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Westerns -- classic American

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  • Westerns -- classic American



    I never thought I would praise a film that violates history as much as this one does, but .... watched Blackthorn the other day. The film doesn't need to use the mythology of Butch and Sundance to give it a grounding, because the story would ring true emotionally even if the characters were anonymous. The filmmakers could have changed the names and the film would still hold up. This is a first-rate drama and an impressive modern western, quiet instead of noisy, introspective instead of shallow, character-driven instead of action-driven, with fully rounded characters and a suspenseful chase plot. Once you start watching you'll be glued to the screen to see how the story pans out. Sam Shepard was born to star in westerns, and he brings gravitas and authenticity to the retired, reclusive outlaw on his way home who gets sidetracked and must flee for his life once again. He is an admirable western lead; I wish he'd starred in dozens and dozens of westerns over the years. Eduordo Noriega, who is a star south of the border and in Spain, plays the bandit who unwittingly causes all the trouble and tries, in his way, to make up for it. I dislike flashbacks as a rule, but they do work here, as memories of past ordeals intrude into Blackthorn's present to suggest that history is repeating itself.

    The Bolivian landscapes are a fresh presence on the eyes, breathtaking and true western. Director Gil Mateo's aesthetic is commendably austere and pictorial. He locks the camera down and offers uncluttered compositions of landscapes, towns, and faces. He shoots with fixed lenses under natural light, giving the image a warm glow.The film is shot in High Definition on Sony's AlteCine f23, which means it looks better on the luminosity of a home monitor than projected on a matte screen in theaters. He makes sure the gunfights are felt, and he keeps the confrontations interesting. His handling of the third act is tight and tense.

    The film has a lot of heart. There is no nihilistic posturing like in a Clint Eastwood western, no political correctness like in The Alamo (2004), no gender deconstruction like in The Missing (2003) and The Legend of Zorro (2005), and no whacko feminist agenda like in Meek's Crossing (2011). Today, it is a virtue for any film to be straightforward and traditional. There is no nonsense and no wasted frames in this elegant beauty of a western.

    Why can't there be more westerns as good as Blackthorn on the big screen, say once a month?

    Buy It Now:
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...F8&me=&seller=
    Richard--W
    a straight arrow
    Last edited by Richard--W; 12-28-2012, 06:39 PM.
    "I've been to college, but I can still speak English when business demands it."
    - Raymond Chandler, 1939.

  • #2
    This was released over here a month or two ago and has been reduced in price recently; I've had my eye on it for a while but wasn't sure whether to bite the bullet and order it. Based on your comments, I think I'll buy it asap, Richard.
    'You know, I'd almost forgotten what your eyes looked like. Still the same. Pissholes in the snow'

    http://www.paul-a-j-lewis.com (my photography website)
    'All explaining in movies can be thrown out, I think': Elmore Leonard

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    • #3
      You're bound to enjoy it, Paul. Let us know your thoughts.
      "I've been to college, but I can still speak English when business demands it."
      - Raymond Chandler, 1939.

      Comment


      • #4
        My copy turned up yesterday. Hopefully I'll get time to watch it at the weekend or early next week. Looks good!
        'You know, I'd almost forgotten what your eyes looked like. Still the same. Pissholes in the snow'

        http://www.paul-a-j-lewis.com (my photography website)
        'All explaining in movies can be thrown out, I think': Elmore Leonard

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        • #5
          I see that there is a German Blu out of the Savalas/Lancaster film SCALPHUNTERS. Can anyone give me comments on this film? Looks interesting but I know little about it. Richard W?

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          • #6
            THE SCALPHUNTERS (1968) has a lot going on, and a lot of ambivalence, but it's nothing special. It's a about a fur trapper (Lancaster) whose pelts are stolen by Indians who leave him with a runaway slave (Ossie Davis). Then the pelts end up in the hands of scalphunters (led by Telly Savalas) who hunt Indians for the bounty offered by the Mexican government. The runaway slave is the only one with brains. It's partly a gritty western and partly a black comedy. The comedy doesn't work for me. The Shelley Winters role doesn't work for me, either -- I love Shelley, but what is she doing in this movie? For that matter, why is there a runaway slave? It's like three different scripts for three different movies have been merged into one. In some ways it's a precursor to THE SKIN GAME (1971) which I like better. Sydney Pollack's next western was much tighter, more focused story about JEREMIAH JOHNSON (1972).

            THE SCALPHUNTERS is a popular widescreen western, however, and beautifully photographed. The DVD transfer is outstanding so you'll probably enjoy it on blu-ray. Should a region A blu-ray come to pass I'd probably wait for the price to come down.

            There has never been a good film that tells the story of how the Mexican government paid scalphunters from Texas to stalk the depredating tribes in northern Sonora and the southwestern USA in the 1840s and 1850s. There is one hellacious western waiting to be made on the scalphunters. It would have to be rated NC-17 for extremity. I do not let that fact color my opinion of the film, however, which is not about history.

            Have you seen ULZANA'S RAID, Horace? T'was written by a Scot in Edinburgh named Alan Sharp ....
            Richard--W
            a straight arrow
            Last edited by Richard--W; 01-05-2013, 07:10 PM.
            "I've been to college, but I can still speak English when business demands it."
            - Raymond Chandler, 1939.

            Comment


            • #7
              We've had this discussion elsewhere, but ULZANA'S RAID is one of my favourite films, as is THE HIRED HAND - also written by Sharp.

              The idea of a comedy Western usually makes me run a mile, but I have a soft spot for THE SCALPHUNTERS - although, this has to be said, despite the comic elements. The humour in the film is too base slapstick for my tastes; as Richard suggests, there's a tension in the film between some of the 'grittier' thematic territory and the humour - which (imo) feels forced and unnecessary, unlike the black wit of, say, THE PROFESSIONALS.

              Watching THE SCALPHUNTERS always makes me hunger to reread Cormac McCarthy's BLOOD MERIDIAN. I wonder how the film adaptation of that novel will turn out, if it ever materialises. Come to think of it, I always imagine Telly Savalas when I think of the Judge Holden character in McCarthy's novel.
              'You know, I'd almost forgotten what your eyes looked like. Still the same. Pissholes in the snow'

              http://www.paul-a-j-lewis.com (my photography website)
              'All explaining in movies can be thrown out, I think': Elmore Leonard

              Comment


              • #8
                I thought you might chime in, Paul.

                As we've discussed elsewhere, I consider THE HIRED HAND (1971) and ULZANA'S RAID (1972) two of the best westerns of the 1970s or any other period. Just remarkably good westerns. They both started out on the right foot, from screenplays written by Alan Sharp.

                Tommy Lee Jones owns the rights to BLOOD MERIDIAN. Cormac McCarthy only sells options to the folks he likes. Jones is having trouble getting his adaptation financed, however, because the studios have other ideas. Eventually he'll either sell out or let the rights expire back to the author. McCarthy borrowed the subtitle "The Evening Redness In the West" from William Clark Powell, a naturalist and historian in Arizona who heard the expression in the early 1900s and applied it to a compilation of essays about life the early southwest. You still hear the expression used to describe sunsets by people in Arizona who never heard of Cormac McCarthy. It means the same thing as the southerners saying "in the gloaming."

                But I digress.

                Anyhow, BLOOD MERIDIAN is not the only book on the scalphunters. There are some very compelling histories and eye-witness accounts of the scalphunters. Citations available upon request. None of them achieve the literary heights of McCarthy's stunning prose, but they are still intense reading.
                Richard--W
                a straight arrow
                Last edited by Richard--W; 01-05-2013, 07:01 PM.
                "I've been to college, but I can still speak English when business demands it."
                - Raymond Chandler, 1939.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Richard--W View Post
                  Have you seen ULZANA'S RAID, Horace? T'was written by a Scot in Edinburgh named Alan Sharp ....
                  No - but after reading up on it I went ahead and ordered the Universal Vault series version. It sounds fascinating. I'm going to wait on SCALPHUNTERS.

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                  • #10
                    The Universal Vault is the best edition of ULZANA'S RAID, Horace, so you bought the right one. Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the film. In particular, let us know what you think of the growth in Bruce Davison's character and the answers that Robert Foster gives him.
                    "I've been to college, but I can still speak English when business demands it."
                    - Raymond Chandler, 1939.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I'm assuming the Universal Vault release contains the same edit of the film that was on the US Goodtimes disc and the R2 releases from Universal - ie, Aldrich's cut of the film rather than the Lancaster edit. Is this correct?
                      'You know, I'd almost forgotten what your eyes looked like. Still the same. Pissholes in the snow'

                      http://www.paul-a-j-lewis.com (my photography website)
                      'All explaining in movies can be thrown out, I think': Elmore Leonard

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Correct.
                        The horse falls and violence are intact as originally released theatrically in the USA.
                        A clean, clear, sharp, uncut, widescreeen anamorphic transfer in rich, stable color and upfront sound.
                        Robert Aldrich at his absolute best.

                        So far as I know, you are the only source for Lancaster's TV edit.
                        "I've been to college, but I can still speak English when business demands it."
                        - Raymond Chandler, 1939.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Say what you will about these MOD programs (and price is still a sticking point) but I for one am very happy that some westerns that I had previously had difficulty seeing are available. I've picked up several recently, including TOMAHAWK and WAR PAINT. TOMAHAWK is from the Universal Vault Series, stars Van Heflin as Indian sympathizer Jim Bridger. While I'm sure this film bears no resemblance to the real Bridger story, this was a fine western with a typically good Heflin. WAR PAINT was also well worth seeing, Robert Stack tries to deliver a peace treaty to Indians while being undermined by a traitor Indian guide and mutinous men in his own troop led by Peter Graves. Good support from noir staple Charles McGraw in a rare nice guy role as Stack's hard as nails second in command.

                          Here's the others I've gotten but not watched yet - any comments and or suggestions for others to get?

                          THE HANGING TREE (WAC)
                          THE LAST CHALLENGE (WAC)
                          SOUTHWEST PASSAGE (MGM Limited Edition Collection)
                          REBEL IN TOWN (MGM LEC)
                          I don't go to church. Kneeling bags my nylons.

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                          • #14
                            Appreciate your observations on TOMAHAWK and WARPAINT.

                            I recommend Raoul Walsh's COLORADO TERRITORY (1949), Sam Wood's AMBUSH (1950), Anthony Mann's DEVIL'S DOORWAY (1950) which I guarantee will astonish you, and ALONG THE GREAT DIVIDE (1951) with Kirk Douglas. All WAC's.

                            THE HANGING TREE (1959) is essential. One of the best westerns of the 1950s boasting an edgy, serious performance from Gary Cooper. The WAC disc is fine. Every western directed by Delmar Daves is essential, and this is about equal to 3:10 TO YUMA only in color.

                            TELL THEM WILLIE BOY IS HERE (1969) is essential. Read my review on amazon.

                            Right now I'm gathering silent westerns and following them through the early talkies phase.

                            More later.
                            "I've been to college, but I can still speak English when business demands it."
                            - Raymond Chandler, 1939.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Thanks for the comments, Richard. I have TCM recordings of COLORADO TERRITORY (love Walsh's western remake of HIGH SIERRA), AMBUSH and DEVIL'S DOORWAY - you're right, it's a top notch film. I will get the MODs of these at some point, don't feel it's urgent since I have decent copies. I will keep ALONG THE GREAT DIVIDE and WILLIE BOY, which I've seen bits of, in mind.

                              I'm looking forward to watching THE HANGING TREE. I'll have to list some titles here of stuff that's available and see if any stand out to you. I'll try to do that tomorrow.
                              I don't go to church. Kneeling bags my nylons.

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