fine acting by Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan
Their scenes together are absolutely brilliant, possibly the most cagey interaction between two men on-screen that I've ever seen. The way that they wryly, slyly size each other up and engage in shrewd repartee and crafty physical movements represents the best in interactive screen acting. Indeed, Cooper was really an underrated actor. He was an icon, of course, but within his languid laconicism lay a certain quiet intelligence that never stopped working. He could be surprisingly clever and humorous, disguising his sharp wit under the veneer of shy slowness, and he could be coyly charming as well, especially in romance. Cooper's scenes with Doris Davenport are also brilliantly judged, as he tickled the right responses out of her with perfectly nuanced gestures, expressions, and lines. Cooper truly was a master of economy, setting the stage for later stars such as McQueen and Eastwood (although they were much edgier).
As for the film, The Westerner is an underrated Western gem, sort of a forgotten film of the genre that brilliantly mixes humor and poignancy. Brennan deservedly won an Oscar for his folksy, wryly rambunctious performance as Roy Bean, and William Wyler directs with an effortless touch, aided by stellar writing and toughtfully composed cinematography from Gregg Toland that makes excellent use of depth in the frame. Overall, the film is a smart, sharp, satirical meditation on the cruel inanity of fascistic law (a relevant theme given the developments in Europe at the time), the seductive power of myth, the chimerical nature of legend, and the delusional essence of fandom. Indeed, the film reveals how elemental conceptions of American justice are defined by rash judgments at the bar of a saloon rather than reasoned calculations in a courtroom. It also offers the idea that America is a nation defined by mythic celebrity and its lusting admirers, although Wyler never strains to impart an overt allegory.
The Westerner successfully blends romantic comedy, male bonding, melodrama, and social-historical commentary, usually melding these elements together smoothly (although occasionally there's some inconsistency). Overall, I believe that The Westerner is a more effective meditation on the Roy Bean/Lily Langrty myth than John Huston's boozy, woozy 1972 version, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (starring Paul Newman as the judge). Wyler's film, while obviously way more traditional, is more soberly witty, and it's that compact sobriety that makes the difference in satire. In other words, Huston's film is indulgant whereas Wyler's is restrained.
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sambogni61
17 years ago
I enjoyed reading your post, JoeKidd. I think you captured wonderfully what I really enjoy so much about this movie, and I strongly agree with you about Cooper being very underrated.
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pgaryj
17 years ago
You should have posted your comment in user comments, Joe Kidd. It's certainly one of the best comments I've read here at IMDb.
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ted-129
17 years ago
Just watched a gorgeous print of this film on TCM which does Toland's photography justice. What a shame that very few, if any of us will ever be able to see moments like the fire scene in all its big-screen glory the way 1940 audiences did.
JoeKidd, your description hit the nail on the head.
For sheer visual value, I wish somehow the screenplay would have allowed for Brennan's fade-out point-of-view shot looking at Lilly to be the final moment of the film. For me that moment far eclipsed the epilogue that followed.
Cooper's just mortally shot Brennan but would not thinking of denying Brennan his dream-come-true, and carries Brennan most of the way backstage to her dressing room. The door opens and Brennan finally gets his moment to present himself to Lilly, summoning every bit of his energy to stand on his own. Lilly's faces changes from trepidation and uncertainty, to a radiant smile when she perceives Brennan's reverence--a consummating dream moment of no return. Brennan transitions this world and moves to the next in that final fade-out.
Ok, I'll calm down. Moments like this in films just blow me away!
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ddyfad
17 years ago
The scene you described there actually makes me cry, which isn't something that many movies from that era can do. Brennan's performance is funny and rollicking, but also incredibly sensitive.
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