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Author	Topic: Western Movies: Now Disc. "Dances With Wolves" (1990)
Zaz Title: Manager: The Amphitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 2/20 12:11pm Subject: RE: Western Movies: Now Disc. "Support Your Local Sherriff" (1969)
	It's a great, great movie.
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RX_Sith Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 2/26 12:01pm Subject: RE: Western Movies: Now Disc. "Little Big Man" (1970)
	Little Big Man (1970). (from wiki) Little Big Man is a 1970 film directed by Arthur Penn and based on the 1964 novel by Thomas Berger. It is a picaresque comedy and drama about a Caucasian boy raised by the Cheyenne nation during the 19th century. A major part of the film involves contrasting the lives of American pioneers and Native Americans. The movie stars Dustin Hoffman, Chief Dan George, Faye Dunaway, Martin Balsam, Jeff Corey and Richard Mulligan. It is considered a Revisionist Western, with Native Americans receiving a sympathetic treatment uncommon for Western films in previous decades. Many of the United States Cavalry soldiers are depicted as villains. Despite its satiric and comedic approach, the film has tragic elements and a clear social commentary about prejudice and injustice. Little Big Man is considered an example of anti-establishment films of the period subtly protesting America's involvement in the Vietnam War by portraying the U.S. Military in a condemnatory manner. Arthur Penn has also stated in an interview featured on a TCM promo that elements of the film were comments on genocide and the holocaust. Story A dying centenarian, 121-year-old Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman), recalls several facets of his life for a curious historian (William Hickey). His long and episodic story includes being a member of the Cheyenne tribe, a gunslinger, a sidekick to Wild Bill Hickok (Jeff Corey) and a scout for General George Armstrong Custer (Richard Mulligan). The central theme is his adoption by the Cheyenne, enabling him to view both the Caucasian and Native American cultures of the 19th century. Jack and his older sister Caroline (Carole Androsky) survive the massacre of their parents' wagon train at the hands of Native Americans. He is raised by the Cheyenne leader Old Lodge Skins (Chief Dan George). It proves to be an idyllic life, though Jack unwittingly makes an enemy of Younger Bear (Cal Bellini). Jack is given the name "Little Big Man" because he's short but very brave. Jack is captured by the U.S. Cavalry and quickly put into the care of Reverend Pendrake (Thayer David) and his wife Louise (Faye Dunaway). She is attracted to young Jack, but he cannot accept the dichotomy between Louise's pious attitude and her sexual appetite and promptly leaves her home. Jack decides to become the apprentice of the snake-oil salesman Merriweather (Martin Balsam). They are tarred and feathered for selling fraudulent products. He reunites with his sister Caroline. She attempts to mold her brother into a gunslinger named the Soda Pop Kid (so called because of his chosen beverage). Jack runs into Wild Bill Hickok (Jeff Corey), who takes a liking to the young man. When Hickok is forced to kill a man in self defense, Jack loses his taste for gunslinging and Caroline deserts him. Jack decides to open a general store and marries a Swedish woman named Olga (Kelly Jean Peters). Jack's business partner turns out to be a thief and he's forced to close the store. General Custer happens to ride upon the scene and suggests the couple restart their lives out west. Jack agrees, however, their stagecoach is ambushed by the Cheyennes and Olga is abducted. Searching for Olga in vain, he is reunited with Old Lodge Skins, who is overjoyed Jack has returned to the tribe. Younger Bear has become a contrary (a warrior who does everything in reverse) and is still clearly bitter. After a short stay with the tribe, Jack continues his search for Olga. He eventually becomes a "mule skinner" within Custer's 7th Cavalry, hoping to obtain information on the location of Olga. He participates in a battle against the Cheyenne. When they begin killing women and children, he becomes enraged and turns on the U.S. Soldiers. In the nearby woods, Jack discovers the Cheyenne woman Sunshine (Aimée Eccles) in the process of giving birth. He saves Sunshine from the marauding soldiers and returns to Old Lodge Skins' tribe. Sunshine becomes his wife and they have a child together. Jack once again encounters Younger Bear, who has undergone another life change. No longer a contrary, he is now shockingly married to Olga. Before Jack is recognized, he walks away without saying a word. One day during the winter season, Custer and the 7th Cavalry make a surprise attack on the Cheyenne camp. A now-blind and elderly Old Lodge Skins is saved by Jack, but Sunshine and his children are killed. Jack tries to infiltrate Custer's camp to exact revenge, but eventually loses his nerve. Disheartened, Jack becomes the town drunk in Deadwood, South Dakota. While in a drunken stupor, Wild Bill Hickok recognizes him and gives him money to clean up. When Jack returns to the bar, Hickok is shot and killed. Before his death, Hickok tells Jack a dying wish involving a widow he was having an affair with. Jack goes to see the widow, a prostitute who turns out to be Louise Pendrake. Jack gives her the money she needs to start a new life. Jack soon becomes a trapper and hermit. His mind becomes unhinged after coming across an empty trap with a severed animal limb. Poised at the edge of a cliff, he prepares to commit suicide. Jack suddenly hears the faint chords of Garry Owen echoing through the valley and spots Custer and his troops marching nearby. Jack decides to exact revenge. Custer accepts him as a scout, believing anything he says will be a lie, thus serving as a reverse barometer. Jack leads the troops into a trap at the Little Bighorn. Before the attack, Jack truthfully tells Custer of the overwhelming force of Native Americans hidden within the valley. Custer does not believe him and leads the 7th Cavalry to its doom. During the frantic battle, Custer begins a series of insane ravings. Ignoring the closing circle of warriors, Custer decides to kill Jack and points his pistol at him. Before he can pull the trigger, Custer is killed by Younger Bear, who then saves Jack by carrying him to Old Lodge Skins' tepee. With Custer and his regiment annihilated, Jack accompanies the decrepit Old Lodge Skins to a nearby hill where the weary leader decides to use his magic and end his life. He gives his speech to the Great Spirit, saying he is ready to die. Instead, it begins to rain. Old Lodge Skins sighs and says, "Sometimes the magic works, and sometimes it doesn't." They return to his tepee to have dinner. Jack's narrative abruptly ends and he tells the historian to leave the room. The film concludes with an extended shot of the elderly Jack sadly staring into space. Historical basis The movie's portrayal of the Battle of Washita River as a Custer-led massacre of women and children is not entirely based upon fact, as the historical record shows there was more resistance than portayed in the film (though a large percentage of the victims were women and children). As depicted, the scene most closely resembles the Sand Creek Massacre, where Colorado militia troops (not including Custer) attacked a peaceful contingent of Native Americans, killing more than 150 women, children and elderly men. Wild Bill Hickok was in fact killed on August 2, 1876, one month after the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The film's depiction of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer as a lunatic at the Battle of the Little Bighorn was intended as a comedic satire, though many of his quirks and vanities were inspired by contemporary observations. Custer's fatal tactics at Little Bighorn were far more complex than portrayed in the film. His actions before and during the battle remain intensely controversial to this day. The character of Jack Crabb is partially based on Curley, one of Custer's Native American scouts from the Crow tribe. It is believed Curley rode with Custer's 7th Cavalry into the final battle until they were attacked, at which point he was relieved of duty, retreating to a nearby bluff and witnessing much of the action. Many conflicting stories of the era embellished Curley's participation, stating in several cases that he disguised himself with a Cheyenne blanket to escape the immediate field of battle. He was interviewed many times, with some writers claiming him to be the only surviving witness from the U.S. side of Custer's Last Stand. Curley gave several variations of his participation in the battle, and the accuracy of his later recollections has been questioned. The historical Little Big Man was a Native American bearing no resemblance to the Jack Crabb character. Little Big Man is known for his involvement in the capture and possible assassination of Crazy Horse at Fort Robinson in 1877. This movie can be looked upon as a spoof of two classic westerns: * Stagecoach (film) where John Wayne saves stagecoach passengers from Indian attack. * They Died with Their Boots On a heroic version of Custer's "Last Stand" at Battle of Little Bighorn. Awards For his portrayal of Old Lodge Skins, Chief Dan George was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He won multiple honors for his performance including the Producers Guild of America Award, the National Society of Film Critics Award and the New York Film Critics Circle Award. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Supporting Actor. Hoffman won third place for his performance with the Producers Guild of America and was nominated as Best Actor by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. The screenplay by Calder Willingham was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award as Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium. Production Hoffman holds the record for portraying the greatest age span of a single character, playing Jack Crabb from the age of 17 to 121. To obtain the voice of a 121 year-old man, Dustin Hoffman sat in his dressing room and screamed at the top of his lungs for an hour. The 121 year-old makeup was created by Dick Smith from foam latex and included revolutionary old-age eyelids that could actually blink along with the actor's. Due to editing, and much to Smith's chagrin, no blinks were visible in the finished film. Of the makeup, Hoffman was quoted as saying, "I defy you to put on that makeup and not feel old." The role of Chief Old Lodge Skins was initially offered to Marlon Brando, Paul Scofield and Laurence Olivier, all of whom turned it down. The Little Bighorn battle scenes were filmed on location in Montana near the actual battle site. Review by Roger Ebert Little Big Man BY ROGER EBERT / January 1, 1970 [EDITOR'S NOTE: This review contains spoilers.] Arthur Penn's "Little Big Man" is an endlessly entertaining attempt to spin an epic in the form of a yarn. It mostly works. When it doesn't -- when there's a failure of tone or an overdrawn caricature -- it regroups cheerfully and plunges ahead. We're disposed to go along; all good storytellers tell stretchers once in a while, and circle back to be sure we got the good parts. It is the very folksiness of Penn's film that makes it, finally, such a perceptive and important statement about Indians, the West, and the American dream. There's no stridency, no preaching, no deep-voiced narrators making sure we got the point of the last massacre. All the events happened long, long ago, and they're related by a 121-year-old man who just wants to pass the story along. The yarn is the most flexible of story forms. Its teller can pause to repeat a point; he can hurry ahead ten years; he can forget an entire epoch in remembering the legend of a single man. He doesn't capture the history of a time, but its flavor. "Little Big Man" gives us the flavor of the Cheyenne nation before white men brought uncivilization to the West. Its hero, played by Dustin Hoffman, is no hero at all but merely a survivor. Hoffman, or Little Big Man, gets around pretty well. He touches all the bases of the Western myth. He was brought West as a settler, raised as a Cheyenne, tried his hand at gunfighting and medicine shows, scouted for the cavalry, experimented with the hermit life, was married twice, survived Custer's Last Stand, and sat at the foot of an old man named Old Lodge Skins, who instructed him in the Cheyenne view of creation. Old Lodge Skins, played by Chief Dan George with such serenity and conviction that an Academy Award was mentioned, doesn't preach the Cheyenne philosophy. It is part of him. It's all the more a part of him because Penn has allowed the Indians in the film to speak ordinary, idiomatic English. Most movie Indians have had to express themselves with an "um" at the end of every other word: "Swap-um wampum plenty soon," etc. The Indians in "Little Big Man" have dialogue reflecting the idiomatic richness of Indian tongues; when Old Lodge Skins simply refers to Cheyennes as "the Human Beings," the phrase is literal and meaningful and we don't laugh. Despite Old Lodge Skins, however, Little Big Man doesn't make it as an Indian, or as a white man, either, or as anything else he tries. He looks, listens, remembers, and survives, which is his function. The protagonists in the film are two ideas of civilization: the Indian's and the white man's. Custer stages his bloody massacres and is massacred in turn, and we know that the Indians will eventually be destroyed as an organic community and shunted off to reservations. But the film's movement is circular, and so is its belief about Indians. Penn has adopted the yarn form for a reason. All the characters who appear in the early stages of the film come back in the later stages, fulfilled. The preacher's wife returns as a prostitute. The medicine-quack, already lacking an arm, loses a leg (physician, heal thyself). Wild Bill Hickok decays from a has-been to a freak show attraction. Custer fades from glory to madness. Only Old Lodge Skins makes it through to the end not merely intact, but improved. His survival is reflected in the film's structure. Most films, especially ones with violence, have their climax at the end. Penn puts his near the center; it is Custer's massacre of an Indian village, and Little Big Man sees his Indian wife killed and his baby's head blown off. Penn can control violence as well as any American director (remember "Bonnie and Clyde" and "The Left-Handed Gun"). He does here. The final massacre of Custer and his men is deliberately muted, so it doesn't distract from Old Lodge Skins's "death" scene. But Custer stays dead, and Old Lodge Skins doesn't quite die ("I was afraid it would turn out this way"). So he leaves the place of death and invites Little Big Man home to have something to eat. Custer's civilization will eventually win, but Old Lodge Skins's will prevail. William Faulkner observed in his Nobel Prize speech that man will probably endure -- but will he prevail? It's probably no accident that we don't smile when Old Lodge Skins explains the difference between Custer and the Human Beings. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
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RX_Sith Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 3/5 11:32am Subject: RE: Western Movies: Now Disc. "A Man Called Horse" (1970)
	A Man Called Horse (1970). (from wiki) A Man Called Horse is a 1970 feature film starring Richard Harris and directed by Elliot Silverstein. The film is based on a short story, "A Man Called Horse", published in 1968 in the book Indian Country by Dorothy M. Johnson. Partially spoken in Sioux, the film tells the history of an English aristocrat who is captured by a Native American tribe. Initially enslaved and treated as a plaything by the tribe and mocked by being treated as the animal of the film title initially, he comes to respect his captors' culture and also to gain their respect. He is assisted in understanding their culture and language by an existing captive, the tribe's fool, Batiste, who had tried to escape in the past and was hamstrung behind both knees. At one point, later in the film, when one of the warriors takes a vow never to retreat in battle, his changing perspective is shown, as he turns angrily on the uncomprehending Batiste, telling him "Five years you've lived here, and you've learned nothing about these people - all his death is to you is a means of escape." Determining that his only chance of eventual freedom is to gain the respect of the tribe and join its war parties, he overcomes his repugnance and kills two warriors from another tribe, which in turn allows him to claim warrior status. In the aftermath of his victory, he proposes marriage to one of the tribal daughters with the horses as dowry, and undergoes painful initiation rites, taking the native name "Horse" as his Sioux name, and becomes a respected member of the tribe and ultimately following attack, their leader. Two sequels to the original movie were made, both with Harris reprising his role: * The Return of a Man Called Horse (1976) * Triumphs of a Man Called Horse (1983) Representation of cultures This film, which was intended to purport an accurate description of Sioux culture and life is everything but that. Jacqulyn Kilpatrick pointed that the movie "must be discussed in terms of reality and authenticity." She was not the only heavy critic of the movie, because of its misrepresentation of Native American culture. The perspective is very eurocentristic and shows a white feature character (Richard Harris), who, after an unauthentic maltreatment by the tribe, marries the most beautiful woman in the tribe and fights off an enemy attack by installing British military strategies in midst of an ongoing battle. It is, however, an entertaining movie and unwilling and unintended comically at times. The film notably treats both sides dispassionately, viewing neither from the view of the white man, nor the native American Indian tribe, but from a viewpoint encompassing both cultures; its representation of tribal practices and rituals (including the Sun Dance) is described as being based upon historical records. Differences between the book and movie versions * In the book, the character Baptiste is killed in the raid in which Horse is captured, but the movie has him survive to subsequently mentor Horse in the Lakota camp. * Horse also tries to escape in the movie, but he does not in the book. * The natives in the story are the Crow, whereas in the movie, they are members of the Sioux Nation. * In the book, Horse is from Boston, and in the movie he is from England. Cast * Richard Harris ... John Morgan * Judith Anderson ... Buffalo Cow Head * Jean Gascon ... Batise * Manu Tupou ... Yellow Hand * Corinna Tsopei ... Running Deer * Dub Taylor ... Joe * James Gammon ... Ed * William Jordan ... Bent * Eddie Little Sky ... Black Eagle * Michael Baseleon ... Longfoot * Lina Marín ... Thorn Rose * Tamara Garina ... Elk Woman * Terry Leonard ... Striking Bear * Iron Eyes Cody ... Medicine man * Tom Tyon ... Medicine man The tribal people were acted by members of the Rosebud Sioux tribe of South Dakota. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
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Zaz Title: Manager: The Amphitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 3/5 7:35pm Subject: RE: Western Movies: Now Disc. "A Man Called Horse" (1970)
	I have heard that this movie is good, but I have not seen it.
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JohnWesleyDowney Registered: Jan '04	Date Posted: 3/5 7:44pm Subject: RE: Western Movies: Now Disc. "A Man Called Horse" (1970) - Date Edited: 3/5 7:45pm (1 edits total) Edited By: JohnWesleyDowney
	IIRC, one of the sequels to a Man Called Horse was directed by someone well known to denizens of this website, Irvin Kershner. So The Empire Strikes Back was not his first sequel job. I saw the original, and it left a good impression on me as a good western, and I'm not all that fond of westerns, but I liked it. -----signature----- Peace.
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RX_Sith Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 3/17 7:43am Subject: RE: Western Movies: Now Disc. "Hannie Caulder" (1971)
	Hannie Caulder (1971). (from wiki) Hannie Caulder is a 1971 Western movie. Plot The simple plot of this film revolves around Welch, Hannie Caulder, a frontier wife whose husband is murdered by the Clemens Brothers, a trio of rather inept outlaw brothers, played by Borgnine, Martin, and Elam. The Clemens Brothers rape her, burn down her house, and leave her for dead. While the Clemens Brothers go on low-brow crime spree, Welch's character recruits a professional bounty hunter named Thomas Price, played by Culp, to help her seek revenge by training her to use a gun. Christopher Lee portrays the gunsmith who builds Welch a specialized revolver for her journey ahead. Diana Dors takes on the role of a prostitute in this feature, while Boyd has a brief appearance as a gunfighter known simply as "The Preacher", and Aldo Sambrell, the famous Spanish actor, has cameo as a Mexican soldier. Cast Raquel Welch, Robert Culp, Ernest Borgnine, Strother Martin, Jack Elam, Diana Dors, Stephen Boyd, Christopher Lee. Directed by: Burt Kennedy Trivia Quentin Tarantino referenced this film in his Kill Bill movies. Review Yes, there are campy moments, but overall this is an interesting movie, especially for the early 70s when the western genre was going into a long hibernation. The worst or campiest elements are the "feminist/sexploitation" aspects...on one hand "Hannie Caulder" wants us to take this story about a woman in the Old West seriously (Hannie is raped, and takes revenge into her own hands) and on the other, it wants to show us Raquel Welch, very sexy and Playboy foldout-ish in a short poncho and nothing else. Raquel was (and is) a tremendously beautiful woman, but in an extremely period way -- and that period was naturally the early 70s! Her artfully highlighted main of long straight hair and heavy eye makeup (false eyelashes!) don't look like anything remotely believable from the 1880s. I mention the poncho because it forms a very iconic image of Ms. Welch -- almost as famous as her animal skin bikini from "1 Million BC" -- and it's so obviously meant to be titillating, since we are intended to think she is totally naked underneath this skimpy garment (and while riding a horse...OUCH). Later on, Hannie acquires a pair of very very tight deerskin trousers, also absurd for a woman of that era. (Let's just make this clear -- in the 19th century, women absolutely never ever wore pants or men's clothing. Period.) Putting that aside though, the storyline is intriguing. Hannie's husband is killed and she is raped by a gang of sleazy thugs (Strother Martin, Ernest Borgnine etc.) who burn down her cabin and all her possessions. She is rescued by Thomas Price, a bounty hunter played by Robert Culp. This is an unexpected turn by Culp (I, Spy), and a very nice one -- he's extremely appealing and makes for a different sort of romantic hero, especially with his glasses. After some initial coldness, he warms up to Hannie and helps her on her mission of revenge (while warning her of it's ultimate futility). Culp & Welch are not a romantic pair you'd expect and maybe because of that, it really works. From the standpoint of the 21st century, I don't feel the overall plot gives enough weight to the rape as a catalyst for Hannie's actions. It's a horrific rape and presented as such, but then Hannie is encouraged to forget about it and find happiness with Thomas Price. Anyone who has ever lived through a rape or studied the aftereffects of such an experience, recognizes this as a naive and simplistic solution. Also, Hannie seems overly dependent on Price to teach her and do everything for her, and only comes into her own in the last 20 minutes of the film. Still and all, how often do you see a Western with a strong, interesting female protagonist? NOT VERY. Even good modern Westerns, such as "Unforgiven" or "Open Range" feature very passive females in traditional roles such as prostitute or schoolmarm. "Hannie Caulder" is actually ABOUT a female character and her experiences and as such, it's a rare bird. It would be very interesting to see this remade today with a little less cheesecake (Raquel in her poncho) and a little more psychological awareness of a rape victim's emotional state. At any rate, it kept me interested throughout and compared to other westerns of it's period, I think "Hannie Caulder" is above average. Look for Christopher Lee in a rare, non-horror cameo as a gun maker. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
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Zaz Title: Manager: The Amphitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 3/17 1:04pm Subject: RE: Western Movies: Now Disc. "Hannie Caulder" (1971)
	I've heard of this movie, but not seen it. The reviewer is not quite correct: women did cross-dress in the 19th century. They usually masqueraded as men, however. It might be an interesting remake, at that.
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RX_Sith Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 3/25 5:42am Subject: RE: Western Movies: Now Disc. "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" (1971)
	McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971). (from wiki) McCabe & Mrs. Miller is a 1971 Western motion picture by director Robert Altman. One of Altman's typically naturalist films, the director has called McCabe an "anti-western film" because the film ignores or subverts a number of Western conventions. The screenplay is by Robert Altman and Brian McKay from the novel McCabe by Edmund Naughton. The cinematography is by Vilmos Zsigmond and the soundtrack includes three songs by Leonard Cohen which had been issued on his 1967 album Songs of Leonard Cohen. Julie Christie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role. Roger Ebert, a leading critic, has called the film "perfect". Plot The film is about a gambler named John McCabe (Warren Beatty),who arrives in the hypothetical town of Presbyterian Church in turn of the century Washington State to start a low-class brothel. McCabe quickly takes on a dominant position over the town's simple-minded and lethargic miners, thanks to his aggressive personality, and rumors that he is a gunfighter. The 'legend' of McCabe as a gunfighter is propagated largely by gossip on the part of Paddy Sheehan (Rene Auberjonois), a local saloon owner notorious for storification. The legend claims that McCabe shot a famous gunfighter named Bill Roundtree with a Deringer pistol during a card game. The legend is neither confirmed nor encouraged by McCabe; he is never seen with such a pistol, and is not portrayed as a courageous type, leading the audience to believe that the legend is just another one of Sheehan's fabrications. Shortly after McCabe has established his make-shift brothel, consisting of three prostitutes purchased from a pimp in the nearby town of Bearpaw for $200, Constance Miller (Julie Christie), an opium addicted professional 'Madam' arrives in Presbyterian Church. She convinces him that she can do a better job of managing the brothel than he can, as McCabe is clearly inept when dealing with women. The two become successful business partners, and a love-interest subplot is developed between these two frontier-hardened and cynical characters. As Presbyterian Church becomes a richer and more successful community, a pair of agents from the Harrison Shaugnessy mining company arrive to buy out McCabe's business, as well as the surrounding zinc mines. Harrison Shaugnessy is notorious for having people killed when they refuse to sell. McCabe doesn't want to sell at their initial price, and plays the negotiations badly as Miller warns him he's underestimating the violence that will ensue if they don't take the money and run. Eventually, three bounty killers are dispatched by the mining company to make an example of McCabe. The climactic showdown between McCabe and his hunters is unconventional for a Western. McCabe is clearly afraid of the gunmen when they arrive in town, and initially tries to appease them. Finally, when a lethal confrontation becomes inevitable, he manages to kill two of the gunslingers by shooting them in the back from hidden positions, leaving only the most fearsome of the three to deal with. As a final twist of the plot, McCabe shoots the third bounty killer with a Deringer pistol, confirming that the original gunfighter legend was true, much to the surprise of the audience. McCabe, however, is mortally wounded, and does not survive. The final shootout between McCabe and the gunmen is antithetical to the western genre. It takes place, not at high noon on main street, but in a stifling snowstorm, as the killers stalk McCabe through the back alleys of the town like a hunted animal. The arch-villain gunslinger (played by British actor Hugh Millais) is a giant Englishman, who uses a single-shot elephant gun, rather than a revolver. No music is used, and only deafening silence is present as the falling snow muffles all sounds. McCabe's victory over his hunters is not celebrated by the townspeople, who are otherwise occupied putting out a burning church on the other side of town. Having triumphed over his enemies, McCabe does not get to ride off into the sunset with Mrs. Miller, but instead, slowly dies in a snowbank while Mrs. Miller drifts into an opium-induced trance, oblivious to his fate and indifferent to her own feelings. After McCabe and the bounty killers are all dead, the town's people are seen rejoicing, not for the hero's victory, but for the church fire that had finally been extinguished. Background Altman was introduced to the story by David Foster, one of the film's producers. Foster had been introduced to the story by Richard Wright's widow, an agent for Edmund Naughton, who was then living in Paris and working for the International Herald Tribune. Altman was in post-production on M.A.S.H. and sneaked Foster into the screening; Foster liked the film and agreed to have Altman direct McCabe; the two of them agreed to wait until MASH became popular to take the pitch for McCabe to a studio for funding. Meanwhile, Foster called Warren Beatty, then in England, about the film; Beatty flew to New York to see MASH and then flew to Los Angeles, California to sign for McCabe. The film was originally called The Presbyterian Church Wager, after a bet placed among the church's few attendees about whether McCabe would survive his refusal of the offer to sell his property. Altman reports that an official in the Presbyterian Church called Warner Brothers to complain about having their church mentioned in context of a film about brothels and gambling; and that the complaint instigated the name change. Production The film was shot in the environs of Vancouver, British Columbia almost entirely in sequential order--a rarity for films. The crew found a suitable location for the filming and, as filming progressed, built up the "set" as McCabe built up the town in the film. In the film, Mrs. Miller is brought into town on a steam engine from the late 1800s; the steam engine is genuine and functioning and the crew used it to power the lumber mill after its arrival. Carpenters for the film were locals and young men from the United States, fleeing conscription into the Vietnam War; they were dressed in period costume and used tools of the period so that they could go about their business in the background while the plot advanced in the foreground. The crew ran buried hoses throughout the town, placed so they could create the appearance of rain if necessary. Since the city of Vancouver generally receives a great deal of rain, it was usually only necessary to turn on the hoses to make scenes shot on rare days when it didn't rain match those shot on days when it did. It began snowing near the end of the film's shooting, when the church fire and the standoff were the only scenes left to shoot. Beatty didn't want to start shooting in the snow, as it was in a sense dangerous to do so: to preserve continuity, the entire rest of the film would have to be shot in snow. Altman countered that since those were the only scenes left to film, it was best to start since there was nothing else to do. The "standoff" scene--which is in fact more a "cat and mouse" scene involving shooting one's enemy in the back--and its concurrent church fire scene were shot over a period of nine days. The heavy snow, with the exception of a few "fill-in" patches on the ground, was all genuine; the crew members built snowmen and had snowball fights between takes. The music for the film was largely by Leonard Cohen. Altman had liked Cohen's debut album immensely, buying additional copies of it after wearing each one out. Then he had forgotten about the LP. Years later he visited Paris, just after finishing shooting on McCabe & Mrs. Miller, and rediscovered the album; he had it transferred and started the music to maintain a rhythm for the film. He didn't expect to be able to procure rights for the music since it was a Warner Brothers film and Cohen's album was released through Columbia Records. However, he called Cohen, expecting to trade off his recent success with MASH, but found that Cohen did not much like the film. Instead, he had loved Altman's less popular follow-up film Brewster McCloud, and arranged for his record company to license the music cheaply, even writing into the contract that sales of that album after the release of McCabe would turn some of the royalties to Altman (an arrangement which at the time was quite unusual). Later, on watching McCabe to come up with a guitar riff for one scene, Cohen decided he didn't like the film, but honored his contract. A year later he called Altman to apologize, saying he had seen the film again and loved it. For the film's distinctive cinematography, Vilmos Zsigmond chose to use a number of filters on the cameras instead of changing the film's look in post-production; in this way the studio couldn't force him to change the film's look to something less distinctive. Cast Warren Beatty - John McCabe * Julie Christie - Constance Miller * Rene Auberjonois - Sheehan * William Devane - the Lawyer * John Schuck - Smalley * Corey Fischer - Mr. Elliot * Bert Remsen- Bart Coyle * Shelley Duvall - Ida Coyle * Keith Carradine - Cowboy * Michael Murphy - Sears Additional resources * Much of the information in this article comes from the comments of Robert Altman and David Foster on the commentary track for the 2002 Warner Brothers DVD release of the film. Review Filmmakers - intelligent ones - have to choose where they live in a film. The ordinary ones attach themselves to the narrative, usually the spoken narrative, so we get faces and clear, ordered speech to tell us what is going on. These are the most formulaic because there are after all only so many stories that are presentable. Some attach themselves to characters, dig in and let those characters deliver a tale and situation. Often with the Italians and Italian-Americans, the camera swoops on a tether attached to these characters. I consider this lazy art unless there is some extraordinary insight into the relationship between actor and character. And then there the few who attach themselves to a sense, a tone, a space. That situation has ideas and stories and talk, but they are only there as reflections from the facets of the place. Of the three, this is the hardest to do well; that's why so few try. And of those that do, most convey style only, not a place, not a whole presentation of the way the world works. This film is about the best example I know where the world is 'real,' the situation governs everything and the primary substance is the presentation of a Shakespearian quality cosmology of fate. The camera moves not so much with the story, but it enters and leaves. And there is not just one story, but many that we catch in glimpses. Words just appear in disorder as they do in life. Not everything is served up neat. We drift with the same arbitrariness as McCabe. It is not as meditative as 'Mood for Love' as it has something we can interpret as a story to distract us. So as a matter of craft, this is an important film, one with painful fishhooks that stick. Beatty had already reinvented Hollywood with 'Bonny,' and was a co- conspirator in this. (If you are into double bills, see it with 'The Claim,' which is intended as a distanced remake/homage, that obliquely references Warren.) Quite apart from the craft of the thing, and the turning of the Western on its head long before 'Unforgiven,' there are other values: - the notion that actors are imported into a fictional world as whores. Not a new idea for sure, but so seamlessly and subtly injected here, it becomes just another one of the background stories. (Also referenced in 'Unforgiven.') - the business about the preacher trying to wrestle some old school order from the overwhelming mechanics of arbitrary fate. This is the director's stance. - the final concept that the whole thing, McCabe and church and all is an opium dream of the aptly named 'Constance,' dimly reinterpreting other events after the fashion of 'Edwin Drood.' Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
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Zaz Title: Manager: The Amphitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 3/25 5:50pm Subject: RE: Western Movies: Now Disc. "McCabe and Mrs Miller" (1971)
	I have no affinity for Altman, so I haven't seen this.
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JohnWesleyDowney Registered: Jan '04	Date Posted: 3/26 1:16am Subject: RE: Western Movies: Now Disc. "McCabe and Mrs Miller" (1971)
	I've heard about this one for years, and never got around to seeing it. After reading this material, there are plenty of great reasons to see it, not the least of which is that it was photographed by one of the master cinematographers of the 70s, Vilmos Zsigmond. If his work on this is at the level of his other accomplished films, such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the Deer Hunter, it's got to be a great looking film. I like Altman, occasionally. Don't like it when he has all the actors talking at the same time, though. I'm sure there are sparks between Beatty and Christie, they were an item, IIRC. -----signature----- Peace.
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Zaz Title: Manager: The Amphitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 4/1 4:49pm Subject: RE: Western Movies: Now Disc. "McCabe and Mrs Miller" (1971)
	It was shot around where I live, so it might be interesting to see.
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RX_Sith Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 4/10 12:27pm Subject: RE: Western Movies: Now Disc. "The Cowboys" (1972)
	The Cowboys (1972). (from wiki) The Cowboys is a 1972 western motion picture starring John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Slim Pickens, A Martinez and Bruce Dern. Robert Carradine makes his film debut. The film was directed by Mark Rydell. Story set-up When his hired men abandon him for the lure of a gold rush, cattle rancher Wil Andersen (John Wayne) faces the prospect of financial disaster if he can find no cowboys for his yearly 400-mile long cattle drive. Anse (Slim Pickens), the town bartender, thoughtfully suggests that Anderson hire the local school boys as cowboys. The boys all show up at the ranch, admit to not being true cowboys, but prove they can ride by helping break a horse. The only adult actor playing a boy was A Martinez, as Cimarron, who is not hired-on immediately because Cimarron pulled a knife while fighting with Slim Honeycutt (Robert Carradine). Jebediah "Jeb" Nightlinger (Roscoe Lee Browne), a Moorish black camp cook arrives with a chuck wagon, making Anderson's trail crew complete. Under Andersen's tutelage the boys learn to rope and brand livestock and on the trail, how to herd the cattle and horses. But no one is aware that a gang of cattle rustlers led by "Long Hair" Asa Watts (Bruce Dern) are shadowing them. Characters, controversy and symbolism This survival story of learning and maturation through hardship, hard work and discipline, propounds the values of truth, loyalty, and fighting for what you believe in. The Nightlinger character teaches the boys diversity and respect in their initial exchange after Jeb enters the bunkhouse. In the comical tension-relieving scene, Fats says, "Well sir, you're the first ****.", After some prodding, Jeb confirms that he's black everywhere, "Except for the whites of my eyes." The oldest boy, Slim, then proclaims, "See he's the same as us, except for that color." Jeb laughs-off being "just like you" with a fantastic Moorish tale of seduction, mayhem and heroism that thrills the boys, who ask if it is true. Jeb only says, "If it's not, it ought to be." Anderson and Nightlinger are both Civil War veterans. On the trail, the ramrod Anderson, accepts council from the outspoken Nightlinger on perhaps being too rough on the boys. The world-weary Jeb diplomatically manages an encounter with Kate (Colleen Dewhurst) and her traveling brothel. Around the evening campfire, Slim picks out a Vivaldi tune on his guitar in stark contrast to when the boys later are caught raucously singing Home on the Range while getting drunk on stolen liquor. After accidentally coming across the rustler gang, Long Hair threatens to slit Dan's throat if he reveals their presence. Out of mortal fear Dan betrays the trust of the group by remaining silent (until after it is too late). The reality of death is confirmed that very night when Dan is responsible for Charlie's death. The film is known for depicting Wayne's cold-blooded killing after being shot in the back by Dern's character. This resulted in co-star Dern earning a bad reputation in Hollywood that made it difficult for him to get subsequent roles. During filming of this scene, Wayne warned Dern, "America will hate you for this." Dern wryly replied, "Yeah, but they'll love me in Berkeley." Another well-known scene was that of a minor using profanity. "Stuttering Bob" was unable to alert them to danger. After Wayne chews the child out, the boy mutters, "Son of a bitch.", only to have Wayne coax him to say it repeatedly. The boy angrily builds longer curses until the boy is no longer stuttering, with, "You God damned mean, dirty son of a bitch!". To which Wayne finally responds, "I wouldn't make it a habit calling me that, son.". Fatherhood, and more specifically, the father-son relationship is a recurring theme. Andersen has lost two of his own sons. He becomes a surrogate father to his "cowboys" during their cattle drive and eventually risks his own life to save them from a deranged killer. This father-son dynamic takes on a Christian resurrection metaphor at the end when his cowboys, baptized by violence in their quest to avenge his death, return to the scene of Andersen's murder with a tombstone and are mysteriously unable to locate his body. The tombstone inscription reads: "Wil Andersen: Beloved Husband and Father". Television Adaptation In 1974, Warner Bros. developed a television series for ABC starring Jim Davis, Diana Douglas, and Moses Gunn. David Dortort, best known for Bonanza and The High Chaparral, produced the series. Only A Martinez, Robert Carradine, Sean Kelly and Clay O'Brien were in both the movie and the television series. At the last moment, ABC decided to reduce the show's format from one to one-half hour, a change which made it difficult to tell stories effectively considering the show's large cast. This arguably explained the show's unimpressive ratings and subsequent early cancellation. Other Related Movies is related to: City Slickers (1991, Ron Underwood) Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
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Zaz Title: Manager: The Amphitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 4/10 1:09pm Subject: RE: Western Movies: Now Disc. "The Cowboys" (1972)
	It's quite interesting, without making much sense. I forget who pointed out that the cook is more of a father figure to the boys than Wayne is, and it's a point. Robert Carradine showed a lot more talent here than his subsequent career would indicate.
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RX_Sith Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 4/16 10:44am Subject: RE: Western Movies: Now Disc. "Ulzana's Raid" (1972)
	Ulzana's Raid (1972). (from wiki) Ulzana's Raid is a 1972 Western directed by Robert Aldrich, written by Alan Sharp and starring Burt Lancaster. US Army scout MacIntosh leads the troops sent out to chase down Apache breakout Ulzana, more commonly known as Josana. Mention is made of several other Apache leaders. One of the main characters is an Apache scout who does his job despite not being fully trusted by the rookie Lieutenant who led the Army detachment. Trivia * Jorge Luke, the Ke-Ni-Tay Apache scout, frequently says that he understands Ulzana's philosophy of torturing and killing to gain the opponent's power. However, although he says about himself that "Ke-Ni-Tay sign paper. Ke-Ni-Tay soldier." (thus implying that he can be trusted) we never learn why he works for the white men. At one point, however, Ke-Ni-Tay says he and Ulzana are married to sisters. He says: "His wife, ugly. My wife, not so ugly." An Aldrichism, without any meaning, just a brushstroke on the canvass. * Although Jorge Luke, who plays the Apache scout very convincingly, has appeared in numerous films, there seems to be hardly any information about the actor himself on the internet. * There are interesting parallels and differences between this fictitious account of an Apache raid and the raid depicted in the 1993 movie Geronimo, starring Wes Studi as the protagonist. Review There´s not much more to say about this masterpiece what´s not already in all the other comments. But a few years ago the german TV-station WDR restored Ulzana´s Raid and re-added about ten minutes of violence and sadism. Also the print in in an delicious widescreen format and the color and sound are cleaned up a lot. The only problem of course is the dubbing which is ridiculous at times, but thats no big deal compared to the possibility to see Ulzana in it´s full version. Get it. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
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RX_Sith Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 4/24 7:48am Subject: RE: Western Movies: Now Disc. "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" (1973)
	Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973). (from wiki) Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is a 1973 Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson. Bob Dylan, who co-starred in the film, composed multiple songs for the movie's score and the album Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid was released the same year. The film was noted for behind-the-scenes battles between Peckinpah and the production company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Soon after completion, the film was taken away from the director and substantially re-edited, resulting in a truncated version released to the theaters and largely disowned by cast and crew members. Peckinpah's director's cut was released on video in 1988, leading to a reevaluation, with many critics hailing it as a mistreated classic and one of the era's best films. Production The screenplay of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid was written by Rudy Wurlitzer and was originally intended to be directed by Monte Hellman. The two had previously worked together on the acclaimed film Two-Lane Blacktop (1971). Sam Peckinpah became involved through the actor James Coburn, who wanted to play the legendary sheriff Pat Garrett. Peckinpah believed this was his chance to make a definitive statement on the Western genre, and complete the revision he had begun with Ride the High Country (1962) and The Wild Bunch (1969). Working with Wurlitzer, he rewrote the script in order to create a more cyclical narrative, and added a prologue and epilogue depicting Garrett's own assassination at the hands of the men who hired him to kill Billy the Kid. In the original script, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid never met onscreen until the film's conclusion, and Wurlitzer reportedly resented Peckinpah's reworking of the narrative. Wurlitzer and Peckinpah had a strained relationship, and Wurlitzer would later write a book highly unfavorable to Peckinpah. After having initially considered Bo Hopkins for the part of Billy, Peckinpah eventually cast country music star Kris Kristofferson as the outlaw. Kristofferson's band would play small roles along with his then-wife Rita Coolidge. Kristofferson also brought Bob Dylan into the film. Initially hired to write the title song, Dylan eventually wrote the score and played the small role of "Alias." Peckinpah had never heard of Dylan before, but was reportedly moved by hearing Dylan play the proposed title song and hired him immediately. Among the songs written by Dylan for the film was "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," still regarded as one of rock music's most enduring anthems. Peckinpah deliberately cast his film's supporting roles with legendary Western character actors such as Chill Wills, Katy Jurado, Jack Elam, Slim Pickens, Barry Sullivan, Dub Taylor, R.G. Armstrong, Elisha Cook, Jr. and Paul Fix. Jason Robards, who had starred in Peckinpah's earlier films, the television production Noon Wine (1966) andThe Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970), had a cameo appearance. The large supporting cast also included Richard Jaeckel, Charles Martin Smith, Harry Dean Stanton, Matt Clark, L.Q. Jones, Emilio Fernández, Luke Askew and John Beck. From the beginning, the film was plagued with production difficulties. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's President James Aubrey, for economic reasons, refused to give Peckinpah the time or budget required, and forced the director to rely on local crew members in the Mexican state of Durango. Multiple technical problems, including malfunctioning cameras, led to costly reshoots. Cast and crew members also came down with influenza. Aubrey objected to several scenes he considered superfluous to the film's plot, and Peckinpah and his crew reportedly worked weekends and lunch hours in order to secretly complete the sequences. Aubrey also began to send telegrams to the set complaining about the number of camera setups Peckinpah used and the time taking to shoot specific scenes. According to the producer Gordon Carroll, the movie's set was "a battleground." Peckinpah was also plagued by alcoholism, which he would struggle with for the remainder of his life. This, combined with his clashes with Aubrey and the studio led to Peckinpah's growing reputation as a difficult, unreliable and troubled filmmaker. Reportedly, when Dylan first arrived on the set, he and Kristofferson sat down to watch dailies of the film with Peckinpah. The director was so unhappy with the footage, he angrily stood on a folding chair and urinated on the screen. Dylan looked at Kristofferson with stunned disbelief. Similar stories began to reach Hollywood, prompting Peckinpah to purchase a full-page ad in the Hollywood Reporter mocking the rumors and the brass at MGM. Hollywood producers were not amused. The film would finish 21 days behind schedule and $1.6 million over budget. Controversy Over Post-Production Controversy Over Post-Production By the time Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid was in the editing room, Peckinpah's relationship with the studio and his own producers had reached the breaking point. Aubrey, enraged by the cost and production overruns, demanded the film for an unrealistic release date. Peckinpah and his editors were forced into a desperate situation in order to finish on time. Furthermore, Aubrey still objected to several sequences in the film which he wanted removed, forcing Peckinpah to engage in protracted negotiations over the film's content. Adding to the problems, Bob Dylan had never done a feature film score before and Peckinpah's usual composer, Jerry Fielding, was unhappy with being relegated to a minor role in the scoring process. Peckinpah did complete a director's cut of the film, which was shown to critics on at least one occasion. Martin Scorsese, who had just made Mean Streets (1973), was at the screening, and praised the film as Peckinpah's greatest since The Wild Bunch. This version, however, would not see the light of day for over ten years. Peckinpah was eventually forced out of the production and Aubrey had the film severely cut from 124 to 106 minutes, resulting in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid being released in a truncated version largely disowned by cast and crew members. This version was a box-office failure and was panned by most major critics, who had harbored high expectations for the director's first Western since The Wild Bunch. The film remained something of an enigma for the next decade, with rumors flying about other versions and the nature of what had been left out of the release version. Peckinpah himself was in possession of his own director's cut, which he often showed to friends as his own definitive vision of the film. Rediscovery In 1988, Ted Turner, with distribution by MGM, released Peckinpah's director's cut of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid on video and laser disc. This version led to a rediscovery and reevaluation of the film, with many critics praising it as a lost masterpiece and proof of Peckinpah's vision as a filmmaker at this time. The film's reputation has grown substantially since this version was released, and the film has come to be regarded as something of a modern classic, equal in many ways to Peckinpah's earlier films. In 2005, a DVD of the film distributed by Warner Brothers was released containing the director's cut as well as a new special edition which combined elements of the theatrical version, the director's cut and several new scenes left out of both versions. This third version of the film runs slightly shorter than the director's cut. Cast * James Coburn as Sheriff Pat Garrett * Kris Kristofferson as William H. Bonney (Billy the Kid) * Bob Dylan as Alias * Richard Jaeckel as Sheriff Kip McKinney * Katy Jurado as Mrs. Baker * Chill Wills as Lemuel * Jason Robards as Gov. Lew Wallace * R.G. Armstrong as Deputy Sheriff Bob Ollinger * Luke Askew as Eno * John Beck as John W. Poe * Richard Bright as Holly * Matt Clark as Deputy Sheriff J.W. Bell * Rita Coolidge as Maria * Jack Dodson as Lewellen Howland * Jack Elam as Alamosa Bill / Kermit * Emilio Fernández as Paco * Paul Fix as Pete Maxwell * L.Q. Jones as Black Harris * Slim Pickens as Sheriff Colin Baker * Charlie Martin Smith as Charlie Bowdre * Harry Dean Stanton as Luke * Rutanya Alda as Ruthie Lee * Rudy Wurlitzer as O'Folliard Review Especially the director's cut, this is one of the finest Westerns ever made. Yes, Bob Dylan didn't make the best soundtrack (with the exception with the beginning music and the river music), and the studio version lacks quality, this is Sam Peckinpah at his finest since "The Wild Bunch". James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson in the title roles are excellent, especially the always great Coburn (R.I.P.). What is also great is most of the Peckinpah regulars and recognizable Western characters making a great support cast, including Chill Wills, L.Q. Jones, R.G. Armstrong, Matt Clark, Slim Pickens, Katy Jurado, Jack Elam, Harry Dean Stanton, Emilio Fernandez, Richard Jaeckel, Barry Sullivan, Dub Taylor, Elisha Cook Jr., and John Beck. Even Peckinaph has a great cameo. Bob Dylan isn't the best actor, but his character plays an important part. He represents the story teller that passes down the legend of this story to all generations. This is a film that all Peckinpah and Western fans can't miss. It's a shame Sam never lived to make another Western like this. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
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