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Author Topic: This is the West, sir.  (Read 42877 times)

Dave the Necrobumper

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Re: This is the West, sir.
« Reply #30 on: January 23, 2013, 05:17:50 AM »
I will second The Proposition and recommend 3 comedy westerns Cat Ballou, Support Your Local Sheriff and They Call Me Trinity.

Antares

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Re: This is the West, sir.
« Reply #31 on: January 23, 2013, 05:43:39 PM »
Masterpiece (100-91) | Classic (90-80) | Entertaining (79-69) | Mediocre (68-58) | Cinemuck (57-21) | Crap (20-0)

Sandy

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Re: This is the West, sir.
« Reply #32 on: January 23, 2013, 05:52:14 PM »
Thanks Antares, I would love to see a movie with Audie Murphy and one that's Shane and Wilson simultaneously? An added bonus.


Dave, I can't tell you how much I love Support Your Local Sheriff, :) but I haven't seen Cat Ballou since I was a kid. I'll definitely hold onto your film recommendations.

Dave the Necrobumper

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Re: This is the West, sir.
« Reply #33 on: January 23, 2013, 09:39:38 PM »
James Garner is perfect in the role. I wouldn't be surprised if the role was written specifically for him.

Sandy

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Re: This is the West, sir.
« Reply #34 on: January 24, 2013, 11:07:45 PM »
You must be right Dave, it's tailor fit for him.

Sandy

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Re: This is the West, sir.
« Reply #35 on: January 25, 2013, 01:49:53 AM »
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon



Such a great shot but missed the very top. ??? Since the fort is at the base of the West Mitten Butte, both buttes are visible a lot. Maybe Ford thought that one shot not being perfect was okay, or maybe it's just the film to DVD transfer.





Must start with Mildred Natwick. Is there anybody on screen that is as comfortable in her own skin as she? I'm starting to formulate a Mildred Movie Marathon in my mind so that I can watch and learn. She's marvelous.

I'm settling into the cadence of the last two films. The music cues, the characters, the pacing, the scenery... It all comes together in a very pleasant movie watching experience; like a big old quilt that you get to wrap up in and put your feet up for a spell. I probably should go on to other directors for variety, but am much too content and will stay with Ford for awhile. I'm beginning to really look forward to My Darling Clementine and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, but am trying to decide if they should be kept for later to end the marathon with. I'll see how patient I can be.

Nice to see Ben Johnson and Harry Carey again, but having John Wayne at the helm is as right as rain. Even though the stakes aren't as high as The Shootist, it's reminiscent--A man faced with the end of what he knows. He knocks it out of the ball park again.




One more shot:
« Last Edit: January 25, 2013, 05:47:07 PM by Sandy »

Verite

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Re: This is the West, sir.
« Reply #36 on: January 25, 2013, 05:29:46 AM »
Sandy, I wish I had the ability to do the style of your writing in this thread.  So glad that I have so much more pieces of yours to look forward to   :)
« Last Edit: January 25, 2013, 05:35:04 AM by Verite »
"When in doubt, seduce."
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Sandy

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Re: This is the West, sir.
« Reply #37 on: January 25, 2013, 12:39:15 PM »
Whoa! What happened to TinyPic? My reviews are looking very skimpy.


Verite :)) That makes me feel so much better. Last night when I posted I thought, "I have few words."

I'd trade my writing with yours in a heartbeat, but I guess that's the whole point of this place--to enjoy other voices.

Thanks so much.

smirnoff

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Re: This is the West, sir.
« Reply #38 on: January 25, 2013, 05:17:30 PM »


Must start with Mildred Natwick. Is there anybody on screen that is as comfortable in her own skin as she? I'm starting to formulate a Mildred Movie Marathon in my mind so that I can watch and learn. She's marvelous.

First thing that came to mind when I saw that pic:

Kinda similar :)



Lemme throw a question out there for anyone reading. What would you say to rescoring some of these old westerns?

Sandy, you're as deep into the old westerns right now as anybody... how does the music hold up for you?

In my own experience the music often does as much harm to the experience as good. There's a datedness not just in the musical composition (or whatever you want to call it) but in the sound quality too. Music that is heavy on strings in particular can be REALLY piercing. The recording quality being what it was at the time, blah blah blah... I don't really care about why it sounds like it sounds... I'm asking, it were an option, would you be open to replacing it?

Take this scene from Broken Arrow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFmvW4O1DQc&t=20m14s), and listen to the music. Now in theory what's stopping a studio from stripping out the soundtrack and rerecording it with modern equipment? I'm not talking about changing the song necessarily, but just letting it sound good for a change. Would it not improve the effectiveness? It's ability to move a person? That clip from Broken Arrow could just as easily sound like this part in Open Range (music only clip, no spoilers). Would that be such a bad thing?

I watched a bunch of old westerns for one year of the retrospots and I quickly lost count of the number of scenes sabotaged by the music. I would love to hear what an ambitious composer could do with some of those films if given the change.

Thoughts?

Sandy

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Re: This is the West, sir.
« Reply #39 on: January 25, 2013, 05:43:09 PM »
Lemme throw a question out there for anyone reading. What would you say to rescoring some of these old westerns?

Sandy, you're as deep into the old westerns right now as anybody... how does the music hold up for you?

In my own experience the music often does as much harm to the experience as good. There's a datedness not just in the musical composition (or whatever you want to call it) but in the sound quality too. Music that is heavy on strings in particular can be REALLY piercing. The recording quality being what it was at the time, blah blah blah... I don't really care about why it sounds like it sounds... I'm asking, it were an option, would you be open to replacing it?

Take this scene from Broken Arrow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFmvW4O1DQc&t=20m14s), and listen to the music. Now in theory what's stopping a studio from stripping out the soundtrack and rerecording it with modern equipment? I'm not talking about changing the song necessarily, but just letting it sound good for a change. Would it not improve the effectiveness? It's ability to move a person? That clip from Broken Arrow could just as easily sound like this part in Open Range (music only clip, no spoilers). Would that be such a bad thing?

I watched a bunch of old westerns for one year of the retrospots and I quickly lost count of the number of scenes sabotaged by the music. I would love to hear what an ambitious composer could do with some of those films if given the change.

Thoughts?


You make a compelling argument. Open Range sounds fantastic, but if anyone touches Once Upon a Time in the West's music, I'll have a fit! :D

I've really enjoyed the music in the two Ford movies so far and haven't been bothered by anything yet, but will let you know as the movies start piling up. The older sound is interesting much like listening to a record with all the pops and fuzz; a product of it's time... I'm still listening to the Suite from Open Range and my words are getting less and less valid. Who wouldn't want to have that quality of sound in everything they see?

I too am interested in others' thoughts on this.
« Last Edit: January 25, 2013, 05:45:17 PM by Sandy »