Dotsthavesp
I wanted to but couldn't!
Ella-May O'Brien
Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.
Dana
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
Wuchak
Released in 1958 and directed by Anthony Mann, "Man of the West" stars Gary Cooper as a reformed owlhoot who becomes stranded with two others (Julie London & Arthur O'Connell) in the Arizona wilderness after their train is ambushed. They eventually make their way to a hidden ranch in the rolling hills, which ushers in phantoms of the ex-outlaw's past.This is hailed as a cult classic and it's obvious why: To compete with so-called adult TV Westerns of the mid-late 50s, like Gunsmoke, Cheyenne, Maverick and the brutal The Rifleman (for which Sam Peckinpah directed several segments), Mann made "Man of the West" so 'adult' that there would be no comparison. He obviously wanted to spur people away from their TV sets and into the theater, along with the added attractions of widescreen, color, spectacular locations and just all-around superior filmmaking.What's so 'adult' about "Man of the West"? The portrait of the West it paints is decidedly harsh with its band of psychotic killers and an ex-outlaw as a protagonist who's constantly on the verge of letting loose his long-held-in-check violent nature to stamp out the specters of his past. On top of this you have risqué and risky moments for the era (which are rather tame today), like London's character being forced to strip in front of the dudes and an off-screen rape. The other gang members, by the way, are played by Jack Lord, John Dehner, Royal Dano and Robert J. Wilke.Some reviewers criticize the film for reasons that aren't very justified; for instance, the fact that Lee J. Cobb, who plays the half-mad uncle of Link (Cooper), was ten years younger than Cooper. Yet Cooper's role was originally slated for the younger Stewart Granger. (James Stewart, Mann's go-to man in five of his previous Westerns, desperately wanted the role, but Mann overlooked him due to their falling out during the pre-production of 1957's "Night Passage" wherein Mann pulled out). In any case, Cobb is made out to be about 10-12 years older than Link and I think it works for the most part, particularly since Cooper was still lean & mean at 56 during shooting, although his character is supposed to be 20 years younger. (Cooper would incidentally pass away a mere four years later). True, Link's face looks withered, but it could be argued that that's what a hard life in the Old West does to a man.Another criticism is the idea that Dock believed the bank in Lassoo would be full of money when the settlement turns out to be a virtual ghost town. Yet ghost towns were birthed overnight back then when mines would suddenly shut down, etc. The looney Dock obviously based his scheme on data from years earlier and an update on the town's status hadn't yet come to him or his gang. They were used to hiding out in their spare time and there was no internet or cell phones. Where's the beef? That said, there are some justifiable criticisms, like the surreal and lame melodramatics, the slow-pace and the dubiously choreographed fist fight sequence. These elements are so bad they might send modern viewers running away screaming. Thankfully, lame aspects like this went out of vogue by the 60s.If you can roll with these issues and enter into the world of the movie, however, it has a number of attractions, including the subtext: Cooper's character is named Link because he represents the link between the barbaric and the cultured, the primitive (his old gang) and the civilized (his new life). Unfortunately, with the gift of volition some people inevitably choose to eschew progress and continue in their ape-headed, animalistic ways (which is actually offensive to animals).After the aborted train robbery, Link starts to recognize his old stomping grounds and is drawn to the hidden shack for shelter & refreshment; yet perhaps also to revisit his past and "the good ol' days." He vacillates between his new identity and the temptation of regressing to the wild "freedom" of his lawless youth.Interestingly, "Man of the West" is very similar to the slightly superior "The Law and Jake Wade," which debuted four months earlier. As good as the subtext is in "Man" it's meatier in "The Law" (see my review), which is also a little less talky and melodramatic. Yet "Man" has since emerged as a cult classic while "The Law" has fallen into obscurity; no doubt because the latter lacks the two strip sequences and the iconic Cooper.Although obviously flawed, "Man of the West" was the precursor of the Leone and Peckinpah styled Westerns that came into fashion in the mid-late 60s. The grim, laconic Link is the predecessor of future antiheroes, like Eastwood's 'Man with No Name,' but Link is better IMO because he has more human dimension.BEST LINE: "There's a point where you either grow up and become a human being or you rot, like that bunch." The film runs 100 minutes and was shot entirely in California (Santa Clarita, Red Rock Canyon State Park, Jamestown, Thousand Oaks, Newhall, Sonora and the Mohave Desert, with studio-bound scenes done in West Hollywood). The script was written by Reginald Rose from Will C. Brown's book "The Border Jumpers." GRADE: B-
treywillwest
I tend to love anything that Anthony Mann touches, and this movie no exception. Mann's Noir films seem as much the work of DP John Alton as Mann, but with this western Mann proves himself a brilliant collaborator with big name DPs by teaming with vibrant color specialist Ernest Haller (of Gone With the Wind fame). The film's primary color is green- unspoiled, like the grass of the landscapes of nineteenth-century north Texas, but also bringing to mind all that is least reassuring about nature, its capacity to engulf and disorient. This is a very unconventional western. But unlike many films that adopt a western milieu but do not want to succumb to the genre's tired traditions Man of the West does not self-consciously invert or critique those conventions. It silently, yet almost defiantly, ignores them. Throughout his career, Mann was brilliant at the subtle evocation of cruelty. But this film is his most potent portrayal of depravity. The scenes in the villains' layer reminded me of nothing less than those in Lynch's Blue Velvet that focus on Frank and his crew. The primary difference is that Frank is a kind of anti-God, his awfulness seems like a conduit of a cosmic menace. Mann's monsters are fully of this world. Indeed, they are depraved in the fullest sense of the word- violent and deranged, yet also degraded and debased. Nor is the nameless (or is it multi-named?) protagonist, played by Gary Cooper whose "acting" doesn't drag this work down like it does in many of his movies, a true western hero. He is presented as a good man, or at least a vastly better person than are his opponents, yet the violence he uses to dispatch his enemies is not transcendental, heroic violence. He's just a more clever and sneaky, talented murderer than are his foes. This is not good triumphing over evil. It is the strong exterminating the weak, and this deflates any sense of the film's "happy" ending giving credence to any mythology of the west. This is not myth, this is a nasty little tale of people killing people, and it feels so much more profound for it. Some of my favorite moments in art arise from what I might call accidental philosophizing- when a work, almost in spite of itself, describes something in a new way that forces one to abandon, if only for a second, preconceived notions of what that work, and maybe our world, can be. There is an exchange of dialogue in this film that is a prime example: "I used to live here." "Were you a boy then?" "I don't know what I was."
grantss
Good Gary Cooper western.Set in Texas in the late-1800s, a man, Link Jones (played by Gary Cooper), sets out a long-distance train trip in order to hire a teacher for his home town. The train is robbed and him and two other passengers are left stranded at the side of the tracks...Interesting, gritty western. Quite edgy for one made in 1958. Has more dimensions than your average good cowboy-bad cowboy western.Not perfect though: feels clumsy at times, and some parts of the plot don't always make sense.Solid work by Gary Cooper in the lead role. Good support from Julie London. The bad guys are fairly stereotypically played, however.
Boba_Fett1138
When you watch an Anthony Mann western you always know it is going to be something special and different from usual. He was not really a director that applied to usual rules and the particular genre elements of the westerns from its era to his movies. This was not only just the case with his westerns by the way, since he also did a bunch of whole different movies but he is best known for his work in the western genre.Anthony Mann westerns are often more realistic with its characters, story and emotions but at the same time they also manage to be very entertaining ones. Not that this movie is all fun but it still has a sort of adventurous approach and feeling to it all. That also means that the movie has a pleasant pace, which helps to make this movie a very good watch.The story in itself is being kept quite simple. The story provides the movie with plenty of room to let the characters make and tell the story. It's a story that progresses along with its characters. The characters really play the central role in this movie and are what keeps this movie going and progressing so interesting. It's an intriguing to watch due to this effective approach.Lots of people thought that Gary Cooper was miscast in this, mostly due to his age, but in truth he simply was great in this movie and he did not feel out of place or anything in it. I always enjoy seeing Lee J. Cobb in a movie as well but it was a bit silly though how he looked in this movie and at times played his character more like an old pirate, rather than an old tough outlaw.Anthony Mann westerns don't come across as particularly expensive ones, mostly because they are often set in the open or indoors, at an obvious studio but nevertheless his movies are always great looking ones. And with this it just doesn't seem to matter whether his movies are in color or black & white.Another nice, bit of different, little western from Anthony Mann.8/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
