Western Classics on DVD from Paramount
A Man Called Horse
Little Big Man
Big Jake
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Rio Lobo
A Man Called Horse
Richard Harris stars as an English gentleman visiting the US frontier
in a movie that claims to be a realistic look at the life of the
Dakota Sioux.
Maybe it is a realistic look, but as a movie it leaves a lot to
be desired. In fact, it seems like a thin plot strung along as an
excuse to show us the spectacularly savage and brutal ceremony by
which he finally gets accepted as one of the natives.
Harris is captured by the Indians at the movies beginning
and is dragged back to their haunts, humiliated, and kept as a prisoner
of the regime. Then, for whatever reason (perhaps the Stockholm
Syndrome?) he goes from prisoner to native wannabe and eventually
marries one of them and becomes one of the groups leaders.
He even teaches them some very British battle strategies.
The movie is one of those lets make native Americans
look cool movies of the late 1960s/early 1970s,
and yet looking back on it via this DVD some thirty three years
later its hard to see how these natives are cool. While we
do get some interesting insight into the way they lived (assuming
it isnt too Hollywoodized), they come off as brutal savages
who, while they may live in harmony with the land around them, certainly
dont live in harmony with their neighbors. It looks like they
either spend their time capturing white people (Harris isnt
the only captive in this camp) or battling other native bands.
Theyre not particularly embracing of even their own people,
judging by the way orphaned women are left to freeze
to death when the winter storms come.
Dances With Wolves
and Little Big Man this
aint!
The cast, which includes many natives in small supporting roles,
is good. Harris does his best with the few lines he has (most of
the movie is spoken in the natives language and, fortunately,
theres another captive along to translate), and the production
values are very good as well (though - hows this for nit picky?
- we noticed a jet contrail in the sky in one shot!).
The DVDs pretty good, though, at least as far as its picture
quality is concerned. Paramount has released it in a beautiful anamorphic
widescreen version (16x9 TV compatible), and other than a few shots
here and there it looks absolutely gorgeous. The picture, mostly,
is sharp and clean and the colors are outstanding.
Audio is supposedly Dolby Digital 5.1 and, while we did notice
a bit of multi channel use (up front at least) its for the
most part strictly mono - and not particularly good mono at that.
The sound displays plenty of distortion and the overall volume is
a tad low.
To be fair, Hollywood didnt often pay a lot of attention
to its audio quality back then so one shouldnt look for whiz
bang sound from this vintage of film. But this one is even less
whiz bang than usual.
Alas, there are no extras, not even the trailer.
A Man Called Horse, from Paramount Home Video
114 min. anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1, 16x9 TV compatible), Dolby
Digital 5.1
Starring Richard Harris, Dame Judith Anderson, Jean Gascon, Manu
Tupou
Produced by Sandy Howard
Written by Jack De Witt, Directed by Elliot Silverstein
Little Big Man on DVD
Dustin Hoffman stars as Jack Crabb, in a movie thats kind
of a Western version of Forrest Gump.
Crabb isnt short on the brain power, though. Rather, hes
an incredibly long-lived white man, the only white man to have survived
the battle of Little Big Horn. At movies opening, hes
121 years old (in terrific Dick Smith makeup) and spends the rest
of the movie narrating his lifes story.
And what a life it is! We get to see Hoffmans Crabb (in a
marvelous performance) from his youth where, his family killed by
Indians, hes brought up by Cheyenne Indians (who call themselves
Human Beings) led by Old Lodge Skins (Chief Dan George, in a wonderfully
warm and witty performance). The story follows him through various
episodes in his fascinating life.
As with Forrest Gump, the movie moves along episodically as Crabbs
life goes through phases, including Cheyenne warrior (Little Big
Man is his Cheyenne name), a medicine show conman, gunfighter, entrepreneur,
drunk and U.S. Army scout. Each facet of his life is amusing in
its own way as Life keeps sending our hero in wildly different directions.
Crabb himself is trapped between the cultures of Indian and White
Man, and he slips from one to the other as circumstances, and convenience,
dictate.
The movie leads up to Crabb's climactic role in the Battle of Little
Bighorn, where his advice to the egotistical Custer leads to the
defeat of the U.S. forces. Not that he was trying to get them all
killed - but Custer had his own agenda, according to this movie.
Little Big Man is populated by memorable characters played by memorable
actors including Faye Dunaway (as Jacks horny adoptive mother),
Richard Mulligan (Custer), Martin Balsam as Jacks disappearing
(bit by bit) conman mentor, and Jeff Corey as Wild Bill Hickok.
Each of these characterizations is broad and over the top; the most
restrained and believable characters here are the Indians, and this
is undoubtedly deliberate as theyre portrayed as the real
human beings coping with a new, white-dominated world thats
closing in on them.
Director Arthur Penn made a sprawling historical (or is it hysterical?)
epic of a film, a star vehicle for Hoffman, coming shortly after
his breakthrough role in "The Graduate."
Not enough can be said about Hoffmans performance. He really
is outstanding.
The DVD is excellent so far as it goes. Paramount has given it
a wonderful video transfer, with a rich and detailed and colorful
anamorphic widescreen picture (16x9 TV compatible) and good, though
unremarkable, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound that doesnt
exhibit much in the way of 5.1 channels.
Unfortunately, there are no extras.
Little Big Man, from Paramount Home Video
139 min. anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1, 16x9 TV compatible), Dolby
Digital 5.1
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Martin Balsam, Jeff Corey, Chief Dan George
and Faye Dunaway
Produced by Stuart Millar
Written by Calder Willingham, Directed by Arthur Penn.
Big Jake on DVD
John Wayne stars in Big Jake, one of his weaker efforts. It's a
violent movie set against the background of an old West thats
fading into history as times and technologies change.
Hes Jacob McCandles, who everyone seems to think is six-feet
under ("I thought you was dead" is a running line). Hes summoned
by his estranged wife (the glorious Maureen OHara) when their
grandson is kidnapped in a brutal attack on their ranch that leaves
most of the people there dead.
Its his job to take a million dollar ransom to the kidnappers,
led by Richard Boone, and rescue the boy. The law goes on the same
mission, albeit separately and without the ransom, in their fancy
new automobiles that arent nearly as up to the task as the
good old fashioned hay burners - and for the most part they arent
a part of the story. Its McCandles, accompanied by sons Patrick
Wayne and Christopher Mitchum and Indian friend Bruce Cabot who
track down the baddies and, in a series of shootouts and other incidents,
bring them to justice while saving the young boy.
Theres a lot to like about Big Jake, from the Duke himself
and the strong supporting cast to the amusing use of technology
- including telescopic gun sights, motorcycles and cars, and more
- and this helps make an overall weak story more enjoyable.
OHara, alas, is only there at the beginning and we even get
to see singing heartthrob (at the time) Bobby Vinton flex his acting
muscles long enough to get gunned down in the opening scene. This
isn't necessarily a bad thing. Singing star Glen Campbell stuck
around for all of True Grit, and that
was a shame.
Its a decent story, when all is said and done, well shot
and well acted, and so while it wont go down in history as
one of Waynes finest, its still worth a look - and John
Wayne fans will undoubtedly want to own it.
The DVDs pretty good. Its presented in anamorphic widescreen,
16x9 TV compatible, and the picture quality is very good overall.
Its a tad soft in places, but the color is good. Audio is
Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, supposedly, though as with the other
flicks on this page they might as well have called it mono and not
have teased us.
There are no extras.
Big Jake, from Paramount Home Video
109 min. anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1, 16x9 TV compatible), Dolby
Digital 5.1
Starring John Wayne, Richard Boone, Patrick Wayne, Christopher Mitchum,
Bruce Cabot, and Maureen OHara
Produced by Michael Wayne,
Written by Harry Julian Fink and R. M. Fink, directed by George
Sherman
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on DVD
Now heres a Western classic!
Burt Lancaster is Wyatt Earp and Kirk Douglas is John Doc
Holliday in John Sturges retelling of the famous shootout, though
the fight itself only occupies the very end of the film.
Earp is a tired lawman ready to hang up his guns for the love of
a good woman - until his lawman brother Virgil (John Hudson) calls
for emergency help from his gig in Tombstone, Arizona.
Holliday used to be a dentist, but it appears hes found a
more lucrative profession in card playing. And hes very good
at it, good enough to live a good lifestyle while becoming the target
of all kinds of low lifes who seem to gravitate to him and challenge
him. Hes a notorious killer, though apparently always in self
defense (not that he doesnt goad people into drawing first).
The paths of the two continue to cross and though they dont
start off the movie as fans of each other they develop a grudging
respect for each others abilities and character.
Well, certain aspects of character anyway, at least as far as Earps
feeling about Holliday are concerned. Holliday has a woman problem,
in that he has a woman but he treats her shabbily and this causes
more than its share of drama as the story unfolds.
From its opening theme song, sung by Frankie Laine, through the
well staged climactic gunfight between the Earps/Holliday and the
Ike Clanton (Lyle Bettger) gang, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral grabs
your attention and never lets go. Its a terrific flick, told
with wit and intelligence throughout.
The excellent cast doesnt stop with Lancaster and Douglas,
either. Star Trek fans will get a kick out of DeForest Kelley as
Morgan Earp, and some terrific performances are put in by the likes
of Whit Bissell, Earl Holliman, the wonderful Rhonda Fleming, Jo
Van Fleet, Dennis Hopper, Martin Milner, and Kenneth Tobey (as Bat
Masterson).
Of course if it aint on the page it aint on the stage,
so credit must go to Leon Uris' outstanding, literate screenplay
that humanizes all of these characters (even the Clantons!).
This is a great flick!
The DVD is also very good, though Spartan. The picture is anamorphic
widescreen, 16x9 TV compatible, and its bright and sharp and
colorful. Audio is Dolby Digital mono with no pretense of being
5.1 surround and its about as good as one would expect under
the circumstances.
There are no extras, unfortunately.
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, from Paramount Home Video
122 min. anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1, 16x9 TV compatible), Dolby
Digital mono
Starring Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Jo Van Fleet,
John Ireland
Produced by Hal B. Wallis
Written by Leon Uris, Directed by John Sturges
Rio Lobo on DVD
Rio Lobo may not be one of the Duke's finest, but it may be among
the funniest - at least periodically.
The story follows Union colonel Cord McNally (Wayne) on a personal
vendetta after the war to find a traitor from his former unit who
sold information about gold shipments to Confederate guerillas who
robbed the trains. We get to see one of the robberies near the beginning
of the film, and it's quite imaginative. It makes you almost cheer
for the guys, except that they're on the wrong side of the Duke.
On this personal journey, Wayne also manages to help a beleaguered
town escape the clutches of a rich landowner and the corrupt sheriff
he owns. It may sound like an old story, and it probably is, but
there's enough interesting new stuff to make this a very entertaining
movie. And, as mentioned, it has some very funny moments.
Wayne, as usual, is great. He's joined by Jorge Rivero, one of
the Confederate train robbers whose friendship he had made before
and after war's end, is good as Pierre "Frenchy" Cordona. Joining
them are the gorgeous and spunky (though green as an actress) Jennifer
O'Neill, Christopher Mitchum, the outrageously funny Jack Elam,
and Victor French.
The DVD is very good. Paramount has blessed it with a good anamorphic
widescreen (16x9 TV compatible) presentation that for looks very
sharp and colorful. Well done!
The audio isn't nearly as good, unfortunately, and despite it being
billed as Dolby Digital 5.1 it's pretty well limited to the front
channels - all three of them, fortunately. Audio quality itself
is okay.
Alas, there are no extras, and this is a shame, if for no other
reason than this was Howard Hawks last picture, and some sort of
commemorative thing would have been interesting.
Oh well.
Rio Lobo, from Paramount Home Video
114 min. anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1), 16x9 TV compatible, Dolby
Digital 5.1 surround
Starring John Wayne, Jorge Rivero, Jennifer O'Neal, Jack Elam
Written by Burton Wohl and Leigh Brackett, Directed by Howard Hawks
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