Dust off your six-shooters, choose the Top-Gun Western ever!

[MissGoddess]

TWO Gary Cooper westerns on your list, Bravissimo, Feo!

You are right; I hadn't realized it.

Of his westerns I also like "Northwest Mounted Police" and "High Noon".

NWMP has the distinction of featuring my favorite name for a character in any movie: "Dusty Rivers"

[movieman]

Ok, I've finished watching the 3 Anthony Mann westerns I ordered and this is now my list:

1. Warlock (1959)
2. Winchester '73 (1950)
3. The Man from Laramie (1955)
4. Bend of the River (1952)
5. The Last Sunset (1961)
6. The Last Wagon (1956)
7. Canyon Passage (1946)
8. Last Train from Gun Hill (1959)
9. Hombre (1967)
10. The Proud Ones (1956)
11. Man Without a Star (1955)
12. The Wild Bunch (1969)
13. Flaming Star (1960)
14. The Naked Spur (1953)
15. Broken Arrow (1950)

Here's the other westerns I've seen:

The Texas Rangers (1936). Dir. King Vidor
The Westerner (1940). Dir. William Wyler
Red River (1948). Dir. Howard Hawks
Colt .45 (1950). Dir. Edwin L. Marin
Kansas Raiders (1950) Dir. Ray Enright
Fort Worth (1951) Dir. Edwin L. Marin
Lone Star (1952) Dir. Vincent Sherman
The Lawless Breed (1953) Dir. Raoul Walsh
Tall Man Riding (1955) Dir. Lesley Selander
The Searchers (1956) Dir. John Ford
Seven Men from Now (1956) Dir. Budd Boetticher
The Bravados (1958) Dir. Henry King
Rio Bravo (1959) Dir. Howard Hawks
Per qualche dollaro in più (For a Few Dollars More) (1965)
Il Buono, il brutto, il cattivo (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) (1966)
El Dorado (1966). Dir. Howard Hawks
Dio perdona... Io no! (God Forgives... I Don't!) (1967)
Hang 'Em High (1968). Dir. Ted Post
Will Penny (1968). Dir. Tom Gries
The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969) Dir. Burt Kennedy
Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) Dir. Burt Kennedy
Lo chiamavano Trinità (They Call Me Trinity) (1970)
...continuavano a chiamarlo Trinità (Trinity Is STILL My Name!) (1971)
Young Guns (1988) Dir. Christopher Cain (I might have seen no. 2, too)
Tombstone (1993) Dir. George P. Cosmatos
Bad Girls (1994) Dir. Jonathan Kaplan
The Desperate Trail (1995) (V) (I might have seen this western, saw a violent Sam Elliott western around this time on VHS.)
Buffalo Soldiers (1997) (TV) Dir. Charles Haid
The Jack Bull (1999) (TV) Dir. John Badham
Seraphim Falls (2006) Dir. David Von Ancken

Sorry about that tiresome list. If you have the patience to read it you'll know which good westerns I haven't seen.
I know I've forgotten some. They would never have made it into my top 15 anyway.

I have to say John Wayne has never been a favourite of mine.

[mrsl]

Hi movieman;

I couldn't understand why you were listing your western movies until I saw where you're from. So now I see why westerns are not your favorite genre. It doesn't occur to us that westerns would not be of interest to Europeans. I guess wagon trains attract us because they are our heritage, just as the Long Ships are your heritage, or is it Tall Ships?

Anne

[MissGoddess]

After just watching 3 Bad Men for the first time, I had to immediately place it in my Top 5. I can't believe how great that movie is.

[movieman]

Hi Anne

You're wrong. I'm very interested in western movies. I wouldn't have seen or bought that many of them if I weren't would I?

I 'm not sure why westerns appeal to me.
They're exotic to me. They portray a landscape I've never seen with my own eyes. But, at the same time, those Rocky Mountains reminds me of Norway. I believe "The Naked Spur" was filmed in the Rockies.

The reason I wrote the list was to show you that there are plenty of films I have yet to see which I must see + I had fun writing it, twisting my brain cells, trying to remember most of the Western movies I've seen.

Another reason I like the Westerns is the psychological aspect of them. The way the characters react to one another. I like it when the weak characters get what they deserve, like in "The Man from Laramie" and "Last Train from Gun Hill". Those two movies share many plot elements.

And, many of the westerns are tough and sincere.

I like the tough loner who leads the weaker folks to security, like "Hombre".

Now, where is the DVD release of "Tribute to a Bad Man" (1956) starring James Cagney? I saw most of it on the TV some years ago. I believe it's a good one.

Sincerely

Even

[mrsl]

Hi movieman:

I'm sorry I misunderstood you, and I'm glad I did, because it makes me unhappy to know people don't give themselves the opportunity to try to find something in westerns to enjoy. Just as I hate horror movies, I love scary movies, as long as there isn't a lot of blood and guts flying around, I'm there to watch. I don't need to see it to be frightened.

So many people here in the U.S. say they hate westerns and that is a shame, because like I said, it's part of their heritage.

If you ever see anything on the jacket of a movie that says it was filmed in the Grand Tetons, during winter, that should certainly remind you of Norway. They are so beautiful when they are snow covered.

Anne

[movieman]

I found the VHS copy of "The Searchers" which I'd taped off TV quite a few years ago.
As it turned out, I'd forgotten about 90% or more of the movie.

I was afraid the print would be in 4:3 pan & scan, but it turned out to be in widescreen letterbox (I assume the video's not anamorphic). I watched it on a standard 4:3 TV set.

The movie is much better than I remembered. It's very good. But, I'm not sure I'll place it in my top 15.
It's a grand sprawling story covering five years. But, I still find John Wayne a stiff actor. I have to admit he was fine in this role, though. The moment when he told that guy, you now what, and the guy ran off. That was a very emotional and strong scene. I almost cried at the end of the movie.

The cinematography is vast and beautiful, but I think it covers too big spaces. I very much like the stories which cover a shorter span of time and a smaller space, like a town. (I like "The Last Wagon" though, with big vistas of nature, but simpler characterisations and a simpler story.)

My point is, a great western don't need to be as big and vast as "The Searchers" to impress me.

Though it was very enjoyable, (I found it boring in my youth, I guess I've grown up since then) it didn't pack the emotional punch which some other westerns do.) Sorry "Searchers" fans, but that's my opinion.
Feel free to try and change my mind.

I think the movie would've improved without the humour, but maybe I'm wrong.

I love the darker Anthony Mann westerns.

"The Searchers" won't make my list of 'bestavourites'.

[cinemalover]

Just a reminder, this Friday (Feb. 1) at 11:59 pm (Pacific) is your last opportunity to add or alter a list. I count 21 lists so far, which is pretty good, but I know there are more of you out there that have valuable opinions that we would love to hear from. And I've yet to see a vote for The Terror of Tinytown, I'm shocked, shocked I tell you!

Thanks to everyone that has already contributed!

[MissGoddess]

Hi movieman --- My own feelings about The Searchers underwent a big change in just the last year. I had previously never even considered it in my top 100 movies and it was not a favorite even of the John Ford movies I liked. I don't know, maybe it was seeing it twice in a theater on the big screen and really "hearing" the music for the first time---that, and seeing the documentary, Directed by John Ford, which helped me understand it a little better, which changed my mind.

I just naturally fall in love with a movie or not---just like with people. So I understand that not everyone is going to react the same way to the same movies.

You say you like Anthony Mann's "darker" movies---have you seen his darkest western of all, Man of the West?

[movieman]

Hi, MissGoddess!

What films you like depends, very much, on:
who you are, what you like / don't like, who you are as a person, which views you have on different topics, how you have been raised, when you saw the movie during your life, under what conditions you saw it (here I could list a milelong list of different conditions), which movies you'd seen before this one, and so on... (You're right that it can be compared to meeting people, a little rewriting and this can concern people) (sorry I didn't manage to write that last sentence in better english!).

This have been debated many times before, so I'm not gonna delve any further into it at this time (if not anyone is interested in discussing it in another thread).

You're right the music is very emotional and beautiful. The music is often very essential to the movie, for example in the way you'll react to it. But, often plain silence is the best choice.

Unfortunately, I've yet to see "Man of the West". It's been released on a region 2 DVD, but the quality leaves a lot to be desired, so I won't buy it. I guess I'll have to wait. Waiting can be a good thing when you're waiting for a dessert...

Maybe my view on "The Searchers" will change in time.

Thank you very much for your interesting reply, Miss Goddess.

[MissGoddess]

We are still awaiting a Region 1 dvd release of Man of the West. I recorded it from TCM and it's a good quality print they have. It's puzzling that they have done so well by releasing the James Stewart entries but have ignored this, in my opinion, the best of the lot.

And your English is excellent, so no need to apologize!

[CharlieT]

Very difficult to limit it to just 15, but here goes:

1. The Searchers
2. The Outlaw Josey Wales
3. Silverado
4. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
5. The Unforgiven (Lancaster and Hepburn)
6. They Died With Their Boots On
7. Little Big Man
8. The Westerner
9. High Noon
10. Stagecoach
11. The Cowboys
12. She Wore A Yellow Ribbon
13. The Mark of Zorro (Power and Rathbone)
14. Fort Apache
15. Paint Your Wagon

Had to leave out Cowboy with Glenn Ford and Jack Lemmon and The Sons of Katie Elder among many others mentioned or listed by others.

[cinemalover]

Nice list, Charlie. Thanks for your votes.