A WELL-ACTED, WESTERN -ROMANCE, WITH STUNNING CINEMATOGRAPHY
Added 5/6/2009
Pakula did a fine job of capturing the grandeur of the 'fading' West in this sweeping tale of greed, passion, betrayal, and murder. I watched it six, or seven times on the big screen when it first came out, possibly because I felt it was an excellent re-uniting of Fonda, and Robards ( two of my favorite actors ), and was quite surprised by how good Caan was in his role as the laconic neighbor of the feisty, embittered widow that Fonda plays. Richard Farnsworth, however, was simply incredible as Fonda's aging ranch hand, and the quiet dignity, and humor he brings to the role is a fitting match for the awesome landscape he seems so much a part of. It should be in the collection of any fan of Fonda, Cain, Robards, or anyone that just enjoys a well-told western yarn.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Relentless Glory of Ranch Life
Added 3/21/2009
"Comes a Horseman," an ambling, leisurely paced western that quietly debuted in 1978, has never received much acclaim. Perhaps a film loaded with so many extraordinary talents should have soared to great heights. Most contemporary critics were bored. The film was released during a furious moment in United Artists' history when they were juggling Apocalypse Now, Manhattan and Raging Bull, and it simply fell through the cracks. Stephen Bach was not especially kind in his expose novel Final Cut : Art, Money, and Ego in the Making of Heaven's Gate, the Film That Sank United Artists, which detailed the famous Heaven's Gate disaster. He describes previews of "Comes a Horseman" as being failures and details his frustration at bankrolling what he considered to be a mediocre film.
Perhaps. I first saw "Comes a Horseman" at the theater the week it opened and have never forgotten it. I was touched by its gregarious nature and winsome style. There's a salt-of-the-earth quality here, perfectly symbolized by the star-making performance of Richard Farnsworth as an old-time cowhand limping towards his final days. Alan J. Pakula, a brilliant director known for his fascinating suspense thrillers Klute, The Parallax View and All the President's Men, oddly took on this project. I believe most directors dream of making westerns, having been raised on the epic works of John Ford, Howard Hawks and George Stevens. Pakula tried on this hat with great earnest and created a film that realistically portrays the rigors of ranch life. There's authenticity in every scene and, in many ways, it uniquely documents a closing era of the western legend.
Buck Athearn (James Caan) is a returning WW II veteran who purchases some land to start a ranch. The locale is never mentioned though, while beautifully filmed in Colorado by the legendary Gordon Willis, it could easily be Wyoming or Montana. Asleep next to a campfire, he is attacked and left for dead by men working for local ranch king J.W. Ewing (Jason Robards). Over a period of several weeks, Buck is nursed back to health by Ella Connors (Jane Fonda), a neighboring ranch owner immersed in a bitter land war with J.W. Ella, a prickly tomboy carrying the scars of a tough childhood, has a lone ranch hand in Dodger (Farnsworth) and, against frightful odds, they are trying to stay afloat. After a talk with Dodger, Buck decides to work for Ella.
Caan is perfect as Buck, a no-nonsense loner who must have been a fearless soldier. This was near the peak of Caan's career and his stoic presence is a fascinating accompaniment to Fonda's. As Ella, Fonda is an uncomfortably stubborn woman with rage bubbling beneath the surface. Caan and Fonda have a classic scene together, when they quietly read at a table while eating dinner, that is a subtle testament to their great talents. Farnsworth, who was nominated for an Academy Award, is unforgettable as Dodger. He's an old-time cowhand (who appears to be the only extrovert in the valley) with memories of long-ago drives and bones that crack each time he mounts a saddle. Robards has the difficult role of J.W., a weathered monument who sees the days of his ancestor's myth closing fast. In addition to his feud with Ella (there's a secret between them), his irritating business associate is interested in the newfangled idea of drilling for oil. J.W., of course, considers this a rank abomination.
All of these familiar dramas, including Buck and Ella's growing attraction, play out languidly. Viewers, however, are treated to extraordinary images of the relentless glory of ranch life - swirling dust, matted sweat and the blue smoke of branding iron fires. There's also an amazing shot of actual lightning on the horizon, something I had never before seen in a movie. When I first saw this at the theater, it took my breath away. Sadly, it doesn't play as well on TV, but no matter. It's real.
I could have done without the concluding dramatics, when J.W. and his elderly hands (an intentional choice by Pakula, I'm sure) ride upon Buck and Ella with rifles blazing. It's an old-time gunfight, akin to Sam Peckinpah's finale in Ride the High Country, that serves more as a tribute to the western than anything that would have realistically played out. I love the final long shot, returning the film to its gentle track, when Buck and Ella slowly begin to unload wood from the back of their 1930's-era truck. They are rebuilding their lives, and we realize how much we care about these characters, wondering if their children are still working the land to this day.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Slow and predictable...
Added 8/23/2007
...but great cinematography. This film is beautiful to look at, but you can't help but know what's going to happen before it happens. Robards character is nothing more than a big baby who literally throws hissy-fits when he doesn't get his way. The idea that this man is free to just kill who he wants whenever he wants-including bankers-is a little extreme. In the climatic scene-you can help but wonder how on earth this man thought he was going be able to get away with what he was doing? Getting rid of Julia no longer benefited him. He didn't owe the land. The bank did. And getting rid of the banker doesn't get rid of the bank. Silly. Still I liked Dodger, though you knew his number was up the minute he showed on the screen. I can't really recommend the movie, because I wasn't overly impressed with any other performance and the script was written by someone who apparently sleep walks.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Great riding, gorgeous scenery, full characters
Added 8/18/2007
The story is about a sweeping passion that you don't see much anymore --the grab for land, the insistence that a way of life stays the same.
This movie is additionally noteworthy because it garnered the late actor Richard Farnsworth an Academy Award nomination for his part as the steady and honest "Dodger." Farnsworth turns in a fine performance that is plainly and comfortably delivered.
Fonda does a great job playing the part of a tough, unsentimental, and unlikeable but tenacious hard scrabble landowner --a rarity in today's wanna-be-liked movie making machinery. Caan matches her character with an easy going but as hard driving manner, and Robards is an example of menace by long stare. The pacing of the movie is slower than anything made today, so wrap your head round 1978 and just take it in.
One of the greatest reasons to watch this movie is the horsemanship. There's some hard riding here, exemplary riding of the sort you don't see as much these days. Farnsworth had a wonderful riding style, straight and graceful. When you see him in the saddle, you miss him. Iconic, you realize how much he carried all the Westerns made from 1937 and on. This is one of those movies where the three leads seem to be easy with horses.
For sure, there were things that could have been done to give it more authenticity. But that's not how they did the Western in 1978. So to complain about it now is futile. This would make a great movie to remake if only they could find some actors who really knew how to ride like Farnsworth, Fonda & Caan.
Awards 1978:
Richard Farnsworth, Best Supporting Actor Winner--National Board of Review,
National Society of Film Critics; USA, Best Actor Nominee, Academy Awards, USA.
Jane Fonda --Best Actress Los Angeles Film Critics Award
Dennis Lynton Clark--Best Movie Script, Wester Writers of America
Western Horseman Magazine
Cowboys & Indians Magazine
The Cowboy Kind Book with a Forward by Richard Farnsworth
The Straight Story Movie with Richard Farnsworth, for which he garned a Best Actor Nomination
The Grey Fox starring Richard Farnsworth
4 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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When Comes The End Of This Movie?
Added 9/23/2006
This is a very tedious movie about a female rancher played by Jane Fonda who is trying to eek out a living. At the same time she is trying to atone for fornicating with THE BAD GUY which broke her daddy's heart.So she kinda has her hands full. Then James Cann arrives all shot up and she has to be a nurse too!Then the two of them along with their elderly ranch hand try to drive cattle and make a good sale.This movie is only redeemed by the wonderful performance of veteran actor Richard Farnsworth who I understand started his career as a stuntman. J.R. Ewing's Daddy is also in thus movie with the unlikely name of "Julie".
0 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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A WELL-ACTED, WESTERN -ROMANCE, WITH STUNNING CINEMATOGRAPHY
Added 5/6/2009
Pakula did a fine job of capturing the grandeur of the 'fading' West in this sweeping tale of greed, passion, betrayal, and murder. I watched it six, or seven times on the big screen when it first came out, possibly because I felt it was an excellent re-uniting of Fonda, and Robards ( two of my favorite actors ), and was quite surprised by how good Caan was in his role as the laconic neighbor of the feisty, embittered widow that Fonda plays. Richard Farnsworth, however, was simply incredible as Fonda's aging ranch hand, and the quiet dignity, and humor he brings to the role is a fitting match for the awesome landscape he seems so much a part of. It should be in the collection of any fan of Fonda, Cain, Robards, or anyone that just enjoys a well-told western yarn.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
|
Relentless Glory of Ranch Life
Added 3/21/2009
"Comes a Horseman," an ambling, leisurely paced western that quietly debuted in 1978, has never received much acclaim. Perhaps a film loaded with so many extraordinary talents should have soared to great heights. Most contemporary critics were bored. The film was released during a furious moment in United Artists' history when they were juggling Apocalypse Now, Manhattan and Raging Bull, and it simply fell through the cracks. Stephen Bach was not especially kind in his expose novel Final Cut : Art, Money, and Ego in the Making of Heaven's Gate, the Film That Sank United Artists, which detailed the famous Heaven's Gate disaster. He describes previews of "Comes a Horseman" as being failures and details his frustration at bankrolling what he considered to be a mediocre film.
Perhaps. I first saw "Comes a Horseman" at the theater the week it opened and have never forgotten it. I was touched by its gregarious nature and winsome style. There's a salt-of-the-earth quality here, perfectly symbolized by the star-making performance of Richard Farnsworth as an old-time cowhand limping towards his final days. Alan J. Pakula, a brilliant director known for his fascinating suspense thrillers Klute, The Parallax View and All the President's Men, oddly took on this project. I believe most directors dream of making westerns, having been raised on the epic works of John Ford, Howard Hawks and George Stevens. Pakula tried on this hat with great earnest and created a film that realistically portrays the rigors of ranch life. There's authenticity in every scene and, in many ways, it uniquely documents a closing era of the western legend.
Buck Athearn (James Caan) is a returning WW II veteran who purchases some land to start a ranch. The locale is never mentioned though, while beautifully filmed in Colorado by the legendary Gordon Willis, it could easily be Wyoming or Montana. Asleep next to a campfire, he is attacked and left for dead by men working for local ranch king J.W. Ewing (Jason Robards). Over a period of several weeks, Buck is nursed back to health by Ella Connors (Jane Fonda), a neighboring ranch owner immersed in a bitter land war with J.W. Ella, a prickly tomboy carrying the scars of a tough childhood, has a lone ranch hand in Dodger (Farnsworth) and, against frightful odds, they are trying to stay afloat. After a talk with Dodger, Buck decides to work for Ella.
Caan is perfect as Buck, a no-nonsense loner who must have been a fearless soldier. This was near the peak of Caan's career and his stoic presence is a fascinating accompaniment to Fonda's. As Ella, Fonda is an uncomfortably stubborn woman with rage bubbling beneath the surface. Caan and Fonda have a classic scene together, when they quietly read at a table while eating dinner, that is a subtle testament to their great talents. Farnsworth, who was nominated for an Academy Award, is unforgettable as Dodger. He's an old-time cowhand (who appears to be the only extrovert in the valley) with memories of long-ago drives and bones that crack each time he mounts a saddle. Robards has the difficult role of J.W., a weathered monument who sees the days of his ancestor's myth closing fast. In addition to his feud with Ella (there's a secret between them), his irritating business associate is interested in the newfangled idea of drilling for oil. J.W., of course, considers this a rank abomination.
All of these familiar dramas, including Buck and Ella's growing attraction, play out languidly. Viewers, however, are treated to extraordinary images of the relentless glory of ranch life - swirling dust, matted sweat and the blue smoke of branding iron fires. There's also an amazing shot of actual lightning on the horizon, something I had never before seen in a movie. When I first saw this at the theater, it took my breath away. Sadly, it doesn't play as well on TV, but no matter. It's real.
I could have done without the concluding dramatics, when J.W. and his elderly hands (an intentional choice by Pakula, I'm sure) ride upon Buck and Ella with rifles blazing. It's an old-time gunfight, akin to Sam Peckinpah's finale in Ride the High Country, that serves more as a tribute to the western than anything that would have realistically played out. I love the final long shot, returning the film to its gentle track, when Buck and Ella slowly begin to unload wood from the back of their 1930's-era truck. They are rebuilding their lives, and we realize how much we care about these characters, wondering if their children are still working the land to this day.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Slow and predictable...
Added 8/23/2007
...but great cinematography. This film is beautiful to look at, but you can't help but know what's going to happen before it happens. Robards character is nothing more than a big baby who literally throws hissy-fits when he doesn't get his way. The idea that this man is free to just kill who he wants whenever he wants-including bankers-is a little extreme. In the climatic scene-you can help but wonder how on earth this man thought he was going be able to get away with what he was doing? Getting rid of Julia no longer benefited him. He didn't owe the land. The bank did. And getting rid of the banker doesn't get rid of the bank. Silly. Still I liked Dodger, though you knew his number was up the minute he showed on the screen. I can't really recommend the movie, because I wasn't overly impressed with any other performance and the script was written by someone who apparently sleep walks.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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