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Author Topic: Once Upon a March in the West - 2018  (Read 20381 times)

Corndog

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Re: Once Upon a March in the West - 2018
« Reply #100 on: March 29, 2018, 08:18:24 AM »
The Gunfighter (Henry King, 1950)

A lot of what I had seen within the western genre before I embarked on this marathon involved a great deal of violence. Shootouts, outlaws, bank robberies, etc. And while the films to this point have involved at least some of these elements, there hasn't been a great mystique yet made of the outlaw and gunfighter. When I think of westerns, at least prior to this marathon, I think of the Sergio Leone films, which are certainly violent and carry a certain aura about them which is what I associate with quintessential western. We'll see whether that aura remains when I get to them here, but with 1950's The Gunfighter, we are treated not to a violent film, but certainly one which examines the legend and character of an outlaw in lawless country, the Old West.

Whenever Jimmy Ringo (Gregory Peck) rides into town, most people get scared and stay out of his way. However, there are some young bullheaded heroes who like to think they can take on the fastest gun in the west. These young cowboys usually end up dead in the dirt. After one such youth bites it, Ringo must elude his three brothers who are out to get Jimmy, whether their kid brother drew first or not. Hiding out in nearby Cayenne, Ringo runs into a familiar barkeep (Karl Malden), a friendly marshall (Millard Mitchell), and the woman he loves (Helen Westcott). With the brothers in hot pursuit, Jimmy only wants to stay in town long enough to convince Peggy that he loves her and is a changed man.

What The Gunfighter excels at is creating a character with mystique. We don't get to share in Jimmy Ringo's exploits, they've come before, we only hear of them in legend. But with the performance from Gregory Peck, we get to see the bags under his eyes, the gruff in his breath when another up and comer wishes to challenge him simply to claim he killed the fastest there ever was. Being a legend has to be tough, especially once your legacy is cemented yet you'd rather move on and retire to a simpler life. Such is the curse of Jimmy Ringo, and director Henry King captures this transition period in the life of an outlaw perfectly by using a manhunt/hideout as an exciting backdrop.

I really do want to focus on Gregory Peck for a moment too, as between this and Yellow Sky, I am really beginning to like what he has to offer in the landscape of the west. I always pegged him as a good guy, like most people probably because of his turn in To Kill a Mockingbird, but he has shown time and again so far here to make a great bad guy too, even if he is the sympathetic bad guy here. He is a star in The Gunfighter, taking command of the screen and carrying the film with his performance. I would even go so far as to rank it as one of the best lead performances thus far in the marathon. I have not taken the time as of yet to reflect on things like that yet in this journey, and perhaps I should, but his performance is what would keep bringing me back to revisit this film time and again.

But while Peck is awesome as Ringo, the scenario is unique to this marathon as well in some respects. Setting it in such a confined amount of time, and within the small town of Cayenne, brings about a natural amount of tension and excitement to the film, which is the perfect backdrop for the type of drama between Ringo and Peggy as they work out the rest of their lives. Setting is everything in a western. Certainly seeing the beautiful buttes in the desert background is what a lot of people think of, but most westerns happen in Generic Springs or in Standard Saloon. With The Gunfighter, Cayenne and the Palace Bar feel like real, lived in places. All of it comes together to make this film a complete package.

★★★ - Very Good
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Corndog

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Re: Once Upon a March in the West - 2018
« Reply #101 on: March 30, 2018, 09:16:44 AM »
Winchester '73 (Anthony Mann, 1950)

Winchester '73 brings with it quite a few firsts in this westerns marathon, and they are pretty exciting at that. First one which bears mentioning is James Stewart, who makes his first of many appearances in this westerns marathon. This one is especially delightful for me, as Jimmy Stewart is one of my favorite actors of all time. He has a unique delivery and a very compassionate manner, which will be interesting to see in this new setting. The second first is Anthony Mann, the director of the film. I've never seen any of his movies myself, but when compiling this marathon list, his is a name I saw associated with some of the more notable titles in the genre. Winchester '73 is his first appearance on the list as well, but I will get familiar with him quick, as he has a couple more in store in short order.

As Lin McAdam (James Stewart) and High Spade (Millard Mitchell) make their way into Dodge City to compete in a shooting competition, they're asked to check their guns by local marshall Wyatt Earp (Will Geer). Lin soon finds he will be competing against Dutch Henry Brown (Stephen McNally), the man he is after, in the competition. After winning the prize, a brand new Winchester rifle, Lin is accosted by Brown, but McAdam and High Spade are soon hot on their trails. But the rifle seems destined to be cursed, as it passes hands from one man in the west to another, often leaving the old owner dead on the prairie. McAdam is out for revenge one way or the other, both for Brown, who has since taken up with Waco Johnny Dean (Dan Duyrea) and taken captive Lola (Shelley Winters), as well as for the famed Winchester rifle.

A really cool aspect of Winchester '73 is the fact that the rifle itself is a character in the story. We've not yet seen a kind of vignette style approach to the western genre, and this isn't quite that, but the intersection of these characters is coincidental and fateful at the same time, making the one true constant though the entire story the rifle, as it passes through various hands. I'm not sure what the rifle represents, as "the gun that won the west". As I said most of the people who end up wielding it end up dead, so perhaps there is some cosmic justice in that since it was originally stolen from its rightful owner who had won it fair and square. I think this new perspective on how you can tell a western story is one of the film's greatest strengths though.

Another strength, unsurprisingly, is James Stewart, who is a joy to see in a cowboy hat and spurs. His performance here, and his character, toe the line of good guy in some respects, which is definitely a different angle than what I'm used to seeing from him. Lin McAdam is clearly the hero here, and an overall good guy, but to see him toting a gun, out for revenge is a change from the all-American personality of his roles in films like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and It's a Wonderful Life, the types of roles I am used to seeing him in. He delivers a performance with just the right amount of edge here as McAdam, which is both endearing and a little unsettling at the same time. He toes the line beautifully and crafts something altogether different and exciting.

Stewart is also supplemented by a wonderful surrounding cast, which includes Dan Duryea, another appearance by Millard Mitchell as a trusted companion, the always wonderful Shelley Winters, and even early roles for both Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis, not that they contribute much here. As expected, the film has its share of exciting sequences where the rifle does what it's best at. The film concludes with a well choreographed shootout, but then ends fairly abruptly, which is the most startling thing about the whole movie and threw me off. It's a nit to pick, and there are not many others. Winchester '73 is a pretty entertaining and unique western in its structure. If I had one major qualm, it'd be that I wanted to know more about and spend a little more time with this great ensemble cast.

★★★ - Very Good
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Antares

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Re: Once Upon a March in the West - 2018
« Reply #102 on: March 30, 2018, 02:29:11 PM »
I really do want to focus on Gregory Peck for a moment too, as between this and Yellow Sky, I am really beginning to like what he has to offer in the landscape of the west. I always pegged him as a good guy, like most people probably because of his turn in To Kill a Mockingbird, but he has shown time and again so far here to make a great bad guy too, even if he is the sympathetic bad guy here.

It will be interesting to read your review of The Big Country, where Peck plays the consummate "good guy", but is brilliant in it.
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Antares

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Re: Once Upon a March in the West - 2018
« Reply #103 on: March 30, 2018, 02:32:29 PM »
and even early roles for both Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis, not that they contribute much here.

But they do contribute, Hudson is comical as the Indian chief, and Curtis' one line, could have been supplanted into any generic Bowery Boys film of the time.  ;)
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Re: Once Upon a March in the West - 2018
« Reply #104 on: March 31, 2018, 10:22:02 PM »

Honky Tonk (1941)
"Is he a good doctor?"
"Sure, the best in Yellow Creek"
"He’s the only one in Yellow Creek. That means he’s the worst too."


Working at peak charisma, Clark Gable stars as a con man, ("Be careful where you spit. You might hit a sucker,") who arrives in the small town of Yellow Creek with pal Chill Wills (above, sporting a beard) aiming to use his skill to build the town up, putting himself on top. He does this by opening both a mission, run by Marjorie Main, ("You don’t look like a man who would help The Lord beat the devil to the draw.") and a saloon run by Claire Trevor that's "the only place you can be sure they cut the cards and not the liquor." Trouble and jealousy brew when he falls for the daughter (Lana Turner) of the local judge (Frank Morgan). ("They warn young ladies about men who have clean hands in a country where every honest man works.")


I hope I gave you a good sense of the film's dialogue, which is the quickest way to my heart. ("Pack yourself a bag, and when you’re packing that bag don’t put any wrong ideas into it.") Then there's the cast, who all get a chance to play off Gable, who shines in one of his best and certainly least remembered roles. I don't know if I've ever seen a film where a con man uses his tricks for the good of everyone else, (and only gets into trouble when he decides to take a piece for himself.) He has dynamite chemistry with everybody, though it's most interesting to see his different dynamics with Turner and Trevor, who are frenemies with each other.

At this point in my life there are too few allegedly great films to catch up with, so the great Discoveries are ones like this where I wonder where this film has been hiding. Trying to pinpoint the problem, I suspect it's the very routine direction by contract director Jack Conway. There isn't an interesting shot to be found, and not a scene where I see him elevating the material. In the hands of most any known director this could've easily been a Western classic.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ - Very Good

1SO

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Re: Once Upon a March in the West - 2018
« Reply #105 on: March 31, 2018, 10:45:39 PM »

My thanks once again to Sandy for being Trail Boss this month.

Here is my Ranking of the films I watched.

1.   Honky Tonk
2.   Whispering Smith
3.   Seven Ways From Sundown

4.   Go West, Young Lady
5.   Wild Bill Hickok Rides
6.   The Tall Men
7.   Viva Maria!
8.   The Man From the Alamo
9.   The Baron of Arizona
10.   Tumbleweed
11.   Monte Walsh
12.   Smoke Signal
13.   The Scalphunters

14.   The Mississippi Gambler
15.   Streets of Laredo
16.   Rachel and the Stranger
17.   Major Dundee
18.   Westbound
19.   Kansas Raiders
20.   Terror in a Texas Town
21.   Trooper Hook
22.   The Great K & A Train Robbery
23.   Circus World
24.   Gun For a Coward

25.   The King and Four Queens
26.   Across the Wide Missouri
27.   The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin
28.   Ride the Man Down
29.   The Wonderful Country
30.   Drums Across the River
31.   Shoot Out at Big Sag
32.   Oh, Susanna!
33.   Heller in Pink Tights
34.   The Kentuckian
35.   Apache


Sandy

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Re: Once Upon a March in the West - 2018
« Reply #106 on: April 02, 2018, 12:57:38 AM »
Happy to oblige! :) My apologies for being a silent pardner, but I've been reading along and have a few Westerns to add into the mix, when I get home in a few days.

Corndog

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Re: Once Upon a March in the West - 2018
« Reply #107 on: April 02, 2018, 07:13:36 AM »
My thanks once again to Sandy for being Trail Boss this month.

Echoing this sentiment! Also, I will still have a few more reviews to go up before I "finish" the month out.
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Corndog

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Re: Once Upon a March in the West - 2018
« Reply #108 on: April 03, 2018, 01:08:21 PM »
Broken Arrow (Delmer Daves, 1950)

The James Stewart Western train has just started with Winchester '73, though he also appeared in Destry Rides Again, a film from a decade previous which is what made me think Winchester was in fact his first appearance in this marathon. I loved Destry Rides Again, I really did, but I also can't help but feel like it's an outlier and the Stewart era begins now. Excuses, excuses, I know, but with how much I like the man as an actor, I should be forgiven the giddiness with which I greeted his appearance in two films out of three, after going so long without his presence gracing the Western frontier. "More Stewart!" they say. Okay, they don't say that, but they ought to. I know I say it. Has this opening paragraph been embarrassing enough for me to move on with the review? Okay, let's go ahead and do that.

Cowboys and Indians has long been a western trope, and in fact, going all the way back to my first review of this marathon, I described the seven different western tales, which includes "The Cavalry and Indians story". No cavalry here, just James Stewart as Tom Jeffords, a former military officer who happens upon an injured Apache, nursing him back to health and ingratiating himself with the leader of the Apache, Cochise (Jeff Chandler). In doing so, during a war with the Indians, Jeffords begins to act as arbiter, negotiating a peace between the Apache and white man slowly but surely, beginning by getting Cochise to agree to let mail carriers through unharmed. Spending time with the Apache, Jeffords begins to fall for a young maiden named Sonseeahray (Debra Paget), testing the limitations of acceptance of both the Apache and the white men.

There is quite a bit of unique storytelling within this film to make it noteworthy, and in interesting entry in this marathon. It tackles a few different subjects that often don't get the press they ought to deserve in this genre. First, the Native America and white man relationship, which is far too often simplified to hate and war. Here, director Delmer Daves uses nuance to depict the relationship, a tenuous affair where both parties have merit in their arguments. A compromise is needed by both parties in order to institute peace, which is a desired if not seemingly impossible outcome. The Apache are violent and ruthless, but defending their land, while the white men are often reactionary in their violence to the point where they have been conditioned to simply hate the Apache, but they infringe upon their lands as invaders. The resolution is not simple, and by telling this tale Daves is taking on an important subject in the history of the West.

The problem is that I didn't find that tale very engaging. The film has its issues, some of which are a product of the time. For instance, I couldn't help but be put off by Jeff Chandler and Debra Paget as the two main characters who are Apache. Sure, their performances are just fine, as it James Stewart's, but seeing white actors play the parts of Native Americans, caked with makeup to make them look the part, certainly raising an issue akin to black face. And yet, this practice is often overlooked when discussing the rather unfortunate practices of Hollywood in the past. They are not acting ignorant and un-human in the roles, so it could be much worse, but it is a little more than disappointing that these roles can't be filled by Native actors. An error of the past. But the relationship between Jeffords and Sonseeahray seems inappropriate too, as she is a mere maiden while Jeffords is a noticeably older man. It's the type of lusty relationship that gave me the heebie-jeebies a little bit, and it's not developed well enough for me to forgive it entirely.

I likely enjoy and appreciate this film more after exploring my thoughts on the film through this review, but the experience was not an overwhelming one. The overall story at the heart of the film is admirable, and apart from casting the Indians as white actors, the film is very sympathetic to the Native American plight and point of view, as well as featuring a nice commentary on what it means to trust people and be honorable. The color cinematography is also stunning here. There are no real fancy action scenes or dramatic camera movements, but the color is incredible and really pops. Perhaps the prettiest color photography yet seen in this marathon. Ultimately, Broken Arrow I guess just feels a little underwhelming given what's at play here. Perhaps less than the sum of its parts as it were. I think there was more I liked or appreciated about it than I disliked, as there is enough interest here to make it a film of note, even if it's not one I will jump at the opportunity to see again, but it's far from being perfect too.

★★★ - Liked It
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Antares

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Re: Once Upon a March in the West - 2018
« Reply #109 on: April 04, 2018, 05:45:17 PM »
Broken Arrow (1950) 70/100 - I can still remember the description of this film in TV Guide, many decades ago, and how it denigrated the film because Jeff Chandler was playing Cochise. It was something to the effect that, it was a good western if you could believe a blue-eyed Chandler as Cochise. Because of that description, I avoided this film completely since the days of TV Guide. But after reading the reviews here, I decided to give it a chance. First, the sight of Jeff Chandler is a bit disconcerting, especially after the countless films I've seen since, with Native Americans playing the lead roles. But you can get used to seeing him in this portrayal after a few minutes. I was more bothered by Debra Paget's role as Sonseeahray. They shot this film in 1949, and at that time, Paget was barely 17 years old. To believe that her character would fall for a white man, who was over 40 years old, was a bit too much to swallow. To be honest, there really isn't a valid reason for the romance, it just seems kind of creepy. On the positive side, this film probably was the seed that bore the fruit of future films, such as Little Big Man, A Man Called Horse and eventually, Dances with Wolves. I can't think of another western prior to this, that depicted Native Americans as more than just rifle fodder for settlers and soldiers. Another plus, is the breathtaking Technicolor cinematography. Would I put it in my top 10 westerns of all time, no. It would be hard to place it in the top 20, to be honest. But it's another solid effort for Delmer Daves, a director whom I'm gaining a lot of new found respect for, with each film I watch by him.
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