Reviews (93)

"You Just Keep Thinking, Butch...!"
This film truly deserves the description of being a "Classic." Paul Newman and Robert Redford (in the company of Director George Roy Hill and a particularly appealing Katharine Ross), take the history of the bloodthirsty "Hole-in-the-Wall Gang," and turn it into an affectionate cinematic portrayal of male bonding and cultural change.

Taking place at the end of the 19th century, Butch and Sundance are, as veteran actor Jeff Corey, playing a sympathetic sheriff and accidental existentialist, snarls, "two-bit outlaws on the dodge!" They spend much of the movie dodging a posse hired to hunt them down and kill them in the wake of a series of amusing train robberies. The location shooting of their escape is breathtakingly beautiful.

Ultimately, they have to flee the closing frontier, and end up in Bolivia, which is portrayed as a kind of low-rent version of the Old West. Their trip to South America is an intermezzo, done in sepia tint, focusing on their stay in New York, which, with its (relatively) modern conveniences, underscores how anachronistic their lifestyle has become.

Their inability to rob banks in Bolivia without using Spanish-language crib sheets is both hilarious and touching, a kind of paradigm of cultural and technological dislocation.

In keeping with its 1969 release date, the film has a strong antiestablishment cant to it: Authority is faceless, unyielding, and, mostly, inept. It is telling that Butch and Sundance kill no one until they "go straight" as payroll guards. Their criminal lifestyle is romanticized as a kind of "On The Road" on horseback. That this doesn't offend the audience is a measure of how fine this movie is. The warmth and humor overcome both the moral relativity of the characters and their sad ending.

Newman and Redford are wonderful together as the affable outlaws. Newman's Butch is a charming, flaky visionary who is trying desperately to cling to the past. When confronted with the new alarms and teller's cages at a favorite bank, he dismisses the guard's explanation of, "People kept robbing us" with a wistful, "It's a small price to pay for beauty."

As Butch says: "The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles!" In a sense: the Western Outlaw was succeeded by "Public Enemy Number One" when cars succeeded horses, and train and bank robberies became Federal crimes. "Your times is over!," Jeff Corey insists, and he's right.

Redford plays Sundance as the stylish straight man, never quite falling prey to Butch's dreams, but never able to dismiss them utterly: "You just keep thinking, Butch, that's what you're best at!" The onscreen chemistry between Newman and Redford is so palpable that although they only made two films together ("The Sting" in 1973 is a modernized version of "Butch & Sundance"), they can easily be considered one of the finest comedy duos ever, anywhere. The dialogue between them is banter between two very good, very old, very comfortable, friends. Maybe there was a script involved, too.

"Butch and Sundance" may be short on facts, but it speaks a kind of truth for which facts are not needed.

Newman & Redford's First Film Together
Paul Newman and Robert Redford are two of the biggest movie stars of all time. They are also the best of friends and that friendship shines through on their first film together, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid. The film is set in the old west, but it has a definite 60's feel to it. Butch and Sundance are anti-heroes who defy the "establishment" by robbing trains. Finally the train company gets fed up and sends an elite team of bounty hunters to track them down. This inspires the film's classic catchphrase, "who are those guys" as Butch & Sundance can't shake their pursuers. The film has a light comical side to it as Mr. Newman is at his charming best as Butch and Mr. Redford elicits laughs as the uptight Sundance. Katherine Ross provides a pretty diversion as Sundance's beautiful schoolteacher girlfriend, Etta Place. Mr. Newman & Mr. Redford are instantly likable in the lead roles and you can feel their real affinity for one another come through in the film. The movie was a major box office hit and won and William Goldman won an Oscar for his crisp and witty script and But Bacarach and Hal David won an Oscar for the film's theme song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" which B.J. Thomas took to number one in late 1969.

Style and Substance
I remember seeing this movie at the cinema as a kid (many years ago)and being knocked out by how COOL Redford and Sundance were. You know the scene in Blues Brothers, the doorway of the transient mens refuge and the rocket launcher, and they just get up, brush themsleves off, music resumes and go on as if nothing happened. That cool. And so when they get to the stage of being concerned "who ARE those guys" we have substance for the actions they take afterwards. Now watching this movie on DVD with my kids, they didn't get enraptured as I did at their age. As you might guess, not enough action for their generation - and yet, when there is action, it plays with as much emotion as the best of hollywood today. A tremendous cast delivering a tremendous performance, this will always be one of my favorite movies.

Sticks pretty well to historical fact
For one when Butch and sundance are being chased up the mountain by the posse Butch mentions Joe LaFors (sp?). I checked a while ago. LaFors really existed as a lawman at the time. But Etta Place (Kathryn Ross)though she really existed was actually not a school teacher. More likely she was a prostitute.

Butch & the Kid
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is one of the best movies (if not the best!!!) I have ever seen. The action, the interplay and the chemistry between the 2 leading stars (Newman, Redford) is like "poetry in motion". The action is non-stop, as well as the comedy, especially of Newman. Even though there is quite a bit of violence throughout the movie, I would recommend that everyone buy the video!!! ... Read more

Description

Legendary producer-director Howard Hawks teams with two equally legendary stars, John Wayne and Robert Mitchum, in this classic Western drama. Mitchum plays to perfection an alcoholic but gutsy sheriff who relentlessly battles the dark side of the wild West, ruthless cattle barons and crooked "businessmen." The Duke gives an equally adept performance as the sheriff's old friend who knows his way around a gunfight. Filled with brawling action and humor, El Dorado delivers the goods. James Caan and Ed Asner co-star.Ranking with Stagecoach as one of the greatest of its genre, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is the modern-day Western to beat all Westerns. John Ford, whose very name is synonymous with "Westerns," directed the ideal cast. Jimmy Stewart plays the bungling but charming big-city lawyer determined to rid the fair village of Shinbone of its number one nuisance and Bad Man: Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). And as if all that weren't enough, the biggest star that ever aimed a six-shooter plays the Man of the title: John Wayne. Super-sincere Stewart and rugged rancher Wayne also share the same love interest (Vera Miles). One gets the gunman but the other gets the gal.Afflicted with a terminal illness, John Bernard Brooks (John Wayne), the last of the legendary gunfighters, quietly returns to Carson City for medical attention from his old friend Dr. Hostetler (James Stewart). Aware that his days are numbered, the troubled man seeks solace and peace in a boarding house run by a widow (Lauren Bacall) and her son (Ron Howard). However, it is not Brook's fate to die in peace, as he becomes embroiled in one last valiant battle.Katie Elder bore four sons. The day she is buried they all return home to Clearwater, Texas, to pay their last respects. John Wayne is the eldest and toughest son, the gunslinger. Tom (Dean Martin) is good with a deck of cards and good with a gun when he has to be. Matt (Earl Holliman) is the quiet one - nobody ever called him yellow...twice. Bud (Michael Anderson, Jr.) is the youngest. Any hope for respectability lies with him. Directed by Henry Hathaway (True Grit), an acknowledged master of the Western, the story has a dual theme: not only is this a he-man's story, but it is also a drama of the maternal influence of Katie Elder, movingly portrayed from beginning to conclusion.In 1970, John Wayne won an Academy Award. for his larger-than-life performance as the drunken, uncouth and totally fearless one-eyed U.S. Marshall, Rooster Cogburn. The cantankerous Rooster is hired by a headstrong young girl (Kim Darby) to find the man who murdered her father and fled with the family savings. When Cogburn's employer insists on accompanying the old gunfighter, sparks fly. And the situation goes from troubled to disastrous when an inexperienced but enthusiastic Texas Ranger (Glen Campbell) joins the party. Laughter and tears punctuate the wild action in this extraordinary Western which features performances by Robert Duvall and Strother Martin. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

You can't go wrong with THIS package!
Individually, these five movies range from three stars to five stars, but as a package, I give it FIVE STARS. Watch them in chronological order and you see the Duke evolve from 50's Hollywood "tough guy" to legendary leading man in his final film. The man truly had more depth as an actor than the medium of the 50's allowed him to show. In 1976 he was finally given a vehicle to give us everything he had, even though he truly was dying of cancer.

A great collection of John Wayne's Westerns
This splendid collection of John Wayne's Westerns is a must-have for any fan or would-be fan of John Wayne (if you don't have these films already, that is). It contains some of the Duke's best movies, at an affordable price and in an attractive packaging. All of these movies are great:

THE SHOOTIST was the Duke's last film, and is truly a door-closing sort of movie. It is a fitting end to a very long and very great career. Wayne plays an old, dying gunfighter who is ready to hang up his guns but just cannot be left alone to die in peace.

THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER: Wayne stars as John Elder, the eldest son of a woman named Katie who has just died. John and his three younger brothers (one of them played by Dean Martin) return to their hometown to mourn their mother and to set things right with the people who wronged her.

TRUE GRIT: Old, fat, and ornery. That describes Rooster Cogburn (played by Wayne) as well as anything. Duke one an Oscar for his performance in this film. Truly, this is a unique character for Wayne, and a good film.

EL DORADO: This is one of my favorite of Duke's movies. He plays a gunfighter-turned-deputy, and fights to aid his alchoholic friend (the sheriff) of a gang of outlaws infesting the town. Features James Caan in a great performance as 'Mississippi.'

THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALLANCE: Wayne stars opposite James Stewart in this John Ford classic. Wayne's character (Tom Doniphan) is a rancher/gunman whose noble spirit saves the life of a young lawyer (Stewart) come to bring 'order' to the small territorial town of Shinbone.

These are five great films by the Duke, three of them (Liberty Vallance, the Shootist, El Dorado) among the Duke's best (in my opinion), and all of them very enjoyable. This box set makes a great addition to any home DVD library.

Fair, Good, Great and near-Great
I received this set as a Christmas gift. I am pleased to now own a DVD version of "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" which is my favorite Western and "True Grit" which previously held that personal title. I was also happy to own "The Shootist" which ranks as a near-great Wayne movie. I will enjoy "The Sons of Katie Elder" a time or two again but I am disappointed that "El Dorado" couldn't have been replaced by the better movie it copied; "Rio Bravo". This is, of course, the problem with movie "sets". I'm not sure whether the person or persons who put these collections together include lesser movies in order to market them better or whether they really think that they're in the same class as the others. What would have been hard to top would have been "Red River" replacing "The Sons of Katie Elder" along with the aforementioned switch to "Rio Bravo". Oh well, at least it didn't include "Rio Lobo".

THE DUKE IS THE GREATEST EVER!
There never has been and never will be again a movie star like John Wayne. Miles above everyone else. These are five of his greatest films, including his Oscar-winning role as "Rooster Cogburn" in "True Grit", and his last film "The Shootist", for which he should have won an Oscar and which Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly calls "The best western I've ever seen." Highly recommended. ... Read more

Description

The railroad's got to run through the town of Rock Ridge.How do you drive out the townfolk in order to steal their land?Send in the toughest gang you've got...and name a new sheriff who'll last about 24 hours.But that's not really the plot of Blazing Saddles, just the pretext.Once Mel Brooks' lunatic film many call it his best gets started, logic is lost in a blizzard of gags, jokes, quips, puns, howlers, growlers and outrageous assaults upon good taste or any taste at all.Cleavon Little as the new lawman, Gene Wilder as the wacko Waco Kid, Brooks himself as a dimwitted politico and Madeline Kahn in her Marlene Dietrich send-up that earned an Academy Award nomination all give this sagebrush saga their lunatic best.And when Blazing Saddles can't contain itself at the finale, it just proves the Old West will never be the same! ... Read more

Reviews (207)

The Quintessential Comedy Movie
I love this movie! From the opening scene, where Cleavon Little sings the negro work song, "I Get a Kick Outta You", ala Nat King Cole, and he is corrected by the white men shoing him how to sing "Camptown Ladies", to the absurd surrealist ending (when was the last time you've seen a movie burst out of the movie, this is beautiful comedy.

Sight gags flying by at the speed of light, you will have to watch it hundreds of times to get them all, one liners that would make the Marx Brothers proud ("Bart, I heard you was hung." "You heard right!) This is absurdist comedy at is best (A toll booth on the William J LaPetomaine Freeway). The Mel Brooks choreography is wonderful when Lili Von Schtup sings "I'm Tired." When was the last time you saw German Soldiers tango with their rifles. This movie is filled frame to frame with humor, and no one gets away not insulted (Okay, we'll take the Irish too!)

The cast was perfection, either just over the top, or way over the top Harvey Korman is hilarious as the nefarious Hedley Lamarr. Cleavon Little is fantastic as he makes fun of his own stereotypes, it is absolutely one of the funniest movies ever made by humans on the planet earth.

Until a Special Edition comes along ...
... this will have to do. But that ain't all bad.

Politically incorrect and loving it, "Blazing Saddles" holds up as a comedy nearly 30 years after its release, and maybe even has gotten funnier as Americans get more uptight. Heaven help us if we lose our ability to laugh at the outrageous.

And while the bathroom humor (and the campfire scene) gets all the notice, there are some very subtle jokes in the film, such as the "laurel and hardy handshake" and "Thank you, Van."

As for extras ... there's not much. A trailer, both widescreen and cropped versions, and an monologue by Mel Brooks that plays over the first half of the movie. It's not scene-specific, but it's worth listening to. For instance, Gene Wilder wasn't even supposed to be in the movie. To find out who was, and why Wilder got the part ... listen to the interview.

This film cries out for a special edition. A scene-specific commentary by Brooks and co-writers Andrew Bergman and Richard Pryor. A making-of documentary. The scenes that were edited into the TV version of the movie (like the diving scene and the governor's visit to the fake Rock Ridge)...

Tasteless But Funny
Plays like an ennactment of one of those tasteless joke books set to a Western theme. Not for everyone. Even fans of this sort of thing have to be in a certain mood.

The funniest western ever made
Cleavon Little plays a black railroad worker condemend to death for assaulting his white foreman. At the last minute he is reprieved by the governor who has the devious idea of making him sheriff of Rock Ridge, a town the governor wants destroyed so they can run the railroad through the area, he thinks a black sheriff will finish the town off. When Little arrives in Rock Ridge he is nearly lynched by the outratged inhabitants but manages to outwit them. Safe in the sheriff's office, he finds the town drunk (Gene Wilder) just waking up in the cells, and they strike up a friendship. Together they set about the task of winning over the folk of Rock Ridge ("simple, wholesome, country folk - you know, morons" as Wilder says), and trying to save the town from destruction. This blissfuly funny film is packed with hilarious episodes. There's the wonderful scene where Little, asked to sing a negro song, obliges with 'I get a kick out of you', the scene where he arrives in Rock Ridge, there's Madelein Khan's hilarious Marlene Dietrich impersonation, the wonderful scene where Little and Wilder infiltrate the baddies' gang disguised as Klu Klux Klan members, and my favourite scene of all, the bit where the townsfolk, asked to give some land to the minority groups who are to help them build the fake town, reply "All right, we'll give some land to the niggers and the chinks, but we DON'T want the irish!" The film is utterly delightful, with hilarious performances from all concerned. There's just one thing that I wonder about. Cleavon Little is such a wonderful comic actor, not to mention being drop-dead gorgeous as well, why has so little been seen of him since this film was made? Never mind, if you're only going to be famous for one film, this is a great one to be remembered for.

Even the "Making-of" was recycled!
Five stars for the movie itself as well as the presentation. The movie looks and sounds great.

BUT--- as noted by many, the "30th Anniversary Edition" supplements are basically a hack job. This is easily one of the most influential comedies of all-time, it deserved to really be given the Special Edition treatment.

The "Commentary" is not a traditional commentary at all; not only is it simply the audio from a 55 minute interview with Brooks, it was issued on the previous dvd. This has been mentioned by many reviewers.

What hasn't been as well-reported is that even the half-hour retrospective doc has been recycled. The "Back in the Saddle" program, which is admittedly a decent if unspectacular show, was previously issued on the 2001 VHS edition! Basically, this featurette was issued on the 27th Anniversary video cassette release. Yes, this is the first time it has appeared on dvd, but still a rather lazy choice.

The "Additional Scenes" are, somewhat annoyingly, not accessible scene-by scene. They play as one approx. 10-minute piece. These scenes were added to the TV broadcast version. It's nice to have them, though most of them are shown in the "Back in the Saddle" featurette.

The only other significant supplement is the "Black Bart" pilot episode. This 24-minute show is a real curiousity, a great archival piece even though the show itself is excruciatingly BAD. Still, its interesting viewing, and very easy on the eyes. This show, quite simply, looks amazing! Very well preserved.

There are a couple other bits, like the trailer and an excerpt from a Madeline Kahn documentary (only about 4 minutes or so).

Really, all things considered, Warner really dropped the ball on the supplementals for this edition. The movie itself looks fantastic and the new 5.1 mix isn't anything special but it sounds better than the old disc. The movie is what really counts, and in that area the presentation can hardly be faulted. But in the end, they didn't actually produce any NEW supplemental material for this set. ... Read more

Reviews (67)

Wild Horses
The rural grazing life in the Snowy Mountains has hardly changed since Banjo Paterson traveled the high country and wrote his famous "Man from Snowy River" poem. His poetry is an authentic voice of a frontier society in which song and campfire recitation were much appreciated entertainment.

"And the Snowy River riders on the mountains make their home,
Where the river runs those giant hills between;
I have seen full many horsemen since I first commenced to roam,
But nowhere yet such horsemen have I seen."

Andrew Barton Paterson was born in New South Wales and was the son of a Scottish immigrant. Paterson was a poet, journalist, lawyer, jockey, soldier, farmer and one of the best-loved figures of Australian literature. His poem is the basis for this gorgeous movie about the treacherous terrain and bands of wild, stampeding horses. He also wrote Waltzing Matilda, which is lovingly woven into the soundtrack.

The Man from Snowy River Movie tells a more in depth story of a cattle baron Mr. Harrison (Jessica's father) who has had a long quarrel with his brother Spur. Kirk Douglas plays both roles. When one brother finds his fortune, the second goes searching for gold. This is a story based on a time when families tended their sheep and cattle. Ghost towns from the gold rush still haunt the landscape.

Set against the untamed Australian Outback, a love story unfolds between Jessica Harrison ( Sigrid Thornton) and Jim Craig (Tom Burlinson). Jim seems to have a way with horses and Jessica is a bit of a brash filly herself.

She has her own ideas regarding a woman's choices in life and choosing the path she will take in her own career. She defies her father and runs off to find Jim. Her anger towards Jim over a horse riding accident is like a summer storm that quickly disappears once she experiences the excitement of forbidden love.

Her father, Mr. Harrison, has not yet learned that there is a beautiful place inside each person where we are either nurtured or destroyed. He seems emotionally destructive and Jessica rebels because he won't let her follow any of her dreams. He seeks to trap her in his own wishes and thinks she should settle down into a domestic lifestyle.

Jim and Jessica are soul mates with hearts as wild as the horses running free through the snow. While at first they fight their mutual attraction, Jessica seems clearer in her thinking after she almost dies and realizes there are just some things in life worth fighting for.

Equestrian Heaven with an impressive conclusion! You must see this movie once in your life if you love horses. The wide-screen edition is highly recommended!

What's Not To Like...??
"NEVER CRY WOLF"..."FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX"..."THE ENLGLISH PATIENT"...

...all, cinematic and character delights - as you will find "THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER"...

Technically a "10", this Aussie (and World) classic, may leave you none-the-less breathless. George Miller's direction, Cull Cullen's script (enhanced by John Dixon and David Bradshaw's, "A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson", whose original poem is the essense of the film), Keith Wagstaff's absolutely stunning cinematography and Bruce Rowland's original and heart-tugging music (particularly, the piano solo, "Jessica's Theme") may bring tears to your eyes with this simple, Down-Under western plot -- but it took a world-class editor like Adrian Carr to put this gorgeous film into the top ranks of movie-watchers the globe over. Carr's timing of Wagstaff's photography and Rowland's music is the stuff legends are made of...just, dare I say it, "Professional Grade"(!)
It didn't hurt to have a made-to-order cast. Burlinson is quietly, and wonderfully, cast as the young male hero, "Jim Craig." Kirk Douglas hasn't played a better role - and, as a double. Terence Donovan played the quietly strong, short-lived role as Burlinson's father, "Henry." Sigrid Thornton was exemplary and believable as Tom's love interest, "Jessica" (the woman is beautiful) and the venerable Jack Thompson was magnificent as "Clancy" - the range-wise, "horse-magician" glue that holds the whole film together.
The subtle British humour Americans are so used to is sometimes raucous in the film - more the better from Chris Haywood's
"Curly" (..."Ah'm studyin' to be Supavisa!").
If you can't get an empathetic rise and a teardrop over the cornea through this wonderfully crafted epic, then pop-a-top from a 12 oz. curl of your favorite brew, pull back the handle on your Lazy-Boy and turn on the Wrestling Channel...you dolt.

Filmed in 1982, it's still a true classic 22 years later.

~Bob Shank Jr

Technical Support Engineer
IT UNIX Help Desk
Engineering Computing
Raytheon Missile Systems Co.
Tucson By-God Arizona (...and, yes, we still have true 'horsemen' here - they just blacksmith Tomahawk missiles in their spare time)

Great movie, with beautiful music and scenery!!
I was only nine years old when this movie came out, and I have loved it ever since I first saw it in the theater. I am a horse lover and rider myself, and so I'm sure that's a big part of why this movie is one of my favorites, but I think even people who have never even been around horses can appreciate it. The acting is excellent, and the scenes with the horses galloping across the gorgeous Australian countryside, are wonderful. One of my favorite things about it is the music. The music is some of the most beautiful I've ever heard. The soundtrack is definitely one of the highlights of the film. And of course, I can't forget one of the most incredible scenes I've ever seen in any horse movie, which is where Tom Burlinson gallops his horse down an unbelievably steep mountainside. My family and I have always wondered if this was actually done by a stunt rider, or if it involved trick photography. Either way, it is a very impressive scene, and will leave you in complete awe. This will always be on my list of all-time favorite films, and I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the Western-type genre, or anyone who loves horses.

My All-time Favorite
I first saw The Man From Snowy River when I was 8 years old and now that I'm 23, it's still my most favorite movie. I've probably watched it close to a thousand times by now, with every line memorized. There is not a single thing about this movie that's not amazingly beautiful, and the sequel is just as good--if not better, then the first! I would absolutely recommend this movie to anyone looking for some good, wholesome entertainment!

Twenty years later, this movie is still an Aussie classic
I remember seeing this with my girlfriends in the theatre, and then buying my first vcr so I could watch this film everyday. The cinematography is gorgeous. The music is haunting and beautiful. Tom Burlinson and Sigrid Thornton make a great romantic team, and Jack Thompson is wonderful as Clancy. All of the actors fit their roles except for Kirk Douglas. It really shows that a "big name star" had to be used to get this picture made. Kirk Douglas insisted on re-writing many of his lines, and refused to step off his horse with the entire cast at the end of the movie in homage to The Man From Snowy River. The entire end scene had to be re-written. Little wonder that Brian Dennehey was cast in the role in the sequel. Enjoy both the original and the sequel. And be sure to get the soundtracks. Bruce Rowland created two of the best movie scores you will ever hear. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Tom Selleck shows a harder side of his persona as a disillusioned Confederate who returns home in the waning days of the Civil War in this adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel. His wife, Suzy Amis, isn't ready to forgive him for leaving his family behind for the "adventure" of war, and his children hardly remember him. Haunted by his actions in the war and caught in a power struggle in the Arizona territory, Selleck's soul-scarred survivor makes a last stand to protect the only thing left that matters to him--his homestead and his family. The film has its share of gunfights, showdowns, conspiracies, and Civil War rivalries, and even a runaway stagecoach, but its power lies in the somber exploration of how misunderstandings and conflicts tear at a marriage during such a volatile time, when ideals are set against duty to family. Director Dick Lowry's lean style makes the most of the gorgeous landscapes, and he creates a strong dramatic tension in the bubbling undercurrent between Selleck, who leaves behind the jovial character of his Louis L'Amour Westerns for a man hardened and embittered by war, and Amis, an excellent actress who brings to life a woman who shoots, speaks her mind, and harbors resentment just as well as any brooding male hero. Keith and David Carradine costar as Union wranglers who hold a grudge against the Confederate veteran. One of the most mature TV Westerns ever made. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (5)

One of the Best Westerns Made
I must say, this is one of my favorite Westerns of all time.Sort of like "Shane", it is full of emotion, and mood.When Cable comes home from the "Struggle", his wife is still resentful of his leaving her and the children, even though they had heard he had been killed. I love Harry Cary Jr's line, "Well I'll Bow" when he sees Cable riding up. And Cable's comment to his wife, I don't want to live with someone that doesn't like me, "I'll take you back to Texas if you want".Their struggle with their relationship, and the local Union Sympathizers is a great tale.I recommend this movie to all.Very true to life.Good Acting, Great Story.

Tom Selleck is the next John Wayne!
And I do not say that lightly. This is a one of his finest works. One I prefer over Monte Walsh ( 4 stars ). This is a gritty movie without all of the Hollywood enhancements. Coming back from the war, Cable finds himself disillusioned with the Confederacy cause, but ready to start his life fresh. But he finds it's not easy to start where he left off, due to Union loyalist and Confederate sympathizers. His primary problem comes from his own wife, who has her own issue with him leaving the family to go off to war and has yet to forgive him. This is a keeper. I hope Tom keeps up the great work!

Can't Wait for the DVD!
The television Westerns starring Tom Selleck are among the best of the genre. I think of them all, Last Stand at Saber River is my favorite. It's a great if simple story, but one so well done you can't help but enjoy the film. Selleck is superb as a cowboy and I hope he and the TNT network continue to team for more. The period accuracy is excellent, the variety of arms refreshing for any gun enthusiast. A wholehearted thumbs-up for Last Stand at Saber River!

Selleck rules the modern western
After reviewing Last Stand this week, and having thoroughly enjoyed Monte Walsh, I think Tom Selleck is the cowboy star of
the 21st Century. I mostly appreciate his attention to detail
in arms and cowboy gear of the period. Along with the great story
line and characters, this attention to detail is much appreciated
by a fan and student of the Old West and Old Western.
Hope for more from Mr. Selleck in the future.
P.S. If you read this, Tom, I'd give my eyeteeth to be an extra in one of your films

Excellent Western
Tom Selleck does an excellent job as a disillusioned civil war veteran determined to bring his family back together on their own land after he is wounded in the war.This is a western as westerns were meant to be made,not the Young Guns type of violence laden shootfest.If you are Westernfan that enjoyed Alan Ladd, Jimmy Stewart, Glenn Ford, Gary Cooper or JohnWayne, this is a Western you will enjoy. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Nineteen thirty-nine is often proposed as the movies' halcyon year, and three reasons why were directed by John Ford: Stagecoach, Young Mr. Lincoln, and Drums Along the Mohawk. In that exalted company Drums... would have to be accounted "merely superb"--even if it's the best film ever made about the American Revolution and, oh, only about eighth-best picture of its year.

Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert play newlyweds in New York's Mohawk Valley at the time of the Revolutionary War. That war is more a distant rumor than a direct concern of people with cabins to raise, crops to harvest, and firstborn on the way. When it comes to their valley, in the form of hitherto-peaceable Indians whipped up by a gaunt Tory with an eyepatch (John Carradine), life changes as though with the passing of a cloud shadow.

In this, his first color film, Ford created indelible images of the dawning of America: a lone wagon making its way through acres of long grass rippling in the wind; the Indians, at the onset of their first raid, seeming to materialize out of the mist, out of the very trunks of trees; a ragged line of farmers with flintlocks passing along a split-rail fence, then resolving into a column, an army, marching toward a distant horizon. (Utah's Wasatch mountain country stands in persuasively for upstate New York in pioneer days.) Edna May Oliver scored a best-supporting-actress Oscar nomination as a memorably crusty frontier widow, while Ward Bond--oddly omitted from the opening credits--claimed a place of honor in the John Ford Stock Company playing Fonda's best friend. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Brilliant restoration
Fox did a brilliant job in restoring Drums Along the Mohawk for DVD, with one small, annoying exception ... the 20th Century Fox trademark is from a much later era, perhaps the 1960s or 1970s.They also did this with the DVD restoration for Leave Her to Heaven. It would have been simple enough to use the original.

Stop the screaming.
I actually give this movie 41/2 stars. I would give it five stars if it weren't for Claudette Colbert's annoying screaming.

A perfect example of negative stereotyping!!
Drums Along the Mohawk is a perfect example of films of that era that paid no attention to history and created and reenforced negative stereotypes about American Indian people. I use this film in my American Indians in Film class as an example of how inaccuracies and negative perceptions of American Indian people were created.

HISTORICAL ADVENTURE COMES TO LIFE
Apple-cheeked Claubert and tall and gangly Fonda are so young, they're a pleasure to watch. All performances, including Ward Bond and Edna May Oliver, are exceptional and the color is amazing. "Drums Along The Mohawk" is an epic of the frontier that you'll want to watch again and again. Although the film takes place in upper New York State, viewing the terrain, it was probably shot in northern California. No matter. The film begins with hope alive and better things to come yet is dashed by the realities of the frontier and war. Battle scenes between indians and settlers can be a little frightening so I'd recommend that if you're going to let small children see this, an adult should sit with the child. A perfect film.

Outstanding!!
This is one of Henry Fonda's and Claudette Colbert's best movies..!! They play a young couple new to the frontier (Upstate New York pre-revolution). Well written and acted. Don't miss this one it is well worth viewing. ... Read more

Description

Between somewhere and nowhere in the untamed West is the small town of Refuge. There, neither the sheriff nor his deputy carry a sidearm. There's no jail either, because shooting, carousing and bad blood are not in the town's character. What peaceful folks live there? Wild Bill Hickok. Doc Holliday. Jesse James. Billy the Kid. All long dead. All mysteriously given a chance to undo their violent pasts in Purgatory. All put to a stern test when Blackjack and his ornery gang ride into town. ... Read more

Reviews (48)

Intriguing idea
When a few outlaws (led by Eric Roberts and Peter Stormare) enter upon a mysterious town, they get more than they bargained for in Purgatory: an intriguing allegory made for cable channel TNT.All the legendary names of the Wild West, including Billy the Kid (Donnie Wahlberg), Wild Bill (Sam Shepard), and Doc Holiday (Randy Quaid); all of whom attempting to redeem their souls for the acts committed while they were alive.Naturally, a conflict ensues, with the townsfolk reluctantly resorting to the violent means they have been trying to erase.Purgatory packs enough action for western enthusiasts, even though it may come off as too preachy for some, and while it wears thin towards the end, it still manages to be solid entertainment with an intriguing idea.If you dig westerns with a twist on redemption, check out Purgatory.

The Title That Caught Our Eyes
As my wife and I are devout Catholics and checking what was
on TV one Saturday afternoon during our little one's nap, this
caught our eyes immediately!
We have seen this movie every time is has been on when we've had
the time to see it.I taped it and bugged two of our teenage
daughters to watch it.They begrudgingly accepted our invite,
and were slowly pulled in like we had been.They were pleasantly surprised at how much they enjoyed it!
For more proof of this being a worthwhile "movie shot" for you-
The reason I'm here right now at Amazon writing this review is
because I am shopping for Purgatory on DVD!!!
Although it is far from Catholic doctrine on purgatory, it is
a very well done, thoughtful piece of work.
It will make you think and at the same time it is definitely
entertaining you!

Riveting!
Im normally not into westerns, but this one changed my mind totally! The cast was great, cant wait to get it on DVD. This movie also has my favorite actor, Donnie Wahlberg (Billy the Kid) in it, I can say he played the part well...

Purgatory... only seen part of... just HAD to find it!
I was getting ready for checkout at my hotel and turned the TV on just for some noise. I almost didn't check out on time! I had missed the very beginning of this movie. I HAD to get to my gig, so I missed maybe the last 30% of the movie. The other guys in my band were rivetted to it as well, and they are not big Western fans. The movie is just GRIPPING!

I just ordered it from Amazon.com, and can't WAIT for it to get here so I can see it! I HIGHLY recommend it!

Goodness in the heart can ALWAYS prevail
I have always despised just about every western made except for less than a handful."Purgatory" and "The Quick And The Dead" are just about the only ones that I enjoy."Purgatory" has such a deep underlying meaning to me...it's very hard for me to put it into words.But I can say that this movie shows to its viewers that through one's own personal convictions, no matter how rough life's road may get...salvation and peace of mind can and will be one of the eternal rewards.Sam Shepherd does a GREAT JOB as Sheriff and even though I love Eric Roberts, I thought that he was a "real S.O.B.!!!!!".I mean...whatever happened to "love thy brother" especially your own blood?My own brother is a real ass and even though I don't like him 90% of the time...I STILL LOVE HIM.Watch this movie, you won't be disapointed. ... Read more

Description

Conagher is both a hard-riding actioner and a character-driven look at Western life. Katharine Ross plays Evie Teale, widowed after coming West and forced to prove her mettle in many ways. Sam Elliott plays Conagher, a cowhand who, when not tracking rustlers, drifts in andout of Evie's life. Something about that frontier woman keeps drawing him back. But can Evie ever keep him from drifting out again? ... Read more

Reviews (21)

MR. AND MRS. ELLIOTT SHINE IN L'AMOUR CLASSIC
While Sam Elliott has become (along with, perhaps, Tom Selleck) the personification of the Louis L'Amour screen hero, it's especially nice in CONAGHER to see him opposite one of the first ladies of western cinema, Katherine Ross.It's especially nice when one remembers that Ms. Ross is also Mrs. Elliott in real life.

The two provide a power-packed performance in bring Louis L'Amour's classic western tale to life.CONAGHER is the story of an honorable cowhand who almost single-handedly takes on a gang of marauders bent on doing all the damage they can to everyone they meet. Yes, a classic battle of good against evil ensues but it's done sincerely and lacks some of the schmaltz that surfaces in similar western sagas.

Add to Elliott and Ross an all-star western cast including Dub and Buck Taylor, Barry Corbin and Ken Curtis and you have an enduring western classic.Great to finally have this one on DVD!

THE HORSEMAN

Top Notch Western!
Outside of the Duke's "Big Jake", Conagher is my favorite western as it is done right. The country is beautiful and Sam Elliot and his beautiful wife Katherine Ross made this movie out of deep respect for Louie L'Amour. This film captures the loney life of ranchers and cowboys in the old west. This is also the last picture that Ken Curtis (Festus from Gunsmoke) ever made.
As mentioned in another review, the line "It's a hard country kid" is probably THE classic line of all cowboy movies.

One strange thing concerning the ending though, in the book Conagher finds the remains of Mr. Teal, along with the gold he was taking to buy cattle, and on the outside of the Conagher VHS box there is a picture of Conagher looking at the bones of Mr. Teal, but this scene never made the movie? That would have give more closure but I guess it was cut to fit in to a TNT time slot.

Conagher-The Best
I happen to like all of Sam Elliott's movies, but this one is the best he has ever done!

Louis Alford

"You couldn't hurt Conagher with an axe."

Format: Color
Studio: Warner Home Video
Video Release Date: May 11, 1994

Cast:

Sam Elliott
Katherine Ross
Gavin O'Herlihy
Daniel Quinn
Barry Corbin
Ken Curtis
Cody Braun
Anndi McAfee

Conagher was written by Louis L'Amour (Lamoore) about life in the West around the end of the 19th century, with trouble with the Indians, rustlers, and a widow woman (Katherine Ross) tryimg to raise her children on a hard scrabble farm.Conagher comes to their aid.

L'Amour was a student of Western history.He understood the common man, having worked as a cowboy, circus roustabout, merchant seaman, boxer and served in the U.S.Navy.He was also a prolific writer of Western fiction, among other things.

This is not the first L'Amour story that Elliott has played in.He also performed as Tell Sackett in The Sacketts, which was an amalgamation of several of Louis's stories in that series on that family.

This story of Conagher was one of his good stories, which you will find typical of L'Amour's writing...good entertainment.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

A lover of Western American history
Only a few westerns have become true favorites of mine over the last 40 years. Conagher ranks with the best of them. Why? The movie was not filmed in a movie lot specially made for movies, like Universal Studios or Old Tucson. But rather, you could say it was filmed 'on location' in a rugged, true-to-life environment that honestly represents what it was really like in the Old West. The Teal cabin and the surrounding country, the ranch of Seaborn Tay, the town - all have that authentic realism that lend excellence to the movie. Often in the film the lighting in certain scenes appears lacking as compared to other films in the genre. But actually, this is what gives the film a special feel, a special ring of realism. It's because you feel as though you are really there as a bystander, watching this drama play out right in front of you in the same way it would appear in real life. The direction of the film by Rebaldo Villalobos is superb and the performances by the actors are absolutely memorable. The musical score couldn't have been better because the selections chosen for the soundtrack apply perfectly and leave an indelible impression on the viewer. I don't know what Sam Elliot would think about this, but I believe this film is his best, most memorable performance of his career, bar-none. His rendition of Conn Conagher imprints Sam Elliot on my mind for all time - he IS Conagher. I don't think he has played characters in any of his other films that have struck me the way that Conn Conagher has in this one. But this is not to detract from the other performers in the film: Catherine Ross, Gavin O'Herlihy, Daniel Quinn, Barry Corbin, Ken Curtis, Cody Braun, Anndi McAfee, and the rest - they've all portrayed believable characters that make for a very enjoyable, memorable film that you will want to watch again and again over the years because it brings something special to the heart. Don't pass up the opportunity to see Conagher if you haven't seen it yet - you'll never regret it. ... Read more

Description

Young, ambitious gunman Nobody (Terence Hill) sets his eye on his idol, gunslinger Jack Beauregard (Henry Fonda), who's intent on sailing off into retirement. ... Read more

Reviews (68)

A Sergio Leone Production..
For those who haven't seen this flick, it is a great movie in a semi-Leone style. Terence Hill and Fonda are most suitably cast in a story of an aging gunfighter who is planning to retire and a younger man who has idloized him his whole life.

For those looking to upgrade, the transfer on this new Image dvd release is FAR SUPERIOR to the older WHAM dvd release.

No extras at all but the main menu does feature several actual scenes from the film with Morricone's score playing in the background.No theatrical trailer.

It is said that Leone himself actually directed two or three scenes from the movie.Reason enough to buy.Give it a watch and see if you can identify the Leone directed scenes...

A classic that's often overlooked
I am reviewing the movie as opposed to the dvd itself. Afterall, it is the movie that we buy the dvd, not all the extras. Now, the movie is really a classic shot with all the campiness of the time. Henry Fonda plays an aging gunfighter looking to get out from under his reputation. Trinity plays an up and coming gunfighter wanting the attention but also has a dream of seeing Henry Fonda single handeling taking on the Wild Bunch, a hundred of the toughest riding outlaws the west has ever seen. The whole movie builds to this moment as Trinity's character leads Henry Fonda into his taking on the Wild Bunch. I consider this one of the great moments in any Western. So if you like your Westerns with drama and a sense of humor, this movie is well worth the money to view.

not exactly a normal movie
The plot is a little convoluted and unclear for the first part of this flick and by about half way I was beginning to wonder if it is one of those films that dumb folk claim to understand so they can appears smart. The quip about Sam Peckinpah (a beautiful name in Navajo) and reference to The Wild Bunch help keep the story interesting. Unlike what another reviewer was saying it actually does make perfect sense and by the end it all comes together nicely.

The cinematography, as in most all Leone flicks, is fantastic and Ennio Morricone's soundtrack is wonderful albeit a little odd. I'm used to hearing his soundtracks in a much more serious way but it is obvious he has put an almost childlike/childish slant on this one which is again... a little odd.

If this is a comedy why do parts of the score, combined with absolutely desolate cinematography, invoke some very sorrowful feelings? This film is almost unique in that it successfully brings comedy into a moral drama and, in the end, comes up with something that isn't contradictory and really lame. This is a surprisingly good movie.

Like finding buried treasure.
I remember catching this on TV late at night sometime back in the late seventies. I was mesmerized by the whole movie, at once a spoof of all the "quick-draw" westerns, a nod and a tribute to Henry Fonda, a wonderful vehicle for Terence Hill's special talents and comedic gifts, and a wonderfully overblown and melodramatic soundtrack that is nonetheless simply perfect.The small scene with the story about a bird told while playing pool is worth the price alone, and the interaction between Hill and Fonda is superb. I spent the next twenty years keeping an eye out for it. I finally caught it on TV again a few years back and taped it to VHS, but it was a low quality signal so it is not a very good tape. It was still more wondrous than the first time I caught it, and I am thrilled to be able to find it on DVD.

Wanna see my quick draw?Wanna see it again?
Director: Tonino Valerii, Sergio Leone
Format: Color
Studio: Jef Films Int.
Video Release Date: September 29, 1997

Cast:

Terence Hill ... Nobody
Henry Fonda ... Jack Beauregard
Jean Martin ... Sullivan
Piero Lulli ... Sheriff
Mario Brega ... Pedro
Marc Mazza ... Don John
Benito Stefanelli ... Porteley
Alexander Allerson
Rainer Peets ... Big Gun
Franco Angrisano ... Ferroviere
Tommy Polgár
Antonio Palombi
Hubert Mittendorf
Emil Feist
Carla Mancini ... Mother
Luigi Antonio Guerra ... Official
Angelo Novi
R.G. Armstrong ... Honest John
Leo Gordon ... Red
Steve Kanaly ... False barber
Geoffrey Lewis ... Leader of the Wild Bunch
Antoine Saint-John ... Scape
Neil Summers ... Squirrel
Karl Braun ... Jim

This is a spoof of all the 'quick draw' Westerns, and about time!
Jack Beauregard (Henry Fonda) is a notorious gunslinger--the stuff legends are made of--and the hero of Nobody (Terence Hill) who has idolized him all his life.Nobody has the dream of seeing Beauregard hold off the entire Wild Bunch, numbering 150 or so hard cases, single-handedly, so that his name will go down in history.His idol, however, is reluctant to fuifill his wish.

Of course, Nobody is no slouch with a shootin' iron, either, as he demonstrates.

This is a hilarious film, with a great many funny moments, and a surprise ending.I thought it was great, and I hope it entertains you also.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books



... Read more

Reviews (172)

Probably the Greatest Western Ever!
A few years ago I had the opportunity to speak personally with Robert Urich about his role as ill-fated Jake Spoon in the epic western Lonesome Dove. Simply put, he said that it was "the most fun I have ever had making a movie. Think of it. Riding and shooting every day with two of the greatest western stars ever: Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones! I won't have that much fun ever again!" I am sure that he could have gone on for hours but, unfortunately, time would not permit. The look on his face and the light in his eyes said it all. Tragically Urich passed away a year or two thereafter.

The legend and the story live on in the Pulitzer Prize winning book by Larry McMurty and in this faithful video depiction of the classic story.

A star-studded cast, headed by Duvall, Jones and Urich, along with one of the most beautiful western soundtracks ever composed make Lonesome Dove a viewing experience that you will enjoy time and again.

One of the best things ever done for television.
Although the phrase "made for television" conjures up the images of the tabloid story of the week and women-in-peril films; Larry McMurtry's epic novel "Lonesome Dove" would not have been given justice in any other format. Television allowed that magnificent work to be brought to life in some form resembling the novel. The six hour running time enabled character and storyline development that would not have been possible if the novel had been adapted for theaters.

Although it does have the jarring breaks that marked where a commericial interuption had once been and it's share of television stars (Urich, Shroeder, Corbin); "Lonesome Dove" is movie big. Big stars. Wonderful cinematography. Great locations. An authentic look. A terrific score. The producers, cast, crew, and director went the full measure to ensure that this movie did not look or feel like a "movie of the week" production.

Personally, I believe it, along with "Roots," to be the finest work ever done in the medium of television. It really does make you feel for its characters. The viewer will cheer and hope for them, and when tragedy occurs, as it does throughout the film, it will shake the viewer. Nobody is safe: comic relief characters, children, and, even, experienced Rangers. McMurtry drives home the message that death in the Old West could occur to anyone at anytime with shocking suddenness. In the end, Captain Call looks back and remembers his friends and comrades who did not return with him. As he does, tears come to the eyes of this taciturn character; and rest assured he is joined by many in the viewing audience.

The Return of the Western
It's ironic that the western, a staple of TV until sci-fi eclipsed its presence, would find its home again on the small screen during a time when big budget westerns seemed to be biting the dust to space opera blockbusters. And that it would take an Australian to realize it. Director Simon Wincer's big-vista understanding of the genre is apparent throughout "Lonesome Dove," which also features some great performances by screen familiars Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones, even if the latter too often looks like a scowling Kenny Rogers here. This tale of an arduous cattle drive by two retired lawmen has the sweep and grist of such classics as "True Grit," "Red River," and "Once Upon a Time in the West," with which it shares many elements (the conversational style, the brutal drive, and the buddy relationship, respectively, the most obvious). And while "Lonesome Dove" doesn't really say anything new about the old west, it is entertaining and fares better compared to many westerns past in terms of presenting the ethnic diversity that history records. Look for many bravura--and few corny--moments like Captain Call's (Jones) reaction to a cavalry scout's whipping of Call's alleged son (a likable but sometimes too aw-shucks Rick Shroeder), MacCrae's (Duvall) gutsy stand against a pack of outlaws, and the touching and remarkably in-character last goodbye between the leads. Basil Poledouris, an underrated composer, provides a solid score. Of the episodes, only one stands out as pedestrian, making this a pretty good choice for viewers who want to savor their entertainment choice.

Yes, it is 360 minutes, not 240.
240 minutes refers to the much shorter Return to Lonesome Dove mini-series. There is nowhere on the the Amazon website that the original series of Lonesome Dove DVD set is only 240 minutes, it is 360 minutes.

By the way, my daughter and I loved this series when it was on TV and I purchased the multi-tape set VHS way back when. But the last tape was bad and Cabin Fever, the manufacturers/publishers, would not replace my bad tape (they never even answered my mail except to tell me how to order the set), so, now that I have the DVD version, I finally have a complete set of watchable scenes.

Sorry SD, you're wrong. It's not complete. Check IMDb.
I'm sorry to have to point out to those of you who think this is the complete version, but if you go to IMDb and look up Lonesome Dove, you will find that it has a 384 minute running time. Amazon's version is listed at only 240 minutes. That's over two hours difference from the original film, and no, we're not talking about commercials.
So unless Amazon has their listed time wrong and it is actually a full 6.4 hours, you've been duped. I wouldn't pay for less than the original length film.

So, the question stands for those of you who actually bought this DVD, was it 6.4 hours long, or only 4 hours long? ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sergio Leone's trilogy of operatic spaghetti Westerns with Clint Eastwoodmade the former TV star into an international sensation as the scraggly, silent Man withNo Name, a wandering rogue with a scheming mind and a sense of humor drier than thedusty, wind-scoured desert. With A Fistful of Dollars, a blatant rip-off ofKurosawa's cynical samurai hit Yojimbo, Leone transforms the Western hero intoa crafty mercenary. The follow-up, For a Few Dollars More, teams Eastwood upin an uneasy alliance with Lee Van Cleef in a tale of revenge, but the masterpiece of theset is The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, an epic scramble for buried gold setagainst the violence of the Civil War. In this film good is a relative term as threecriminals make a series of tenuous partnerships broken in double-crosses and betrayals in Leone's epicvision of the American southwest as endless deserts and clapboard towns infested withgunmen. This was a new kind of Western: cynical, violent, stylish, and austere.Eastwood's rough face and squinting eyes fill the widescreen frame in massive close-upswhile Leone stages action in bold compositions on empty streets and stark landscapes.The guns ring out in cartoonish exaggeration, and the music, an eclectic, electric mix ofbuzzing guitar, human voice, and harmonica by Ennio Morricone, sets the whole thing ina world pitched between myth and modernity. Leone's shot-in-Spain trilogy ushered in aflood of Italian spaghetti Westerns, but none hold a candle to Leone's stylish classics.--Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (33)

Simply Amazing
These three movies bring a completely new spin to the American west. No longer can you think of westerns as movies with the John Wayne like hero who always does what is right. In these movies, Clint Eastwood is nearly as bad as the men he fights. The camera work of Sergio Garcia provide for some tense moments and classic shots that you can't forget. Added with the music of composer Ennio Morricone, these movies began their own genre, the "spaghetti western" and launched Clint Eastwood's career. The shots of Clint squinting into the sunlight, the cut shots combined with the loud and unusual music of Morricone create some of the most memorable moments in film. For anyone that likes Clint Eastwood or just good, intelligent, and captivating action movies this box set is for you.

Clint Eastwood: The Man With No Name - A Trilogy
Clint Eastwood is the "man with no name." Italian director Sergio Leone directed what many believe are to be the Top 3 films of all time! Beginning with "A Fistful of Dollars" (copied from the Japanese samurai film "Yo Jimbo") Clint Eastwood rides into a town with two bosses. "For A Few Dollars More" betters on the first. Includes Lee Van Cleef as supporting actor. Two Bounty Killers team up to kill a common foe: One wronged by Indio, the head bank robber. "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" is the best of the lot, complete with a haunting musical score by Ennio Morricone. Who could forget the shrilling cry in the opening credits? "Ahh-ee-ahh-ee-iii! Wa...Wa...Wa..." The collaboration of Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone is what makes these films work. "Spaghetti Westerns" don't waste time with the conventional "cowboys and indians." They focus more on the loners, the gunslingers, the bandits. This DVD Trilogy is the DEFINITIVE COLLECTION. Includes original theatrical trailers, bonus footage, behind the scenes, and much, much more! For more film/music greats look for Leone and Morricone collaborating on "Once Upon A Time in the West" (starring Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, and Henry Fonda), "A Fistful of Dynamite" aka "Duck You Sucker" (James Coburn, and "Once Upon A Time In America" (Robert DeNiro, James Woods). These films are the best, the peak in Western Cinemas.

Make Sure You Buy It.
These 3 films were the first 3 westerns I ever watched and boy was I impressed. I never even liked westerns before I watched the famous "Spaghetti Westerns". The acting is great, cinematography spectacular and the music is well-crafted. My only complaint is the clean-up on the pictures during the transfer to DVD but it has little impact on the overall quality and enjoyability of the movies themselves. After watching these 3 excellent and well-written films I watched Hang Em High which was also another excellent western with Eastwood. So buy these 3 films in an affordable 3-pack. Well worth your time and money.

The greatest westerns ever made - all in one box set
Sergio Leone's "Man with No Name" trilogy is classic. It made both Leone and composer Ennio Morricone famous, elevated Clint Eastwood into stardom, and invented the "spaghetti western". Now western fans can own the entire series in one DVD set.

The series begins with A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, the classic western that introduced us to Morricone's rolling, whistling score that is now associated with the genre; Clint Eastwood's cool performance of the lone stranger who takes down two feuding small town gangs; and Leone's masterful direction. Then we move on to FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE, in which Eastwood teams up with an old army colonel (Lee Van Cleef) to capture the bounty on an escaped prisoner. The series ends with THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, undoubtedly the greatest western film ever made. Eastwood is flawless, Morricone's score classic, the action terrific, and Leone's direction extraodinary; you are absolutely glued to the TV screen throughout the entire 2 hours and 40 minutes. Cinema lovers everywhere and anywhere will not want to miss out on this excellent collection of the greatest western masterpieces of all-time.

Clint Eastwood at his Best
Three of the greatest westerns of all time. A+++ ... Read more

Reviews (168)

Beautiful film of a bygone era
Sumptuous, delicious, beautiful movie about a white soldier's journey of self-discovery with a Lakota Sioux tribe.

Lt. John Dunbar, a Civil War hero by accident (he was trying to kill himself), gets a second chance at life when he's allowed to choose his next military assignment. He chooses to see the frontier--"before it's gone". Arriving at the fort, he finds it abandoned, disheveled, broken down. As he tries to rebuild the fort and enjoy the scenery, hoping to see buffalo, he befriends a wolf, Two Socks. Eventually the local Indians come to check him out, and Dunbar and his neighbors draw closer through a series of stop-and-start encounters. He draws close enough to become one of them--but then Army life intrudes into the near-idyllic scene.

The details of the prairie and of Sioux village life are breathtaking. The music by John Barry is atmospheric and inspiring. I would hope those viewing the film will ask themselves what it would have been like to live an Indian village, if they would have been up to its demands and open to its possibilities.

An All American Classic!
This movie has everything (wait a minute, of course it does. it won 7 acadamy awards...)you could ever want in a film. Comedy, history, romance, tragedy, EVERYTHING!!! The story is all about John Dunbar, who enlists in the Union in the Civil War, and is stationed out in the middle of nowhere in one of the plain states (I'm not sure which one). He mets a gentle wolf, and he mets an even gentler Sioux tribe who soon befriend him. He falls in love with an English woman who belongs to the tribe because when she was little, A Pawnee tribe killed the rest of her family. The Sioux somewhat addopted her, & she learned to speak the language. They soon fall in love and get married. But all kinds of tragedies befall the tribe - The ongoing war against the Pawnee, The Union army capturing John (Dances with Wolves is his Sioux name), More pioneers taking the Indian's land, not enough buffalo to eat, etc. This movie is SO excellent! If you haven't seen Dances With Wolves, you are missing out on a great American Classic!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dances with Wolves Earns Lawrence Award
Dances with Wolves easily earns a position among the all-time-greatest epic motion pictures. Its story and presentation are fresh, honest, real and breathtaking. "Epic" implies the film takes longer to tell its story than the average movie, and that it does. But consider that the correct measure of the length of any film is to track the number of visits your eyes make to your watch during the film. Thus a three-hour movie may seem shorter than a ninety-minute movie. The character development and interaction of this movie invites us to participate, to be there and feel as our hearts share the emotions of characters even as we feel the pleasure from the eye candy provided by the amazing cinematography that takes us across the massive Northern Plaines of the United States. The movie begins in a dramatic scene in which, Kevin Costner, a lieutenant in the Union Army, crawls off the battlefield surgeons table to save his badly injured leg or foot from amputation. Somewhat delirious he takes actions that lead to victory for his troops and ends a deadly stalemate between the two armies. As the hero of the battle the general's surgeon heals his leg and the lieutenant is offered any post he wants. He chooses the most remote post the army has because he wants to see the unspoiled land before it's too late, and the real story begins. A caution to those who think the white man was portrayed unfairly; read unbiased history, then watch the movie again. This movie undertakes allot and it succeeds. This exciting action, drama, western, love-story shows us a great example of a film that can be so absolutely entertaining and educational at the same time. Dances with Wolves entertains as it shows through historical example the importance and consequences of learning about our own preconceptions and learning the potential benefit we may enjoy from learning to respect and accept other beliefs or points of view, to just learning to understand all that we can before making decisions and drawing conclusions in any matter.
Dances with Wolves does all that any movie could be asked to do.

Still no definitive version available to the public
The reason I have decided to comment on this film is because I want to warn everyone that DANCES WITH WOLVES is available in two different versions and BOTH are inferior. As far as the the extended four-hour DVD goes, I can only say this: Who the heck has FOUR blasted hours to spend on one single movie? Why extend a movie that was already dangerously long? There must have been a little controversy over this matter because shortly after its release to DVD, the original three-hour theatrical version became available (thank God)... but guess what? It's only available in a full screen format, which means that HALF of the movie has been cropped out, and yes, we are literally missing HALF of the movie! It surprises me to see that the studio would so blatently pull an act of butchery to an important film of this stature in a day when full screen formats are quickly fading out for the more pleasing 16:9 ratio, which is obviously the future standard.

MYTHOLOGY
Indians are a favorite pet of the liberal establishment. "Dances With Wolves" is a fine movie. Most of them are. Nobody ever said these people are not brilliant. There is no real lie in "Dances" that I can see, but it does seem stylized. The Indians are pictured as peaceful, spiritual conservers of the land. Real-life Indians had every potential of being violent savages without anybody's prompting. Just ask the Mexicans who were systematically robbed by them every harvest until American mountain men with guns were recruited to provide a little security. The soldiers are dumbellionites, as are most of the whites that Kevin Costner "escapes" from in his effort to find the real West. While Indians certainly knew how to preserve the land, an act of necessity for them, they took plenty from it without replenishment. Whites stripped and mined the land, but they also came up with ingenious technologies that re-generated the land.

STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
STWRITES@AOL.COM ... Read more

Reviews (73)

Have you noticed that no one ever gives this film 3 stars...
It's always 1 or 5 (the occasional 2 or 4 are just cowards...). This is a film you either adore or detest. Those who adore it (moi, for instance, as the 5 star rating clearly indicates) are usually very patient movie watchers who like to watch a film unfold at its own pace. How many films can you name that are still going through exposition an hour and half into the film?

David Bern once said that movies are nothing but pictures and images; stories are just a trick to get you to watch them. You could turn off the sound and mix up the reels (some probably think that happened when they saw it in the theatre), and this would still be a feast for the eyes. Cimino's lush vision of Montana is overwhelming. It's like a stroll through a moving Bierstadt exhibition. It contains pieces that are almost perfect acts of filmmaking - such as the skating sequence, which could stand alone as a short (the 1 star folks just stopped reading, muttering the word "dilatant" under their collective breaths).

But despite its cinematic saturation, Heaven's Gate has a powerful, complex story. It's a story about class barbarism, and how the American Aristocracy of the last century committed mass murder in the West, with the help of the Government and the Military. It has a love story between two people who wouldn't have touched each other in the "civilized" East. It has intense performances by Isabella Hupert, Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Sam Waterston, et al.

Yes, this is clearly not a film for everyone - in fact, if it was made for anyone, it was for Michael Cimino - but it is a film that some of us are glad was made. If you like LONG, CHALLANGING films by self-indulgent artists, rent it - and if you love it, you'll have to buy it; and if you hate it, well, you probably wasted five bucks and couldn't even get to the second tape...

How the West was Won
Cimino may not have made a blockbuster, but he did make one of the best Westerns in cinematic history. Unfortunately, most people can't sit through a 4-hour movie. If you are one of those persons who can appreciate a complex narrative, delivered by a stunning cast, that tells a more candid tale of the West, then "Heaven's Gate" is a real treat.

Cimino has collected a set of compelling stories that swirl around the range wars of the Montana. He relates these stories through his protaganist, a federal marshall played by Kris Kristofferson. His thoughts drift back to Harvard Yard in the opening sequence, where he reveled in the commencement ceremonies with his old schoolmate, John Hurt. Much of this scene was chopped out in the theatrical release, undermining the content of the film. It is this Eastern view, which Cimino wants you to take note of. How one can meld into the West as Kristofferson does, and how one can become part and parcel of the cattle syndicate as Hurt did.

The stories mainly focus around the Eastern European immigrants who attempted to carve out a life in late 19th-century Montana. They came up against the great cattle syndicates, who owned much of the range, leaving little for the immigrants to settle on. Cimino gives you a very intimate view of the events. His camera angles take you right into the action. This is a very visceral movie.

Eventually these immigrants come up against the cattle barons, who had formed their own vigilante gangs in an attempt to combat the encroachment of the new settlers on their land. Kristofferson has grown close to the immigrants and eventually chooses to support their claims, leading to a final gut-wrenching confrontation, which includes his old schoolmate, John Hurt.

The cast is first rate. Walken, Bridges, Huppert, Watterston all give excellent performances. Cimino has inverted many of the myths that surround the Old West, and provided a living history. The film almost has the quality of a sepia tone, as he has muted his colors to give the sense of age. The [fourty]... million budget seems paltry by toda's standards, but at the time it was one of the most expensive films ever made. Unfortunately, not everyone was ready for it.