They Came to Cordura
by Robert Rossen
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DVD details
Actor: Gary Cooper, Richard Conte, Rita Hayworth, Tab Hunter, Van HeflinDirector: Robert Rossen
Brand: Sony
Cinematographer: Burnett Guffey
Writer: Robert Rossen
Editor: William A. Lyon
Producer: William Goetz
Writer: Glendon Swarthout
Writer: Ivan Moffat
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Japanese (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 123 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-07-27
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Sony Pictures
DVD Reviews of They Came to Cordura
DVD Review: If it is boring, make sure it's long long long.
Summary: 1 Stars
This has got to be one of the most boring movies ever made. It goes on and on and on with nothing happening. You would be much less bored at a lecture on the origin of trigonometry. I saw it brand new when I was 15 in 1959. I know I was young, but I saw many serious films that year (I went to the movies every Saturday)--films like Imitation of Life, Anatomy of a Murder, On the Beach, Room At the Top, The Sound and the Fury, and Suddenly Last Summer (to name just a few), and I loved them and stayed interested. I don't think I was too young to appreciate this movie at age 15 because I tried to watch it a couple of years ago on TV and got just as bored. Even with these big stars (mostly just going through the motions here) this is one of the biggest flops in history. Save your money. DVD Review: All for the Love of Production Values..
Summary: 3 Stars
They Came to Cordura (1959) is an awesome western example of too much money, and not enough script or story. After a brief title card, we have some lackluster dialogue between Gary Cooper and Edward Platt (Chief from Get Smart the Complete Series -- Seasons 1-5 DVD Box Set) and launch into the most amazing cavalry charge ever to grace the silver screen, outside of Waterloo (1970). The action sequence following it tightly edited and well done as well, but after the banditos are finished, the cameras should have been shut off.
If you're looking for some courageous US Cavalry action from the golden age of the mounted soldier, look no further.. but also be aware this film turns into melodrama shortly there after. Well acted, but still melodrama.
DVD Review: Hah!
Summary: 5 Stars
I disagree with all the characteizations in the first three reviews of this film; They Came To Cordura. I found the film fascinating, complex, thought provoking, and above all well acted. It's too bad Tab Hunter got pigion-holed as a prettyboy--the talent he showed in this film, shows he could have been a 'serious actor'. I don't believe that anyone accustomed to television could ever 'get' a film like this...they have been dumbed down to the point of...well, I can't even put it in polite language. One more thing; Cooper is Cooper, he has always been. He has a peculuar dilivery to his speech. One either likes it or not. I love the guy, and Rita finally got a chance to REALLY act in this one--it's worth it for that alone to see the film.DVD Review: ACTING AT ITS BEST !!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you like Gary Cooper you will enjoy him in this tense story of a man finding who he really is. Rita Hayworth in a role that actually demands acting , serious acting . She usually plays the dance hall type but in this she is a woman of substance...This movie requires patience and attention to the characters. If you can do that you will enjoy it! Its an adult movie that treats you like an adult.....DVD Review: Reach Exceeds Grasp
Summary: 4 Stars
The setting for this ambitious 1959 film is the 1916 U.S./Mexican border conflict. Entrance into WWI is imminent and Gary Cooper plays a major who escorts five men to the the New Mexican base town of Cordura (which means "courage"). The five men are candidates for the Medal of Honor; they've proven themselves courageous in battle and the government wants heroes to promote military recruitment. Cooper is chosen for the job to shame him since he acted cowardly in his last (only) battle. Along for the ride is Rita Hayworth, an alcoholic American expatriate charged with aiding the Mexicans.
Cooper's character is in incredible agony throughout the picture. Courage is the one thing he believes he lacks and so he marvels at the trait, even if the person possessing it is a scumbag in every other way. He perceives courage as the noblest human quality, redeeming a person from all other flaws, no matter how bad. His past cowardice naturally compels him to over-compensate as the leader of the group, which doesn't win him any friends, if you know what I mean.
"They Came to Cordura" is a Western, I suppose, but it's more accurately a lost-in-the-desert/survival story (e.g. "Flight of the Pheonix," "Sands of the Kalahari"). The entire film takes place in the desert wilderness. The group is harassed by bandits and they're forced to give up their horses; in addition, one man falls ill and must be carried on a stretcher. Four of the men become increasingly hostile toward the major, propelled by the authority-hating, rivalrous sergeant (Van Heflin).
The film will appeal to anyone who, like me, is into lost-in-the-wilderness type stories. Unfortunately, although the screenplay and subject matter (What is courage?) are ambitious and highly thought-provoking, the execution is less than satisfactory. The dialogue/delivery is dated and the acting, at times, less than authentic. Still, the material is taken absolutely seriously by all involved.
One highlight of the film is redhead Rita Hayworth. This is the first and only film I've ever seen her in. My only previous exposure to her was that famous WWII era photo of her in a nightgown with her hand in her hair. As far as I'm concerned that picture doesn't do her justice. She looks and is completely different than the image that picture conveys. At the time of filming she was almost 41 years old. Her character in the film compassionately relates to Cooper's character for reasons revealed in the story.
I've heard that the film was originally a 2.5 hour piece; unfortunately it was taken out of the director's hands and about 30 or so minutes were cut. Director Robert Rossen was in the process of putting together a director's cut when he unexpectedly died in 1966.
BOTTOM LINE: Yes, the film's reach exceeds its grasp and, yes, it is dated, but I really appreciate this film. I can see why some would give it a low rating while others consider a near-masterpiece. Cooper's torturous peformance is potent and Rita Hayworth is splendid. The ending wherein Cooper endeavors to move a train cart or die trying is a moving image. The film does succeed in provoking the viewer to consider the nature of courage, despite its flaws.
For an incredibly well-written, detailed and accurate evaluation of the film please see grinalltheway's review from June 21, 2006, just four reviews below.
Description of They Came to Cordura
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 09/22/2009 Run time: 123 minutes Rating: NrGary Cooper's forte--the searching, lone figure beleaguered by conflicts over conscience, truth, and ethics--followed him all the way to the ambitious They Came to Cordura, his third-to-last feature. Cooper plays Thomas Thorn, a career officer in America's fading horse Army of the early 20th century. Thorn's alleged cowardice in battle has been papered over by superiors: He is to identify acts of bravery during an attack on Pancho Villa's troops and lead those designated heroes to a Medal of Honor ceremony in Cordura, Texas. Though Thorn tries to extract the secret behind courage from each man, he discovers a battle-hardened, bestial side to them as well. The Cordura journey becomes fraught with mutiny and near-assaults on a Yankee expatriate (Rita Hayworth). Thorn, reputation aside, redefines courage on his own terms. This widescreen drama (the DVD offers full-screen format as well) is suspenseful, morally complex, and visually rich, but Cooper's performance carries the day. --Tom Keogh
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