This is really a top western. The thematic is similar to the one in Man Without a Star. It depicts wonderfully the end of the cowboys, saloons, the Old West. It is also pretty much the end of Marvin's and Palance's careers and the golden era of western genre. The only thing that starts is the career of Fraker as a director!
The horse taming scene is simply incredible, the only one close to it is Yul Brynner's rampage in 'Invitation to a Gunfighter'.
Excellently shot and edited (even though you could tell it was a stuntman with a dodgy white toupee on the horse). One thought I did have was who was going to pay for all the damage? A balcony was demolished, fences crushed, a water cooler toppled, cattle released to enjoy an extra session of stampeding. After it all the townspeople just about rouse themselves to look about as outraged as they might be on experiencing a sudden snow shower in June.
That said I thought this was a fine, thoughtful western, obviously owing a great debt to Peckinpah in terms of its portrayal of men suddenly out of step with changing times and their struggle to maintain dignity and integrity. Thankfully the violence was more muted and presented as acts of anachronisms even redundancy, whereas Peckinpah seemed to be resigned to it as natural in man and therefore possessing a certain nobility.
A special mention on the acting which was uniformly superb, not least from the leads (including Jeanne Moreau), giving performances of rare poignancy and warmth. Today was my first viewing of it, and I had not intended to sit through it all - I'm no fan of westerns. I'm so glad I did, this was a film of considerable depth.
Am fairly sure that is Richard Farnsworth doing the ride
shareAfter it all the townspeople just about rouse themselves to look about as outraged as they might be on experiencing a sudden snow shower in June.