Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Old West => Topic started by: CyberAlien312 on October 08, 2012, 03:42:17 PM
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Hello,
I have been watching a few westerns lately, and I wanted to know which westerns really contain iconic scenes like train robberies, duels, shootouts, bank robberies, little wooden towns etc.
Could someone name a few great western films that really serve as a good inspiration? ???
Thanks!
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Wow...that's a BIG question with plenty of answers. I'll give you my favorites and see who will add to them:
Silverado
Rio Bravo
El Dorado
High Noon
Tombstone
Stagecoach
Free Range (best in-town shoot-out ever!) Oops...that is OPEN range.
She wore a Yellow Ribbon
Pale Rider
Just about any Clint Eastwood spaghetti Westerns (Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly)
Pete
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Hhm, maybe this thread could also be of interest for you?
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=45598.0 (http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=45598.0)
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i hope i have not forgot one...
The Magnificent Seven
The Searchers
Red River
Rio Bravo
El Dorado
Rio Lobo
True Grit
Rooster Cogburn
The Shootist
The Sons of Katie Elder
Northwest Passage
Once Upon a Time in the West
High Noon
A Fistful of Dollars
For a Few Dollars More
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I have seen the magnificent seven just recently (again) and what makes this western a VERY good one imho is not the specific scenes (high noon duels on the street, etc.) but the dialogs!
Many conversations are nearly done without words, gesticulations alone ... but ... oh, so cool!
A must-have-seen for any western-fan!
Another brilliant western (also both typical and not!) is "The Big Country" with Gregory Peck and Jean Simmons n I think Jane Baxter, too.
best wishes
DK
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Not forgetting Red Sun for that Samurai angle or Breakheart Pass for the Alistair McLean twist.
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For me there's Tombstone, and then there's everything else.
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Thanks for your suggestions, I will definitely watch some of them. :)
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Or go Spaghetti with these classics:
The Great Silence
Django
The Big Gundown
Face to Face
A Bullet for the General
Day of Anger
Keoma
Run Man Run
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The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
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Shane.
High Plains Drifter.
Broken Arrow.
I'll think on it a bit more and might have some more later.
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"White Feather" is a good one, too, a bit too much on the stagy side, and actually it is more of an indians-western, but old school and with young Robert Wagner.
With a few exceptions at least for me old school western are much more attractive, anyway.
Audey Murphey has got some "kinda cool" b-style western, from the golden age of Hollywood.
Also recommandable is James Stewart - more or less in general. ^^
Kirk Douglas (like Stewart basic rock in movie-making ^^) has got a cool "late-western" ... Man without a star.
Oh, well ... while on it ... how about Glenn Ford? He's got a few good one's, too.
E.g.: "The Sheepman"
with parody-elements, and the oh-so-lovely Shirley McLane ... and by the way, in this movie You will see comedy star young Leslie Nielson in a dead serious part.
And with Glenn Ford not to forget "The fastest Gun lives", a serious point of view on the effects of gunfighting.
I like the beforementioned "The Shootist", too (also with Katherine Hepburn, brilliant actress). But okokok ... that's a barrel with no bottom. So, finally I also recommend "Support Your Local Sheriff" with James Garner. A parody (that's the name?). Hilarius. Sort of short way to all the "iconic scenes" in western. The "problem" with parodies is ... You need to know the real versions ;D
best wishes
DK
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For wargaming inspiration, "Major Dundee" is amazing. It has Union, Confederate, Apache, and French fighting each other.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osW1wMWqs9I (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osW1wMWqs9I)
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310 to Yuma and Appaloosa is a couple of more recent movies
Cheers
Kieran
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There are some really funny movies that have lots of character (and Characters). Blazing Saddles, Shanghai Noon, and all of the Trinity movies.
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The Wild Bunch. Probably the best bank robbery on film. Cracking finale too.
A personal favourite is Red Sun, Charles Bronson and Toshiro Mifune in a Samurai/Cowboy mash-up. A bit bloaty in the middle but a bloody good film nontheless.
Drachenklinge's right about Jimmy Stewart movies, particularly Destry Rides Again (a bit of a comedy), Winchester 73 and Bend of the River.
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The Wild Bunch. Probably the best bank robbery on film. Cracking finale too.
A personal favourite is Red Sun, Charles Bronson and Toshiro Mifune in a Samurai/Cowboy mash-up. A bit bloaty in the middle but a bloody good film nontheless.
Drachenklinge's right about Jimmy Stewart movies, particularly Destry Rides Again (a bit of a comedy), Winchester 73 and Bend of the River.
I second The Wild Bunch. :)
Red Sun? I remember seeing that one years ago, doesn't Ursula Andress gets her bangers out ??? ;D
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A lot of 'classic' western TV series are available on DVD too - The Virginian, High Chaparral, Bonanza, Alias Smith and Jones, etc. Coming slightly more up-to-date, Lonesome Dove and its follow-ons are all available, and coming right up to the noughties, Deadwood is worth seeing.
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Red Sun? I remember seeing that one years ago, doesn't Ursula Andress gets her bangers out ??? ;D
Do you know, I do believe she might. :) Not that that would convince anybody to watch it, of course...
Also should have mentioned MacKenna's Gold.
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Do you know, I do believe she might. :) Not that that would convince anybody to watch it, of course...
Also should have mentioned MacKenna's Gold.
lol
MacKenna's Gold, another classic. you've go to love Omar Shariff playing a Mexican ;) lol
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Just watched a trailer for next year's Lone Ranger with Jonny Depp as Tonto! Looks great!
Just watched Open Range again, I love the gunfight at the end of the film - great cinema.
For me though ANY spag western or western with Clint, Unforgiven - bloody awesome! Tombstone is good too.
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Well if you are talking about funny movies there are my two favorites.
Support Your Local Sheriff
Support Your Local Gunfighter
Jack Elam is great, and he did go on to become the most beloved character of the old west.
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Cheyenne Autumn -John Ford at his best. The scenery alone is inspirational and the fight with the Indians including the cavalry charge is a classic. The full version includes Jimmy Stewart as Wyatt
Costner's Wyatt Earp or Open Range - simply brilliant
Tombstone - for the gunfight and shootings after, and Sam Elliot and Val Kilmer
Eastwood's Pale Rider and Josey Wales and Unforgiven for gunfights, dialogue and Chief Dan George
The Long Riders - bank robberies and shoot outs (and Ry Cooder's score plus Carradines, Keatches, et al)
True Grit - both versions - modern for the script, original for John Wayne
Blackthorn - for what happened after Butch and Sundance - a beautiful film with great actors
And my oddball choice - Rango! Because it's an homage to western clichés not just an animated film !!!!!
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Tombstone (especially the directors edition) really is a simply fantastic film. Not just as a Western, but just a great time.
I think the gunfight in Open Range at the end is possibly the best one on film in modern days. Just a great shootout.
3:10 to Yuma is again, a good film...but doesn't offer too much from a Western standpoint.
Appaloosa is good, but a little downing, kinda dry...but the friendship between the two main characters is cool. I hate Zelwegger though.
Wyatt Earp is unfortunately a crap film (though apparently more true to history). It's just boring and depressing. The director's version is nigh on three hours long, and stuffed with crap which was understandably cut. If you want to watch a 30 year old Kevin Costner pretend to be 17...go nuts.
I've seen a number of other old Westerns which are good, but they start to meld together in my head. Joe Kidd is good, the original True Grit is also excellent (modern one is quite good, excluding the ending).
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Well, the Deadwood Series gets my vote for the 'look' of the thing in reality, but I'd also mention Cat Ballou, always makes me laugh! ;)
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A personal favourite is Red Sun, Charles Bronson and Toshiro Mifune in a Samurai/Cowboy mash-up. A bit bloaty in the middle but a bloody good film nontheless.
And Alain Delon as the bad guy if memory serves me right. I loved that movie as a kid. :)
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Yes, Alain Delon! Who knew he could be such a cold-eyed bastard?
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Yes, Alain Delon! Who knew he could be such a cold-eyed bastard?
lol
Isn't there a fight with some Apache or Comanche in an adobe ruin and Toshiro Mifune has to retrieve a ceremonial sword or he is forced to commit suicide? Each day he ties a knot in some rope to remind him of the days he has left?
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That's the one. :)
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That's the one. :)
Not forgetting Ursula Andress's hooters :D
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For actual painting inspiration, it's all about the HBO series Deadwood.
But movie-wise? It is by no means a good movie, but I love The Quick and the Dead. It's a guilty pleasure, and positively comic-booky in places. But I am a-OK with that.
I also agree with the Emir that Rango is a lovely tribute as well.
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The finale of Wild Bunch is hard to beat.
The last charge in Major Dundee ( make sure you get the full version!) is simply magnificent.
Staying in Mexico, Deaf Smith and Johnny Ears. Pure entertainment!
And of course ' The Professionals' My all time favourite Western.
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And of course ' The Professionals' My all time favourite Western.
Excellent choice, its certainly in my top ten.
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My childhood was dominated by 'Bandolero' which is classic '60's wetern movie. Later on i Later on i became engrossed in the somewhat typical '70's (style) movie like The man who shot Liberty Valance, in the 80's came the excellent The Long Riders and i quite liked the first episodes of the series How the West was won. But my all time favorite is Jeremiah Johson, with Robert Redford.
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The Outlaw Josie Wales and Silverado are my favorite Westerns. As far as television, my favorites would be The Sacketts followed by Lonesome Dove.
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On the strength of this post I just bought the Deadwood complete boxed set for £20. I can't believe I didn't watch this on telly - bloody awesome! Three episodes in, and I can't wait to watch the next few....
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I found Deadwood to be very brutal, and interesting...as far as I believe it represents a lot of very reasonable facsimiles of western life. However, I got bored with it halfway through season two, and haven't finished it. Just very slow moving, and...I find myself not caring about any of the characters much.
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I am a huge fan of the Cavalry movies that John Wayne starred in (She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Fort Apache, Rio Grande) as a veteran Cavalryman!
I have to say that my favorites encompass all of the Clint Eastwood westerns (My father and I watched them on a regular basis). I have to say, Chief Dan George in "Josey Wales" is a character I would like to have for "Shoot N Skedaddle."
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I forgot to mention Ride with the Devil, more civil war than western but good theatre. Also, I'm looking forward to watching Django Unchained. ....
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The Cimarron Strip, all 23 movies with Marshal Jim Crown, or The Culpepper cattle company, Monte Walsh, My name is nobody, Fistful of Dynamite aka Duck you sucker, Once upon a time in the west, Duel at Diablo, Fire Creek, Fastest gun alive and Unforgiven.
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Anyone with Netflix discovered any hidden treasures? There are literally hundreds of (admittedly horrible looking...) westerns on there. Looking for a few diamonds in the rough.
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'Bad Company' has a some good bits
'McCabe and Mrs Miller' for a great 'different' little town and shootout in the snow
'Dead Man' for something odd
'Shalako' just for aristocrats facing off against apaches
not seen 'red sun' but will now have to!
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For Inspiration, try this gem of a site. ;)
http://www.westernsontheweb.com/
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i've got an 8 month old daughter who doesn't sleep so well at night, so i watch a lot of films at the moment. rather than constant having to keep flicking through the guide to decide what to watch i just set my Tivo to record all the westerns that came on. big mistake. i recorded 100 in less than a week. anyway, right at the moment i'm watching about two a day as most are pretty short; and i've watched the full range of movies (though not so many spaghetti westerns as there didn't seem to be many on). here's a run down of some of my favorites:
- Across the Wide Missouri: Ok, i'm going to be honest from the outset. pretty much nothing happens in this film. that aside the thing that is so catching about it is the way it looks. its about free trappers and so is filmed almost entirely outside on location. obviously lots of westerns are, but some how this film manages to capture the enormous grandeur of the US in a way that i haven't seen in other films. it really does feel like wide open spaces with rolling mountains in the background. even if there isn't much adventure in this particular film, you know that there is a land were such adventures could happen, and that's quite inspirational. also, they build a cool fort.
- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: i went and saw this film in the cinema because i'm a fan of Brad Pitt's later movies (now that he's gotten over that whole Hollywood Heart Throb thing) and i was instantaneously hooked. it leaped straight to my favorite film and has pretty much been lodged there ever since. i know its slow. i know its miserable. i know it has Casey Afleck in it. but none of those things stop it from being one of the most truly atmospheric westerns ever made. it makes me feel like i was really there.
- Guns for San Sebastian: Mexican villagers are being hassled by bullying vaqueros and seek help from an outside source. if you think you've heard this storyline, i urge you to keep reading. if i was going to have to choose between this film and The Magnificent Seven i would be very hard pushed. TM7 is a 'classic', but the characters are mostly threadbare after their introduction. whereas this film has only a single anti-hero who has plenty of time to establish himself and what he's like. also, its not down to him to save the town, he inspires the people to make a stand, which makes for a much more positive and enjoyable watch, because you know that the peons actually matter and aren't just fodder.
- The Quick and the Dead: not the smartest film in the whole world, but seriously entertaining. And, probably more importantly for this forum, very inspiring scenery.
- Rio Lobo: This film has some pretty serious faults, chiefly how quickly the Union and Confederate Soldiers seem to get pally with one another after the war; i mean, they hadn't even left the concentration camp before they were offering to buy each other drinks. that aside, the train robbery at the beginning is genius and once they get down to the action its a really good watch. i was immediately led to start jotting down some ideas for a prisoner exchange scenario.
- The Tall Stranger: probably not to most people's tastes, but i loved it. ex-union soldier, Bannon, is returning home after the war and is ambushed and left for dead by an unknown rustler. he's rescued by ex-confederate settlers, being lead by a shifty looking outsider, who are heading to California. co-incidentally they plan on taking a route through Bannon's home, where he is heading to settle an old score with his brother. lots and lots of complex relationships and intrigue.
- True Grit: i feel compelled to throw in my vote for the modern version of this film. the original is rubbish. the original was so quaint and 60s that you would have been hard pushed to say that anyone in it had 'what you might call 'true grit''. conversely, Jeff Bridges did an astonishing job bringing Rooster Cogburn to life. when he was drunk, you knew it, you didn't have to rely on all the supporting characters telling you he was drunk. the film felt more epic and dramatic than any other western i can think of (and it was ably aided by its brilliant soundtrack). i loved it, and everyone in that film (apart from the pony sales man) had true grit. as a side note, the sequel to the original, Roster Cogburn, was a much better film than its forebear.
Runner Up
- Broken Arrow: this film is all about the brokering of peace between the Apache Nation and the US, so i couldn't give it top billing, because its just too tame. but there were two reasons i felt i should include it a)i hadn't already mentioned a film with James Stewart in it, and almost all westerns i've seen with him have been worth the effort (go and watch The Far Country, How the West Was Won or Shenandoah) b) at a time that Native Americans are almost always portrayed as faceless subhumans that can be shot dead without any concern or moral questioning, this film completely breaks the mold and shows the Apache as true humans, who think and reason and want to see peace. its a breath of fresh air in a world where Native American culture is still seen as a novelty.
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I really enjoyed the TV series ‘The English’ inaccuracies and all. There are a couple of great scenes showing a town under construction which I really liked.
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I really enjoyed the TV series ‘The English’ inaccuracies and all. There are a couple of great scenes showing a town under construction which I really liked.
Yes another vote for The English.
I also really enjoyed 1883 and quite like what I've seen of 1923 so far....although Jerome Flynn's accent needs a wee bit of work.
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Anyone mentioned Gunsmoke?
It’s got it all!
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My old pal's saying sums it up for me, perfectly...
"There's no such thing as a bad Western. Just some that are better than others!"
:-*
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"There's no such thing as a bad Western. Just some that are better than others!"
Wiser words have rarely been said.... :D