I've seen Hunnicut alot, but now I'm really going to look for him. Talk about sounding natural. WoW! He hid in plain sight in my cinematic journeys.
JACKAAAAAAY FAVELL - I love how you broke down the good, the bad, the ugly and the really ugly!. ?He deludes himself - thinking he is above his partners. He has big dreams, like Brennan, like Mims, too. But Frank makes excuse after excuse for his behavior. He has allowed the station man and the boy to be killed, and has also allowed them to be buried in the most unceremonious way imaginable. He hangs out with scum, and then berates them.?
Girl, so well put! And showing the screen cap with Usher?s blinders still on, nice!
?She is bound by her view of her self, pushed into the role of the plain daughter, then wife, much like Catherine Sloper in The Heiress.?
Oh snap, YES, I thought that as well when she talked of not being the son her father wanted.
HA!!! Working ?Fargo? in there made me laugh! That was another movie I was loathe to see...and ended up giving it a standing ovation. Frances McDormand was fantastic. Ooops. Back to the West/
"...and did anyone else think that Billy Jack would have been better if he had not been a Lee Marvin lookalike??
I didnot see a resemblance. Well, it?s very very slight, for me. He was baby-faced.
?That scene where he takes Doretta the food just blows me away, because when Boone stands up, you can feel the weight of the world on his back.... all you see is his body, not his face, and it moves me very much to see how stooped he is and almost forlorn. He really didn't want it to come down this way, but he is too weak to stop it. Not in a physical sense, but in a moral one.?
It is his full form we see, but now that you?ve mentioned it, he does look like he has the weight of the world...the weight of his actions, on his back. I love when movies gives the bad guy a touch of humanity...but still keeps ?em bad to the bone! He wishes he could/he knows he cannot.
?Mims and Usher both abdicate personal responsibility, though Frank is more likable because he is not a WEASEL! And by that I mean, even Frank has a code of honor that he lives by - he would not give up his woman to save himself from death..... although if he were to get a sack of money for her, all bets are off.?
You?d better b?lieve it! HA! That made me laugh!
?I too believe that Frank wanted Brennan to like and respect him. I think he felt a real kinship with Brennan, so that makes it doubly sad that he was unable to escape with his life. It was like he wanted to say to Brennan, "You come and work with me" but knew that Brennan could not do that - they were separated by a wall of morality - and that morality was what made him like Brennan in the first place. My favorite line was the one where Frank asked Brennan if he was scared, and Brennan said, "Yes, I am." and then Frank said "Well you don't lie about it, that's something". He knew Brennan was a rare bird that he could come to be friends with.?
?...I think this is what gives Boone his respect for Scott. He doesn't flinch. He doesn't look away or drop his head. By continuing to stare at Boone Scott is letting him know this isn't going to be an easy time for him.? - Movieman.
When I first read that Jack, I wasn?t so sure about agreeing with you there. But I?ve come to think that Brennan had such horse sense that he probably could see the good in a bad guy and give him a chance to work it through on his ranch. And I think he talked plain to him b?cuz he thought maybe he could reach him on some level. Naaaah, that little boy down the well offered no redemption for Frank Usher. Besides, real cowboys don?t show fear. Here is where I?m going with you, Movieman. Maybe you can say you?re afraid, but don?t, for Pete?s sake, SHOW it. Aaaah, the days when men were men. The mirror imaging you and others mention Jackaaay seems too pat to me. I?m not quite going along with that. But hell, I can be convinced.
?Do you think Frank (Usher) would have had the memory of the boy's death in his head for all of eternity, or do you think he would have walked away without a thought - if Brennan had not come along to act as a sort of ideal of what he might have been? What I am asking is if you think that Frank had a real conscience, not just regrets? I still am not sure.?
?I can't say that I do. I saw no indication of it. I liked your question about why he came back...may-be Frank just had to know who was tougher, had to know if he could take Brennan. And he'd rather die finding out rather than live a life on the run always saying to himself, ?I should have shot that so-and-so when I had the chance.? But conscience pangs over the boy? I think he'd gotten long beyond that sadly.? - Miss Goddess
I believe the one pang of conscience he had was exhibited in the way he batted away those striped candy with his gun. With the candy, the Boy (?s ghost) came back and it was a devilish reminder. Conscience, regret...and fully understanding and accepting his part in all this...no ma'ams.
?There is so much actually showing on his face, but you sometimes don't notice it because he is so tall and craggy - his eyes are hooded with wrinkles and it makes him somewhat noble looking. He's like an aged and wizened lord or something, honestly, he should have been in an Akira Kurosawa movie.?
I can see him playing an Indian chief, actually. Randolph Scott was gorgeous and heroic. I loved him in "SHE" and in "MY FAVORITE WIFE" and a coupla other films. I'll have to re-visit imdb for more detail.
Interesting, when Scott meets the stationmaster and his son in the beginning, I can only imagine the horror they experienced when the Moe, Larry & Curly of evil came a-visiting. Ooh, horrible.
?I like ?Decision at Sundown? because it was my first Boetticher, and I totally did not expect the way it turned out... without giving anything away, the twist at the end blew my mind. And the way Randolph Scott throws a glass.?
Oh nooooooooooo. You?re not sending me out the West again, are ya? It is in the Boetticher box set I just bought. (I know I know...I always resist, and then when I get out West I breathe in the fresh air deeply!)
?Ride the High Country is a purty good story, but Scott and McCrea take it to another level. It's almost like Peckinpah knew the reality of those actors' lives was the same as the characters they played. That gives the movie a second, more resonant meaning, to me anyway.?
I?ve seen it too many years ago to admit publicly. And I saw it for Mariette Hartley. But now with a new found appreciation for what Scotty brings to the table, I should check it out again. I love your post Jackaaaaaaay. Well-written. Me, again trying to keep up with the Masters.
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Hi there, Movieman - ?Re: Frank: I think Boone is designed to conflict us. At once he is a man who would do something like he did to the child and on the other he is one who wants a ranch and to do something other than what he is doing. He is annoyed at the company he must keep so he revels in talking to Scott. It is a depth his partners can't give him.?
You?re so right, here. Remember how he bats away the candy when Billy Jack threw it to him. Billy Jack is a child as well, and Usher knows what he did to the boy who was expecting candy.
Re Mrs. Mims - "I really like her willingness to be plain almost to the point of being unattrac-tive here. And she is the right age. However, when Scott grabs her by the hair and plants one on her maybe that changed her own confidence a little. She clings to Scott at the end though.?
I think that that might be her last bit of tentative business with Scott. That maybe ?now that we?re out of danger, is he really liking me?? His big old bear of an arm around her, is her assurance and his statement that he still wants her.
"Why did Boone come back? Scott gives him the chance to just go away but he can't. Maybe he won't admit to being beaten. He is no worse off if he goes. He is short two people who he didn't really feel any real relationship with. Where is the strength? Is it coming back to confront Scott or would it have been to just ride off?
"Do you think it's greed? he wants the money? That's what I originally thought. When will he ever have a chance at that dream ranch without this money? Or is it that he can't let them go and tell someone where he is? Personally, I almost think it is that same thing that drove him to stay with his partners - inertia - he's been with trash so long that he can't do anything else. He has to go back, it's what he does... he can't help it.? - JackFavell.
Everyone probably knows someone like that; the person who won?t or can?t leave well enough alone. Maybe Scott had to kill him to be sure he would never come back. Maybe Boone just really couldn?t go through all of this and NOT at least get the money. Maybe Boone went back to be able to have some manner of respect from Scott. Besides, Boone?s Usher had too many people killed to be able to live. Movie justice, you know.
?For its day this (and the other Scott/Boetticher films) was considered more of a "B" picture. To me, it's curious, whether anybody watched them that critically. These were not big budget films. I am pretty sure they were second feature films. Scott hadn't made a major film in a while. O'Sullivan had not done much past supporting roles and few of those and Boone seems little more than a tv actor at this point. Who knew we had such a gem??
Poor ?B? westerns.( :-( ) Made as fillers to a movie schedule or movies for a young director to cut his teeth on. Probably just a throwaway movie back in its day. Thank goodness we?re watching them again and with a new eye; uncovering all the beauty and lessons they have to offer. Okay okay...maybe westerns are still not my number one genre, but when I sit down and watch...I can totally appreciate them.
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G?Morning Miss G. - ?I have to admit I despise Mims. I really can't say it's all that much better to marry Doretta for her money (and you can just tell he's going to treat her pretty poorly once they settle down) or Frank's kidnapping and terrorizing her.?
?I despise Mims too.... in fact, he made my flesh crawl more this time as he started talking, because I knew what he was going to do. ICK! **** really did have him pegged - "A Talker". I liked the stare they all gave him as he started trying to weasel his way out of the situation.? - JackFavell
Poor Mimsy. The WORST kind of man in the movies...a coward. And bad guys really hate cowards. I was glad Usher unleashed **** to finish him off. But I felt bad for O?Sullivan for witnessing it. Hmmm, funny how she was right next to ****?s rifle and didn?t try to push it out the way. Maybe she knew...something.
?...It's like he wanted Brennan's respect.?
You?re absolutely he right, he so wanted Brennan?s respect. Maybe he rode back b?cuz he wanted Brennan?s respect...to face a man and not wimp out ?cuz you know he wouldn?t shouldn?t you in the back. (Am I being clear here? It is almost noon after a Friday night of drinking).
"...Everyone who talks about her always talks about her in a very negative way, whether referring to her looks or not. I don't think they'd notice her looks...in fact they'd think she was attractive if she had confidence in herself and showed spirit and humor. Heck, out west she'd be a beauty!?
Brennan certainly didn?t need a helpless woman around him to help them both get out of that mess. Guess he had to toughen her up and get her ready for the situation at hand. And right from the beginning when he & his buddy Rintoon saw them in their buggy, Brennan had an eye for her. I?m not 100% sure it was that she lacked confidence in herself, or if it was more the Code of the Movies to get a beautiful woman to play a ?plain? woman. Let?s see if it works with having Nancy Kulp play the Wife.
?And in a way, it is worse of him (Frank) to let others do his dirty work while he sits by and profits from it. And looks down on his henchmen.?
Ha...that?s a page out of politicians? handbook. (That?s why I won?t head downtown today). And also remember that dastardly character that Louis Calhern played in the Robert Taylor movie???
?I'm glad you brought up about the scenes in the beginning where Brennan gets bucked and loses his mount. At first, I had no idea what that whole "prologue" was inserted. It seemed too lengthy just to explain why he hitches a ride on the stagecoach. Now I agree with you, it shows Brennan's attitude about himself, about LOSING, and about life in general. Frank had to come back, he could not lose. He wanted to know he could finish what he started and whether he could outwit or outdraw Frank. He had to win no matter what. Brennan was the exact opposite.
I'm glad I figured that out because the scenes with the brahma bull riding had annoyed me somewhat, they seemed pointless until now.?
See, this is why I love the Rambles more than the Obits or the ?these are a few hundred of my fav?rite movie stars? or pedantic postulations... Discussion, insight from others, memory joggers, reading someone's substantive viewpoint and changing one's opinions. Since I didn?t know WHAT the HECK to expect, I took it all in stride, the beginning of the movie. And you?re right, it does set is up Brennan?s philosophy of life. ?Hey, what-ever...If I win or lose, I win.? Somebody wrote a poem about it.
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Hi Noir Guy - ?I also view the film as strength vs. weakness and how the two can be sometimes confused for the other. Brennan (Randolph Scott) is clearly the strongest character in the film, yet, he admits to be scared and he makes a fool of himself a few times, including bumping his head and...?
I think you?ve said the words I was looking for strength vs. weakness...not mirror image. It takes a strong man to make a fool of himself.
?I always think of Randolph Scott as the "blue collar Gary Cooper." Coop is fancy and Scott is plain.?
Wow! That?s a good way to look at their personas. I have to say after seeing this film, he?s replacing Coop in my heart as western hero though in ?Man of the West? Coop does do a
slow burn and had to think his way through the predicament he was in.
?So is Doretta the "Charlotte Vale" of westerns??
HA! Man, that gave me a big laugh. I love the cross-referential thing. Shows you know your --oats-- movies. ?Don?t lets ask for the moon. We have the cave.?
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Have Some Candy, Ro? - ?So here is Randolph Scott riding around out in the desert with all that dirt and dust flying around and that candy was in his hand the WHOLE trip??...And THEN after Scott loses his horse and he is walking along that dirty road he has the candy sticking out of the pocket of his sweaty shirt.?
What a way to start a ramble. That was a hoot!! (And may I say I just loved Randolph Scott?s sweaty stained shirt. All those other cowboy heroes never so much as had a wrinkle in their tie!!!
?He was as good a white hat as I love to see in a movie like this. I really enjoyed his resolve. His first motivation (when they are captured) was for himself (he says he doesn't?t want to die even if she does) but then over time he takes ownership of her situation too. But really, I suspect, he?d have done that whether the two of them had formed a bond toward one another or not. He was the direct opposite of Mims in that he was NOT a ?save my own skin first? sort of guy.?
Yes! He?s a good guy that?ll take everyone along for the ride...outta hell!
?I think he is a PERFECT example of someone who may have had some spark of a conscience but just has gotten WAY too good at ignoring it. He was as ruthless as they come in that he ONLY had his own best interest at heart in the end. He MIGHT have had a moment here and there (where possibly he caught himself reflecting on what MIGHT have been if he had chosen a different path....Because really for the rest of the entire movie, it just was all about him and at the end of the day, I think he had no measurable conscience really. (but was just not ruthless enough to get his own hands dirty so he lets his men handle the dirty work).?
Nice, really nicely said. I love this Ro!!
?I have to say Boone really was VERY smooth. I think of all the actors in that film, he comes off as the most ?natural? Someone mentioned how ?stoic? Scott is in this movie, and to me that is a good way to describe him. I have always seen a level of this in his acting that has kept him not as high up on my list as I might have placed him otherwise. Not saying I don?t LIKE him as an actor, I just think he sometimes come off a bit ?stone faced? no matter WHAT he supposed to be registering. But BOONE on the other hand just flows naturally like water.?
I really paid attention to Boone in this movie and liked (his style) a lot, if not his mean ol? character. He was smooth, wasn?t he. I know Scott is stoic, stone faced. But he was kind of loosey goosey earlier in the pix, no? I know wha?cha mean about some actors, you can?t get close to them. I want to get close to Randolph Scott. Real close. But maybe without the candy.
