The Westerner
Our Price: $52.00
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $19.99 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Chill Wills, Gary CooperBrand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 100 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-05-13
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: MGM
DVD Reviews of The Westerner
DVD Review: Most Overrated Western
Summary: 2 Stars
One of the most over-rated westerns around, the first part of this 1940 film is almost insufferable, with every bad cliché you can think of and such a dearth of action that a pathetic 10 second fight between Cooper's double and another actor is all the excitement you see. Cooper and Brennan race each other for the prize of best mugging in front of the camera, while a gang of undistinguishable sidekicks busies themselves drinking and playing cards.
Doris Davenport shows up for a brief "ain't I just too cute for words" appearance, and then trounces off, but Cooper's desperate facial expressions warn us that this is not the last time we'll see this maiden in distress. Can a film be worse than this? Of course it can, but not with such a sterling cast and production crew.
After all, Walter Brennan was a great actor. He was nominated 4 times for Best Supporting Actor and won 3 times, in 1936 ("Come and Get It"), 1938 ("Kentucky") and (incredibly) this film. Personally I think he did even better in films such as "My Darling Clementine" (1946) and "How the West Was Won" (1962), and of course, in the TV series "The Real McCoys".
Gary Cooper turned in great performances in such classics as "High Noon "(1952) and "Sergeant York" (1941).
So what went wrong? Perhaps it is William Wyler's direction. Wyler has a distinguished career. Nominated as Best Director 12 times, he won 3 times ("Mrs. Miniver", "The Best Years of our Lives", and "Ben Hur"). But none of his nominations were for westerns, a genre he rarely worked in.
There's a similar problem with the cinematography. Greg Toland was a remarkable photographer, responsible for films such as "Citizen Kane" (1941), "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940), "Dead End" (1937) and "The Best Years of Our Lives". See the connection? Toland also rarely worked on westerns, and his only other westerns were the critically disastrous "The Outlaw" (1943) which failed on all dimensions but two (there's a joke here), and the very forgettable "Cowboy and the Lady" (1938) that also starred Cooper and Brennan although this was a "modern" western and, in truth, not much of a western at all.
Jo Swirling worked on films like "GWTW" (1939), "Blood and Sand" (1941), and "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) - but this was his only western. For co-writer Niven Bush this was his first western, and he went on to dabble in the genre with "Belle Star" (1941), "Duel in the Sun" (1946), and "The Man From the Alamo" (1953). Co-writer Stuart Lake was basically involved in writing screenplays about Wyatt Earp (1934, 1939, 1946).
Putting aside the lack of background in the western genre, another major problem with this film is the character development. Brennan is the villain of the piece, but he is presented more like a clown than a villain. Sure he has a bunch of thugs that hang people, but Brennan himself is usually drunk, can be easily fooled and outwitted, and has such a crush on Lilly Langtry that he is comical. Couple this with the comic musical score than accompanies Brennan and we get the impression that we're watching "Cowboy and the Lady". Interestingly enough, "Cowboy and the Lady" were both scored by Alfred Newman, co-starred Brennan and Cooper, produced by Samuel Goldwyn, shot by Gregg Toland, and directed by William Wyler.
So what we have here instead of a western in the classic sense is a re-make of "Cowboy and the Lady" with a slightly more menacing theme, but still a commitment to the comic side. And it fails. By 1940 the western was already getting its modern persona thanks to John Ford's "Stagecoach" (1939). But "The Westerner" falls more comfortably in the tradition of the films like "The Virginian" (1940) and "The Outlaw" (1943) which are really carryovers from the early 30s films, sans the singing cowboy.
The "climax" of the film is as much a joke as the rest of the film. Brennan and Cooper shoot it out in an empty theatre, hiding behind the furniture and taking wild shots at each other. By some miracle, one of Coopers bullets goes through and mortally wounds Brennan, although we never see any signs of blood or a wound. Then Cooper picks him up and carries him to see Lily herself. One fully expects to see Tim Mix or William S Hart as the shot is so smaltzy it's almost unwatchable. Fortunately Brennan dies and the shot fades to black.
If you compare "The Westerner" with films such as "Stagecoach" (1939), "The Ox Bow Incident" (1943), "Red River" (1948), and "Fort Apache" (1948) you'll see that "The Westerner" represents the end of an era and that the future western films took a different path.
It's hard to recommend this film on any level. Toland's photography is probably its best feature, although given Toland's talents, this is far from his best effort.
Description of The Westerner
Studio: Tcfhe/mgm Release Date: 05/13/2008 Run time: 100 minutes Rating: NrBestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Seven Men From Now (Special Collector's Edition)Paramount; Release date: 2005-12-20; DVD
Best price: $2.94
Price in other shops:
The Gary Cooper Collection (Design for Living / The Lives of a Bengal Lancer / Peter Ibbetson / The General Died at Dawn / Beau Geste)Universal Studios; Release date: 2005-05-31; DVD
Best price: $10.02
Price in other shops:
High Noon (Two-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition)LGF; Release date: 2008-06-10; DVD
Best price: $10.56
Price in other shops:
Along Came JonesSony; Release date: 2001-09-04; DVD
Best price: $7.94
Price in other shops:
Red RiverMGM; Release date: 1997-11-19; DVD
Best price: $4.02
Price in other shops:
My Darling ClementineFONDA,HENRY; Release date: 2004-01-06; DVD
Best price: $7.17
Price in other shops:
Man of the WestSony; Release date: 2008-05-13; DVD
Best price: $6.58
Price in other shops:
Distant DrumsLions Gate; Release date: 2004-05-11; DVD
Best price: $11.01
Price in other shops:
The PlainsmanUniversal Studios; Release date: 2004-06-01; DVD
Best price: $2.73
Price in other shops:
Friendly PersuasionCOOPER,GARY; Release date: 2000-12-05; DVD
Best price: $5.08
Price in other shops: