Author Topic: Westerns  (Read 46136 times)

1SO

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Re: Westerns
« Reply #220 on: June 07, 2017, 12:15:09 AM »
Along Came Jones
Cooper's persona in one word would probably be taciturn, but you're right. There's a lot of comedy to him you wouldn't find in the macho attitude of John Wayne. (Can you imagine John Wayne fumbling his gun away? Never.) Cooper knew he was big and tall and comfortable on a horse. He walks in with that, but his characters are brought down by his co-stars. So far you've seen that with Jean Arthur and Walter Brennan. In Ball of Fire, Cooper's most outright comedy, it's Barbara Stanwyck who deflates him down to her size. It helps that Cooper is up against the best of the best. Here, Cooper is twisted all around by Loretta Young and Dan Duryea, who combine to be just as strong as the other three.

So few actors can match the size of Gary Cooper, which initially makes a mistaken identity plot far-fetched. Yet when Duryea is in the room with him, there is enough of a resemblance, as if Duryea puffed up or wore lifts in his boots. (The scene where they exchange clothes is a favorite of mine.)

Still, I can't get past how bad the rear projection is. I remember a review of Rio Lobo by Antares where he goes on about the clouds painted on the backdrop. I'm not a fan of Lobo, but to me if you're going to go down that road then you're going to have to fault the obviousness of stage sets on most westerns and then the whole genre isn't worth saving. I watch rear projection in movies all the time. How many films have I seen with John Wayne in a fighter jet? This film however, the projection has never been more of a distraction. They might as well be riding rocking horses.

Corndog

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Re: Westerns
« Reply #221 on: June 07, 2017, 02:59:13 PM »
Also a fun fact, it's the only film Gary Cooper produced in his career.
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1SO

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Re: Westerns
« Reply #222 on: June 07, 2017, 10:43:12 PM »
Don't Fence Me In
I was looking forward to my first toe in the waters of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. They made over two dozen features together, most of them really short. Seemed like something I could marathon over a month of breakfasts. This particular film has the title track and "Tumbling Tumbleweeds", and a marathon could also give a deep dive into the catalogue of Sons of the Pioneers. Then I watched the film.

I probably have the highest tolerance for corn around here, with my love for the 30s and 40s and films starring Crosby, Hope and Betty Hutton. I didn't know how corny corn can taste until I got a mouthful of this film, which can barely be called a film, more a cross between a sketch comedy show and high school musical theater. (I swear the musical finale was held at my school gymnasium.) You perfectly describe its charm as "worth spending time" and "more than enough time". I get the worth as in worth a look to say you got the experience, but I wouldn't even want to watch more as a Netflix series of 25min episodes, and the "plot" here could easily be broken into smaller chunks.

My impression of Roy Rogers is he seems nice enough, but also naively a man out of time. That's something that could work if he acknowledged his old fashioned qualities, which I frequently see in Bing and James Stewart. Instead, Rogers pulls everyone else into his mindset without question, which may be hard for me to go along with. You feel the pull with Dale Evans, who is initially more sophisticated and more worldly before going native. Evans reminds me of Ginger Rogers minus the dancing.

There's a 1940 western called Dark Command, which puts Rogers in the company of John Wayne, Claire Trevor and Walter Pidgeon. Under the direction of Raoul Walsh he gets to play it very dark, but still isn't memorable against the rest of the cast.

Corndog

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Re: Westerns
« Reply #223 on: June 08, 2017, 07:31:32 AM »
Glad we agree on this one. As I said in my review, I feel good about having seen a Roy Rogers film in my marathon. He's oddly one of those names that I seem to know for one reason or another, and yet looking at his filmography and overarching status within the genre, I'm not exactly sure why.
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Corndog

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Re: Westerns
« Reply #224 on: June 09, 2017, 09:29:16 AM »
The Virginian (Stuart Gilmore, 1946)

Not even 50 films into my trek West and I feel I've already mentioned how limited the array of stories there are to be told within the frontier landscape. That fatigue will be never ending from here on out, but with The Virginian, we have the first occurrence of a re-make within the marathon. In fact it's the second time it was remade, or rather the third time it was adapted from the novel by Owen Wister. And it would go on to become a long running television series as well. The last time we checked in with the famed cowboy, The Viginian was Gary Cooper in one of the first early sound films in 1929 (with the first adaptation a silent film not reviewed for this marathon and directed by Cecil B. DeMille). This time the story gets updated again, this time with technicolor!

For those familiar with the story already, nothing has changed. Molly (Barbara Britton) is a young woman from back east who is arriving into Medicine Bow, Wyoming to be the new schoolteacher. There she is encountered by a couple cowboy suitors, including a man known only as The Virginian (Joel McCrea) and his old friend Steve (Sonny Tufts), who has just recently returned to civilization from treks out West. The town of Medicine Bow is friendly enough, but The Virginian soon finds himself at odds with Steve, who has taken up with Trampas (Brian Donlevy), a questionable cattle rancher whom The Virginian suspects may have something to do with the recent cattle rustling in the area.

Even though technicolor has been an available technology for a number of the past films in this marathon, it's rarely utilized (and I expect that trend to continue). The technicolor here is a welcome change within the marathon. I always felt like the western landscape was perfectly suited for color, and while the cinematography here is not overwhelming, it enhances the experience. Unfortunately the differences between the Gary Cooper version and this one end there. The story is bang on the same, and I would even say the performances are similarly impressive.

Joel McCrea is a solid star, but isn't quite Gary Cooper. When comparing the performances, Cooper struggles to transition from silent to sound at first, but his presence and charisma still oozes off the screen as The Virginian. Joel McCrea on the other hand is just ever so slightly behind him in charisma. But what the 1946 version of The Virginian  does better is the all around ensemble. Stuart Gilmore's film feels much more polished and focused than the 1929 version. Brian Donlevy and Barbara Britton are perfect compliments to McCrea, who doesn't shy away from being the star.

I will admit that seeing the exact same story again was slightly boring and taxing on my attention, but it's still a classic story, and one which is delivered quite well from the ensemble. As is evident in the above paragraphs, it's impossible for me to separate the two versions in my mind, which is to my own detriment. But the Joel McCrea led version is a solid western from start to finish which doesn't find any pitfalls, but rather smoothly progresses through the familiar story in a leisurely, but precise pace making The Virginian an easy film to sit through, even if it won't wow you or be a film remembered by the end of my trek West.

*** - Good
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1SO

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Re: Westerns
« Reply #225 on: June 09, 2017, 09:45:44 AM »
I had to hunt for my review of The Virginian to refresh my memory. I now present it in it's entirety.


The Virginian
Joel McCrea romances the new school marm in this boring romantic western.
RATING: * *
Worth mentioning for Brian Donlevy's work as the bad guy. I now realize he's in the same class as Dan Duryea, a great weasel who can also stretch into good guy roles now and then. This year alone I've seen him in...
Hangmen Also Die (Film-Noir hero)
Canyon Passage (Western weasel)
The Great McGinty (Preston Sturges Comedy)
Birth of the Blues (musical)

Good news is that your next film is one of my favorites, and perhaps my favorite Western ensemble aside from Destry Rides Again.

Joel McCrea will never be Gary Cooper, but he presents himself better in his Jacques Tourneur westerns.

Corndog

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Re: Westerns
« Reply #226 on: June 13, 2017, 11:40:44 AM »
Canyon Passage (Jacques Tourneur, 1946)

When assembling the list for this marathon, Canyon Passage was consistently a title that kept popping up, recommended by more than a few people. I wasn't sure why, I had never heard of it and knew very little about it. With 40 other Westerns under my belt at this point, I do recognize some of the names here: Dana Andrews, Brian Donlevy, Andy Devine, etc. but what is it that makes this particular western so special? What I found was a wonderful change of pace. Something so different and so refreshing that I was able to put my feet up and absolutely enjoy this film from start to finish. It easily reminded me why I started out on this wagon trail in the first place. Thus far, Canyon Passage is among my favorite films I have seen for this marathon. I expect it will stay in that conversation as we continue as well.

To start, this is not a dusty western. It takes place in Oregon, where there are beautiful forests and consistent rainfall. Enterprising businessman Logan (Dana Andrews) comes to Portland to help escort Lucy Overmire (Susan Hayward), who is engaged to Logan's friend and compulsive gambler George (Brian Donlevy), home to Jacksonville, Oregon. Along the way, they encounter the Dance family (Andy Devine) and Logan's girl Caroline (Patricia Roc). But once they reach Jacksonville, George goes into debt and finds himself in hot water after he takes his customer's gold to finance his gambling problem, Logan's foe Honey Bragg (Ward Bond) is still after him, and Logan finds himself stuck between the two women he loves, Lucy and Caroline. Devout to his friend, Logan must navigate the trouble and find a way to keep living his free, nomadic lifestyle.

Canyon Passage surprised me, in the best possible way. It surprised me because while there is conflict, it doesn't seem to play a central role, while there is romance, it doesn't seem to play a central role. It felt like a slice of life, frontier western, covering what it would have been like for a normal person living in Oregon in the 1850s. Life comes with conflict, life (hopefully) comes with romance. Here these things which are typically main plot drivers are just things that happen, things that are there. We get to enjoy Hoagy Carmichael sing us a song, and Andy Devine be jolly and friendly. The cast is a true ensemble, as I've already mentioned a number of actors. They work so well together, and while Dana Andrews plays the lead, everybody gets involved and no one feels underdeveloped.

We get the little things in life and that makes it such a different and welcoming western. You don't often get to see that style at play. I mentioned in my last review of The Virginian the use of technicolor photography, which is still rare in films of this time. It pops up again here and is as lush and beautiful as you would expect frontier Oregon to look. I couldn't imagine what this film would look like in black & white, and the forest and sense of space and beauty really enhances the experience along with the style of story being told.

The community of Jacksonville feels like the story, above all else. We explore the dynamic between citizens, relationships, the climate and terrain. There is a tremendous wedding/cabin raising scene which is full of joy and togetherness which helps illustrate the sense of community here, and how important that aspect of frontier life was. It ends in an unsavory way, which only further goes to show both the wonders and dangers of living on the frontier. Slice of life really is the phrase here, which is what draws me so closely to this film. As a major history buff, especially about this time period, the social history that this film depicts feels like comfort food. It's different. It's good. It's worth checking out.

***1/2 - Great
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1SO

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Re: Westerns
« Reply #227 on: June 13, 2017, 11:48:44 PM »
I'm going to start with a Big Picture progress Report. So far you've watched 4 of my Western Essentials: Destry Rides Again, The Westerner, The Ox-Bow Incident and Canyon Passage. Of those 4, Canyon ranks 2nd, behind Destry. According to IMDB, Canyon is the least popular (1389 Ratings), which I can only attribute to poor dvd distribution. Hopefully, last years Blu-Ray release can help fix this because it's a movie whose beauty only shines brighter on Blu-Ray, and it's one of the easiest Buried Treasures I can recommend.

By being a slice of life, it manages to fit in everything anybody could want from the genre, from the fights to the music to the performances. The cast runs very deep, and like you said everyone gets enough time and enough to do. With Ox-Bow you wrote "The cast is also fairly universally strong, including enough meat for each character to care," something that fits here too. (Destry also has one of my favorite ensembles, though they're playing more in a limited comedic vein.) The line you wrote that sticks out to me most is "I was able to put my feet up and absolutely enjoy this film from start to finish." It's something I find works just as well on re-watches, where I can explore different themes or pay more attention to different side characters.

This is the first of 3 Jacques Tourneur westerns in your marathon. Interested to see where each one lands with you. For most, Stars in My Crown is his best. The look and feel of Canyon Passage is nothing like his others, which are more regular westerns, but they all have a great sense of a western town that must share their hardships and accept their setbacks as a community. I'm still hoping the quality of the other two will persuade you to add Stranger on Horseback (1955).

Sandy

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Re: Westerns
« Reply #228 on: June 13, 2017, 11:55:08 PM »
Just want to pipe in and say, I'm really glad you liked this one, Corndog! :)

Corndog

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Re: Westerns
« Reply #229 on: June 14, 2017, 07:08:36 AM »
I'm going to start with a Big Picture progress Report. So far you've watched 4 of my Western Essentials: Destry Rides Again, The Westerner, The Ox-Bow Incident and Canyon Passage.

Glad we've agreed on pretty much everything so far in this marathon!

I'm still hoping the quality of the other two will persuade you to add Stranger on Horseback (1955).

Keep reminding me!

Just want to pipe in and say, I'm really glad you liked this one, Corndog! :)

Thanks Sandy!
"Time is the speed at which the past decays."