of his sons, another son, Ethan, plays his kidnapped grandson)....a lot of the rest of the cast can be found in other Wayne movies.

 

[gwynplaine]

BIG JAKE is one of my favorites (western and Wayne).....great action, drama, and humor. Wayne rarely gets the recognition for being funny...but he was quite the comedian.

If you're not familiar with Boone, you really need to check into his films (and very popular TV series western HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL).

Big Jake is full of Wayne's family and friends (his actual son Patrick plays one of his sons, another son, Ethan, plays his kidnapped grandson)....a lot of the rest of the cast can be found in other Wayne movies.

Good point. I agree. He had great comedic timing as well.
I will check Boone's other films because he really impressed me in Big Jake. Just like Robert Duvall in Joe Kidd, he could have been a one note villain but they both brought a subtlety and richness to the part that took it to another level.

 

[C. Lee]

Have you seen Wayne's last movie THE SHOOTIST yet? Boone is in it. Boone made a bunch of interesting movies...playing both good and bad guys.

 

[gwynplaine]

I loved The Shootist, but I forgot Boone was in it. What a great exit for Wayne. Also Don Siegel is one of my favorite directors. I think he is underrated for the amazing body of work he has done in almost every genre.
And I love actors who can play both good guys and bad guys (like Robert Ryan, Gene Hackman or John Lightgow.)

 

[DACrowe]

My favorite Wayne films (note: could mostly double for John Ford films):

1. The Searchers (1956)
2. Red River (1948)
3. The Man Who shot Liberty Valance (1962)
4. The Quiet Man (1952)--not a western, but great
5. True Grit (1969)

He made some movies I really hated as well, such as the politically laughable The Alamo (1960) and his "Vietnam movie" The Green Berets (1967), but as a whole the Duke is always fun to watch.

 

[gwynplaine]

Just watched Winchester 73 for the 1st time. Great film. I love black and white Westerns. Anthony Mann is the Man (no pun intended.)
Anyone who thinks James Stewart couldn't be badass, needs to watch his westerns with Mann.
Rock Hudson wasn't the most believable Indian I've ever see thought:.
And was that a very young Tony Curtis as one of the soldiers?

 

[C. Lee]

Just watched Winchester 73 for the 1st time. Great film. I love black and white Westerns. Anthony Mann is the Man (no pun intended.)
Anyone who thinks James Stewart couldn't be badass, needs to watch his westerns with Mann.
Rock Hudson wasn't the most believable Indian I've ever see thought:.
And was that a very young Tony Curtis as one of the soldiers?

Yep, that was Tony. Rock went from that minor role to costarring with Stewart in a few years. I've been a fan of Stewart westerns for years.


Watched Jonah Hex yesterday....yes, it's a western...a sci fi/horror/western. I started reading the comic in the 70's....and there wasn't any of the horror/sci fi elements in it then (haven't read any of the newer stuff). It's a short movie (approximately 80 minutes) that would be better if 10-15 minutes were removed. Brolin was good as Jonah, Megan was useless, Malkovich was over the top. I was surprised to see Aiden Quinn as President Grant, and why in the world was Will Arnett in it?

The horror story elements (talking with the dead) had absolutely no history in the comics so I didn't see a reason for it to be inserted here....and the sci fi elements weren't explained at all (the mysterious weapon created by Eli Whitney...they just showed it and what it did, but didn't even try to make some kind of attempt to explain what it was or how it worked).

Overall...very disjointed movie that couldn't make up it's mind what it wanted to be.