Saturday, May 26, 2007
COWS
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Movie was Howard Hawk's
with John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan, John Ireland and Joanne Dru.
It is a classic. I saw it when it came out (I was 11) and a couple times since.
The Oedipal story wraps around some of the most astounding cattle drive photography I have ever seen.
I don't mean that the cows are better than the people but nothing was spared in making this as realistic as possible.
The herd is huge. There is nothing make believe about it. The handling of it in almost all the scenes include a stampede and heading the drive into the small town of Abilene. Just amazing.
That said, the guys aren't bad either.
In real life, Clift, the Actor's Studio guy, takes on Wayne, the classical self made 'personality' actor.
As in the film, it is a draw and fascinating to watch.
I remember seeing Clift for the first time. It is hard to understate the impact that he had in this debut.
In one scene, his character is a boy. In the next, ten years later, he is a man. Boom.
Clift had a tragically self destructive life and burned out early. In his first films, he ignites the screen.
We all loved John Wayne. He found his metier early and stuck with it. He was not always the hero. In this one he is half an asshole.
You have to hand it to him. He varied the show to fit his persona and made great choices in the films he was in.
We will see him soon in The Quiet Man. One of those Netflix queuing coincidences.
I liked the film a lot. I remembered the general sense of it but had forgotten that it never falters. It is one thing after another.
The only slow spots are the scenes with Dru who is unconvincingly cast as the woman who brings the men back together.
They don't last long though. I can see a studio chief telling Hawks that he had to have a love interest.
I will give this one a 5 out of Netflix5.
Labels: best films
