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It has arrived.
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Posted: |
Dec 4, 2010 - 4:42 AM
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By: |
Richard-W
(Member)
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Have you watched it yet, Bob?
The film covers only half the novel, but what a story it tells.
Lee Marvin is Monte Walsh, and Monte Walsh is Lee Marvin. He and Jack Palance don't so much play characters as inhabit their roles. Wonderful performances.
Real-life cowboys and westerners love this film. In Arizona, where it was shot, it's biography.
Screen captures here:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/dvd_reviews52/monte_walsh.htm
I know all the locations used in the film. The western town set built for the film, at Mescal near Benson, is still there. Barely standing up. I worked there off an on over the years. I wish William Fraker had made a career out of directing westerns. He is best-known as a Director of Photography, one of the very best, and he had the right sensibility for the genre. Unfortunately, his next assignment as a director, LEGEND OF THE LONE RANGER, was not good material, and it was plagued with problems. As the dp on TOMBSTONE, during all the petulant actor conflicts and director firings and hireings, Fraker quietly but firmly directed the film, as well as photographed it, without making a point that he was doing so.
The score by John Barry is one of his most ebullient. Love the song, "The Good Times Are Comin'" and Mama Cass's fine delivery of it. Best song she ever sung. I remember a richer more saturated color. There should be sharper detail, but the transfer looks okay. I wish CBS / Paramount had used the original one-sheet poster for the cover art, but that's a minor quibble. I vaguely remember a behind-the-scenes featurette that played in theaters which could have been dusted off as an extra. I can think of a number of people who would have contributed a commentary if they'd been asked.
Now if only somebody would release THE BALLAD OF GREGORIO CORTEZ ....
Richard
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Posted: |
Dec 4, 2010 - 5:15 AM
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By: |
Richard-W
(Member)
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Roger Ebert's review is so seventies:
Monte Walsh
Release Date: 1970
Ebert Rating: ****
By Roger Ebert / Oct 13, 1970
"Monte Walsh" is as lovely a Western as I've seen in a long time. Like a lot of recent Westerns, it's about the end of the old West. "Monte," a friend says to Lee Marvin, "do you realize how many cowpunchers there were out here 10 years ago? Well there's a hell of a lot less now. And no jobs for them." And so Monte Walsh, 50ish, thinks in a rather disorganized way of getting into some other line of work and maybe even getting married.
The thing that helps make up his mind for him is when his best friend Chet (Jack Palance) gives up cowpunching, moves into town and marries the "hardware widow." Chet's wedding starts Monte thinking about marrying the town whore (Jeanne Moreau), who has never taken a penny from him and who clearly loves him.
Times have been hard for her, too. Prostitution, she observes, is a profession of diminishing returns, and she has had to move to a railroad town nearby. With the consolidation of all the ranches into one big spread managed by some financial wizards from back East, jobs for cowboys have become scarce. And thus, inevitably, there has been less call for her services. Monte rides over to the railroad town and asks her what she thinks about the idea of getting married.
Moreau, in a moment of luminous acting, thinks it over and then smiles and says "I like it" in a way that can't be described. Then she reflects: "Of course marriage is a common ambition in my profession."
But not in Monte's. "Cowboys don't get married," he observes to Chet. So he toys with the idea of stunt-riding for a Wild West show, but the thought of all those concrete cities without any open spaces is too much for him. And so he is faced, toward the end of the movie, with a very lonely desperation. This may be the first three-handkerchief Western.
There have been, I mentioned, several movies recently about the passing of the old West. They seem to be inspired by different kinds of motives. Some hands in Hollywood seem to believe that the Western itself is dead, that since you can't seriously peddle the old good guy-bad guy plots, you have to dismantle them and bury them.
"The Wild Bunch" and "The Professionals," each in its own way, were about the shortage of work for gunslingers. They suggested that violence had gone out of style in the West, that a gun on the hip was no longer required in polite society. "The Wild Bunch" seemed to seek death almost suicidally in the last half of that great movie: they'd lived by the gun and they had to die by it, ironically, because they knew no other way to make a living.
"Monte Walsh" is set at the same psychological moment in the West, but it takes a quieter and, on the whole, more thoughtful approach. There's a fair amount of gunplay, yes, and Marvin has a well-staged action scene where he tries to tame a bronco and succeeds in destroying half a town. But mostly the movie sticks close to ordinary life: to the camaraderie of the bunkhouse and the range, to the everyday life of the working cowboy and to the shy and beautiful love between the cowboy and the prostitute. The movie is rough but it is almost always tender.
The performances are extraordinary. Marvin has very seldom been better; he leaves in the toughness of his usual screen character, but he also reveals a lot of depth. He's often directed wastefully; directors want him for his presence and authority, but don't really seem to want a performance from him. And he obliges, usually for lots of bread ("Paint Your Wagon" was a sad example). This time, he acts.
Miss Moreau and Palance both seem to relate to him especially well. Given their roles of lover and best buddy, there was a danger of clichés. But you never get that feeling; the scenes seem real. You're reminded once again what a good actor Palance is, and how seldom he gets the opportunity to prove it.
A lot of the credit for the movie's taste and emotional depth probably belongs to William Fraker, a talented cinematographer who was directing for the first time. Most first directors choose projects they wanted to make long before they got the opportunity. Fraker, whose credits include "Rosemary's Baby," photographed "Paint Your Wagon" and must have been thinking all during that unfortunate movie about bow he'd direct Marvin, if he got the chance. He did, and "Monte Walsh" was worth waiting for.
Cast & Credits
Monte Walsh - Lee Marvin
Martine - Jeanne Moreau
Chet - Jack Palance
Shorty - Mitch Ryan
Cal Brennan - Jim Davis
Sonny Jacobs - Bear Hudkins
National General presents a Hal Landers and Bobby Roberts production, directed by William A. Fraker from a screenplay by Lukas Heller and David Z. Goodman. Based on the novel by Jack Schaefer. Photographed by color by David M. Walsh. Rated GP.
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19701013/REVIEWS/10130301/1023
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Have you watched it yet, Bob?
. . . I wish CBS / Paramount had used the original one-sheet poster for the cover art, but that's a minor quibble.
Richard
I saw the film in a theater when it was originally released, but not since.
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Posted: |
Dec 5, 2010 - 7:04 PM
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By: |
Richard-W
(Member)
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Both versions of the film changed the impact of the magnificent novel by changing the ending. If you want to know how this story really ends read the great novel. A true classic. Looking forward to any video release of the Lee Marvin version. Saw this in the theater and re DVR and watch again and again. Wish it was on BluR. Magnificent and heartbreaking score. Everything dead on except the chicken out ending. Maybe the 3rd remake will get it right.
Glad to hear someone shares my appreciation for the novel.
It's okay with me if the film is a little different from the novel because no adaptation can do what the novel does. I'm a devoted reader of Jack Schaefer and I even got him to sign my 1st editions. To tell the entire story would have taken an extraordinary amount of time and money, even in 1970, and then it would be a four-epic. I'm not opposed to that, I just don't think it was likely then or now. What the 1970 film is able to do, it does extremely well. It is infinitely better than anyone has a right to expect. It was a low-budget film, and it had to be done on a small scale, but that scale is rich with dramatic layers for a western.
I caught a glimpse of the remake on TNT. When I saw the Canadian locations and how everybody was dressed alike, and somebody else apeing dialogue that should have been coming out of Jack Palance, I had to switch off. I hope there is never a 3rd one. The novel is unique and as you say, magnificent, and the original film is one of the best westerns ever made. It's right up there with STAGECOACH, HIGH NOON, SHANE (another Scaefer novel), THE SEARCHERS, THE WILD BUNCH, and THE BALLAD OF GREGORIO CORTEZ.
I consider MONTE WALSH and CHAPLIN AT KEYSTONE the best DVD releases of 2010.
Richard
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I thought a western starring Lee Marvin and scored by John Barry would at least be entertaining;
it aint. 
Surprisingly, this is a real snoozer.
There was a late era GUNSMOKE ep titled "thirty Dollars a Month" that was very similar and much better.
Between THE WILD BUNCH & JOSEY WALES there was a real drought in the Western genre.*
Maybe, i missed one? Please advise
bruce
ps speaking of GUNSMOKE....i just watched an ep that was an uncredited remake of 3:10 to yuma!
*MY NAME IS NOBODY is an exception
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the good times are coming.
70s westerns were just different el bruco. due to what had gone before and what was happening in the world.
Bunch certainly was phenomenal and on a different planet, but you had to go with the flow and appreciate the themes and changes of those years.
Some like wayne were still making more traditional style like Chisum and big jake and eastwood was making two mules and joe kidd. But you cant diss Ulzanas Raid, lawman, chatos land, valdez is coming, Billy Two Hats, bad company, culpepper, spikes gang, Great northfield minnesota Raid, even duck you sucker. and many many more. it was a rich period for western fans, albeit what was effectively its final hurrah.
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Posted: |
Mar 31, 2014 - 2:14 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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70s westerns were just different el bruco. due to what had gone before and what was happening in the world.
Bunch certainly was phenomenal and on a different planet, but you had to go with the flow and appreciate the themes and changes of those years.
Some like wayne were still making more traditional style like Chisum and big jake and eastwood was making two mules and joe kidd. But you cant diss Ulzanas Raid, lawman, chatos land, valdez is coming, Billy Two Hats, bad company, culpepper, spikes gang, Great northfield minnesota Raid, even duck you sucker. and many many more. it was a rich period for western fans, albeit what was effectively its final hurrah.
I consider 1969 as the year that started the western’s endgame. June saw the release of THE WILD BUNCH, which took the violence of the Italian westerns to its extreme. There was really nowhere else to go in that direction, although films like SOLDIER BLUE, LAWMAN, MACHISMO, and THE HUNTING PARTY tried.
Three months later, in September, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID started the long line of revisionist historical westerns that eventually led to DOC, DIRTY LITTLE BILLY, NED KELLY, THE GREAT NORTHFIELD MINNESOTA RAID, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN; PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID, and BUFFALO BILL AND THE INDIANS.
Except for John Wayne’s films, traditional westerns were dead, so producers in the early 70s thought they had to recast the western in the image of some other genre. So from 1970 to 1973 we got:
Existential dramas: McCABE AND MRS. MILLER; EL TOPO; THE HIRED HAND
“Shaggy Dog” stories: THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE; LITTLE BIG MAN; POCKET MONEY
Comedies: THE CHEYENNE SOCIAL CLUB; DIRTY DINGUS MAGEE; SOMETHING BIG; THE SKIN GAME; SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GUNFIGHTER
“Dirty Dozen” adventures: THE REVENGERS; THE DESERTER; THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN RIDE!
Survival tales: A MAN CALLED HORSE; MAN IN THE WILDERNESS
“Gun and Nun” flicks: TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA; MADRON
Italian western wannabes: BARQUERO; EL CONDOR; A MAN CALLED SLEDGE; BLINDMAN; CATLOW; THE LAST REBEL
Family films: THE WILD COUNTRY; MAN AND BOY; SCANDALOUS JOHN; JORY; ONE LITTLE INDIAN
Gothics: THE BEGUILED; HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER
Blaxploitation: BUCK AND THE PREACHER; THE LEGEND OF NIGGER CHARLEY; THE SOUL OF NIGGER CHARLEY; SOUL SOLDIERS
Women’s lib: HANNIE CAULDER; MOLLY AND LAWLESS JOHN; LOVIN’ MOLLY
Rodeo: JUNIOR BONNER; J.W. COOP; THE HONKERS; WHEN THE LEGENDS DIE
Counterculture: ZACHARIAH; BILLY JACK; THE LAST MOVIE
Mano-a-mano: A GUNFIGHT; DEADLY TRACKERS; BILLY TWO HATS; SHOWDOWN; VALDEZ IS COMING
TV Movie escapees: SHOOT OUT; ONE MORE TRAIN TO ROB; SANTEE
Culture clashes: JEREMIAH JOHNSON, RED SUN
Youth westerns: BAD COMPANY; THE CULPEPPER CATTLE COMPANY
Death of the West: MONTE WALSH; WILD ROVERS; BIG JAKE
Indian understanding; CHATO’S LAND, ULZANA’S RAID; THE MAN WHO LOVED CAT DANCING; JOURNEY THROUGH ROSEBUD
Nothing really clicked, and in 1974, the number of westerns produced dropped off markedly, never to be revived.
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70s westerns were just different el bruco. due to what had gone before and what was happening in the world.
Bunch certainly was phenomenal and on a different planet, but you had to go with the flow and appreciate the themes and changes of those years.
Some like wayne were still making more traditional style like Chisum and big jake and eastwood was making two mules and joe kidd. But you cant diss Ulzanas Raid, lawman, chatos land, valdez is coming, Billy Two Hats, bad company, culpepper, spikes gang, Great northfield minnesota Raid, even duck you sucker. and many many more. it was a rich period for western fans, albeit what was effectively its final hurrah.
I consider 1969 as the year that started the western’s endgame. June saw the release of THE WILD BUNCH, which took the violence of the Italian westerns to its extreme. There was really nowhere else to go in that direction, although films like SOLDIER BLUE, LAWMAN, MACHISMO, and THE HUNTING PARTY tried.
Three months later, in September, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID started the long line of revisionist historical westerns that eventually led to DOC, DIRTY LITTLE BILLY, NED KELLY, THE GREAT NORTHFIELD MINNESOTA RAID, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN; PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID, and BUFFALO BILL AND THE INDIANS.
Except for John Wayne’s films, traditional westerns were dead, so producers in the early 70s thought they had to recast the western in the image of some other genre. So from 1970 to 1973 we got:
Existential dramas: McCABE AND MRS. MILLER; EL TOPO; THE HIRED HAND
“Shaggy Dog” stories: THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE; LITTLE BIG MAN; POCKET MONEY
Comedies: THE CHEYENNE SOCIAL CLUB; DIRTY DINGUS MAGEE; SOMETHING BIG; THE SKIN GAME; SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GUNFIGHTER
“Dirty Dozen” adventures: THE REVENGERS; THE DESERTER; THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN RIDE!
Survival tales: A MAN CALLED HORSE; MAN IN THE WILDERNESS
“Gun and Nun” flicks: TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA; MADRON
Italian western wannabes: BARQUERO; EL CONDOR; A MAN CALLED SLEDGE; BLINDMAN; CATLOW; THE LAST REBEL
Family films: THE WILD COUNTRY; MAN AND BOY; SCANDALOUS JOHN; JORY
Gothics: THE BEGUILED; HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER
Blaxploitation: BUCK AND THE PREACHER; THE LEGEND OF NIGGER CHARLEY; THE SOUL OF NIGGER CHARLEY
Women’s lib: HANNIE CAULDER; MOLLY AND LAWLESS JOHN; LOVIN’ MOLLY
Rodeo: JUNIOR BONNER; J.W. COOP; THE HONKERS; WHEN THE LEGENDS DIE
Counterculture: ZACHARIAH; BILLY JACK; THE LAST MOVIE
Mano-a-mano: A GUNFIGHT; DEADLY TRACKERS; BILLY TWO HATS; SHOWDOWN
TV Movie escapees: SHOOT OUT; ONE MORE TRAIN TO ROB; SANTEE
Culture clashes: JEREMIAH JOHNSON, RED SUN
Death of the West: MONTE WALSH; WILD ROVERS; BIG JAKE
Indian understanding; CHATO’S LAND, ULZANA’S RAID; THE MAN WHO LOVED CAT DANCING
Nothing really clicked, and in 1974, the number of westerns produced dropped off markedly, never to be revived.
This is an impressive cataloging of early 1970s Westerns from Bob, and I wanted to bring it back to the forefront here.
I would say what happened in 1974 was Blazing Saddles which satirized the traditional Western so decisively that it stands as an end-of-era send-off. Although Westerns such as The Outlaw Josey Wales and The Shootist were still to come, any attempt at a mid-20th century styled Western, say the late 1940s to the early 1970s, just isn't the same.
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