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Western Movie Rambles


rohanaka
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That was super!

 

I am even more curious now about how Ford (and Wellman) worked.... because in this documentary, it looked like the producers and the studio got everything going, then Wellman stepped in to set up the shots. But everything I've read about Ford says that he ran the entire show, from the minute they set out. Of course, that's according to Pappy himself....and I don't know if I trust him. :)

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It is not listed anytime soon. It is a pretty good movie. I give a lot of credit to the women as a lot of them did some pretty hard work. They weren't afraid to get dirty. Robert Taylor is good. He goes pretty hard on the women because if he doesn't they all wind up in trouble. Good action, location and interesting story.

 

It looks like it is not on DVD.

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I'm going way back in this thread, but I've just added THE FURIES to my Netflix queue (can't spell that stupid word). It sounds good and I don't think I've seen it. Also, since the topic is westerns, I'm awaiting NO NAME ON THE BULLET, a film by low budget master, Jack Arnold, and one that's appreciated by some of our fellow posters. Looking forward to these movies.

 

It's about time I upgraded to 21st century technology. Soon I may even get a can opener!

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> {quote:title=redriver wrote:}{quote}

> I'm going way back in this thread, but I've just added THE FURIES to my Netflix queue (can't spell that stupid word). It sounds good and I don't think I've seen it.

 

I'm a pretty big fan of The Furies, since I generally like almost all Anthony Mann westerns and also anything that Barbara Stanwyck was ever in. It does have one pretty violent scene that might not be to everyone's liking, but if you can get past that there's some pretty good drama there, I think.

 

Hope you'll enjoy it.

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I've just added THE FURIES to my Netflix queue

 

This is one I have had on my wanna see list for a while now... and since I am not a Netflix kinda gal... the library seems to be my best bet... but lately have not had luck there either. I will hope to catch it someday though because I have heard it is a good one.

 

 

It's about time I upgraded to 21st century technology. Soon I may even get a can opener!

 

Ha... welcome to my world...

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I'm sorry to butt in, but I spent some time recently taking some caps from She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and I wanted to post them if that's OK. Continue on with The Furies.....

 

I only wish I could post a video of Ben Johnson riding like the wind across the valley, or his ability to leap from a standing position onto the back of a horse....

 

In making my caps, I also noticed the ones I took from Shane. I think maybe without SWAYR, there might not have been a Shane, landscape-wise....

 

As I'm watching SWAYR again, the giant scope and movement of certain scenes is what makes me take a deep breath......

 

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I tried really hard to capture the moment when the arrow goes whizzing past Tyree....

 

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Take a look at the horse rearing back in this cap. He sees the arrow before Tyree has time to react. You can see the arrow to the right halfway up the picture, in front of Tyree's left shoulder:

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One of my favorite shots in the movie...

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And another:

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Look how far back this shot goes... East Mitten (I think) is in the background:

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I can't remember who said that they love the moment when Tyree waves his hat to call the troops:

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I continue to be deeply touched by the incredible sensitivity Ford brings to his

movies featuring stories about elder characters. I don't think any other director

explored the age of loss, or the "third age" more continuously throughout their

career.

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Message was edited by: JackFavell

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Oh, Wendy, Wendy, Wendy. This is beautiful. I cannot get over the clarity of the images.

 

Indeed, the sight of a man riding a horse is a mighty pleasant thing. I'm glad you posted

those. Lynn will be delighted, too, I'm sure.

 

That shot with the arrow was astonishing!

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I spent some time recently taking some caps from She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and I wanted to post them if that's OK.

 

OK??? Are you KIDDING???? Those shots are GORGEOUS!!!! (I LOVE the one where the horse is leaping between the gap in the rocks.... that whole chase scene is one of the most intense moments in the of the entire movie.

 

And THANK YOU for focusing on our beloved BEN!! :-) He was SO perfectly cast in that role... and the scenes where he the a focus of the action are very well done.

 

continue to be deeply touched by the incredible sensitivity Ford brings to his

movies featuring stories about elder characters. I don't think any other director

explored the age of loss, or the "third age" more continuously throughout their

career.

 

Nicely said, little lady. I always hear so much on here about how bold and brash he was... but I think I mentioned somewhere on here earlier that for all his 'tough old guy" exterior... he must have had a REALLY huge heart. And he seemed to really have a good grasp on human nature and how emotional moments could be brought to the front of a story (if only for a brief and passing moment) without losing focus on the rest of the action going on. I'm probably not saying it well, but he seemed to have a knack for using these sorts of moments to enhance his characters and the story in a way that the average person could easily relate to .

 

PS... Ms Cutter and Rey.... I have been meaning to chime in a big word of thanks for the military history.... that has all added a nice layer to the conversation and helped w/ the perspective... nicely done!

 

Message was edited by: rohanaka

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Ro-

 

>Nicely said, little lady. I always hear so much on here about how bold and brash he was... but I think I mentioned somewhere on here earlier that for all his 'tough old guy" exterior... he must have had a REALLY huge heart. And he seemed to really have a good grasp on human nature and how emotional moments could be brought to the front of a story (if only for a brief and passing moment) without losing focus on the rest of the action going on. I'm probably not saying it well, but he seemed to have a knack for using these sorts of moments to enhance his characters and the story in a way that the average person could easily relate to .

 

First of all, that quote about age was not mine - I pasted MissG's quote to illustrate with pictures that I took.

 

He had a great feel for the quiet, intimate moments - like partings, or love scenes. He instinctively knew that less is more. Where other directors were letting histrionics take over (to make it more emotional), Ford rarely if ever lets that sort of thing get by. And I think that is why he is till beloved and considered to be the greatest American director.

 

This movie in particular is a juxtaposition of the small with the large. The intimate moments that make up la life dedicated to service pasted up against the larger picture of history. If that were all Ford did, then that would really be something, but he also manages to sneak in themes that really make the movie richer as you watch it over and over.

 

*Spoiler*

 

For instance, there are few directors who would show Trooper Smith passing the flame on to Sergeant Tyree in the way Ford did. It is an extremely intimate moment, quietly done. Trooper Smith is in agony trying to make sure he gets his report out before passing on. He wants to make sure that Tyree gets his due before he goes. And Tyree - look at how tenderly he holds Trooper Smith, wrapping his coat around him, as if he were sleeping.

 

Ford also puts the scene in historical context. A soldier has fallen, the music starts in quietly, playing Dixie ever so slowly. We now know that Trooper Smith is from the south. No words have been spoken to show us. It takes one second. These soldiers have come together from north and south (as Rey said) to cut through the prairie and western desert. It is not an easy task, and lives were lost. We see in Brittles short eulogy that the men did not consider Trooper Smith a "confederate", they considered him a soldier of the U.S.cavalry. Two sides came together over time.

 

But then, on watching again, we see other things. How a young man and an old man might respect one another. It's important to treat people with respect. How tradition, which can be stifling in another situation, can be comforting in time of death. How a family is made when men and women are brought together under the threat of war. How war brings out the best and the worst in people.

 

Just as Ford fills the entire screen with action, he fills his scenes with emotional complexity and meaning. He may use different geometric planes to paint his picture, but he uses planes of meaning to create depth - beyond that of almost any other filmmaker.

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that quote about age was not mine - I pasted MissG's quote

 

Well... WHOEVER said it... it was nicely said.... Ha.

 

This movie in particular is a juxtaposition of the small with the large

 

And whoever said THIS and all the stuff following it...... IT was nicely said as well! :-)

 

You always do a great job of bringing out the finer details to these intimate moments that make up la life dedicated to service I am still recalling your TWE posts and the screencaps you used there as well.... Fine work on both films, my Fordian friend.

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Thank you kindly, ma'am. You inspired me when you wrote about bringing emotional moments to the foreground.....

 

And I see you noticed my obsession with Ben Johnson. I was trying not to let anyone know that I LURVE him........

 

More Ben:

 

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"My mother didn't raise any sons to be makin' guesses in front of Yankee captains....."

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More Ben:

 

Sigh.... :-)

 

And PS... thanks for putting a little quote in there... I can just hear him saying that... and for me.. his VOICE is as much a part of the charm as anything.... I just like that "Aw shucks, ma'am" quality he seems to have in nearly anything he says. Ha.

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*Ford also puts the scene in historical context. A soldier has fallen, the music starts in quietly, playing Dixie ever so slowly. We now know that Trooper Smith is from the south. No words have been spoken to show us. It takes one second. These soldiers have come together from north and south (as Rey said) to cut through the prairie and western desert. It is not an easy task, and lives were lost. We see in Brittles short eulogy that the men did not consider Trooper Smith a "confederate", they considered him a soldier of the U.S.cavalry. Two sides came together over time.*

 

Jackie,

 

One of things that makes that scene so poignant for me is that throughout the film, there have been references to Nathan, Quincannon and Mac and their days in the Civil War. They were on the opposite side of the war from Tyree, Trooper Smith (Rome Clay) and the small group of Confederate soldiers now under his command.

 

But out here in the West, they have put all those differences behind them as they go about their duties on the western frontier.

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> {quote:title=lzcutter wrote:}{quote}

> But out here in the West, they have put all those differences behind them as they go about their duties on the western frontier.

 

It seems wise, indeed, to put past differences behind them, and to work together towards a common goal, with the common good in mind, because a house divided against itself cannot stand.

 

On another note, how do you feel that She Wore a Yellow Ribbon connects with the other two films in the Cavalry trilogy, if I might put the question to you? It's not a trilogy in the conventional sense or at least not how some trilogies are constructed nowadays, with actors playing the same characters and one continuing story from movie to movie.

 

So are there more things in common between the movies in the Cavalry trilogy, besides the cavalry element? Do you feel there are common themes in all three films?

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