Amazon.com

Louis L'Amour's easy voice with its gentle rhythm sets the tone and pace of the film in a spoken introduction to this loping, rambling three-hour-plus TV-movie adaptation of his novels The Daybreakers and Sackett. Sam Elliot stars as the elder Sackett, a nomad hunting and trapping in the mountains who happens upon an ancient treasure. Tom Selleck and Jeff Osterhage are his younger siblings, forced to leave home to avoid a Hatfield and McCoy situation. As the Sackett brothers wind their way across the Midwest prairies and mountains we join them on cattle drives and gold hunts, in gunfights and fistfights, and in a climactic showdown as they find their place in the world. This 1979 film rambles and meanders like a lazy river winding through a beautiful landscape of peaks and plains and forests, punctuated by the occasional gunfight and enlivened by a story that celebrates both the open range and the taming of the towns. Elliot looks almost young but flashes his savage eyes behind a thick black beard, while Selleck's easygoing manner is backed up with a stony-faced determination. The excellent cast includes a veritable who's who of Western character actors: Glenn Ford, Ben Johnson, Gilbert Roland, Gene Evans, Jack Elam, Slim Pickens, L.Q. Jones, Mercedes McCambridge, and Pat Buttram. Followed in 1982 by The Shadow Riders, which reunited the three stars and even a few members of the supporting cast in a tale of three different brothers. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (8)

The late Louis L'Amour wrote this

This is a three hour, two disk barn burner. The late Louis L'Amour (Lamoore) wrote half a library full of Westerns and a few contemporary novels. He churned them out like there was no tomorrow, but he knew of what he wrote. He had been a cowhand, miner, merchant seaman, circus roustabout and a few other things. I think that he said he'd been a U.S. Marine, too, bless his heart. He did the narration on this film.

L'Amour did a bunch of books on the Sackett family of Tennessee, and this is a sort of compilation of some of them. Tell Sackett is the oldest brother (Sam Elliott), Orrin is the middle one (Tom Selleck), and Tyrell was the youngest (Jeff Osterhage). All played their parts very well. The bad guys included (but were not limited to) Jack Elam, Slim Pickens and L.Q.Jones. Mercedes McCambridge played Ma Sackett. Gilbert Roland played a Spanish (read Mexican) land-owner who the anglos were trying to push off his land in the new territory of New Mexico.

I liked the way everyone played their parts, but particularly Sam Elliot, when he was strolling drunkenly down the main street of Pugatorie, singing quietly to himself in his deep bass, "That's the way she goes, first your money and then your clothes..." just before he caught the guy who was trying to roll him, and shaved him with an Arkansas toothpick with a foot-long blade. Shaved his mustache clean off!

This is a wonderful L'Amour Western. I hope you like it as much as I did.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

KILLIN DONT MIX WELL WITH A MANS SUPPER BUT THIS MOVIE DOES.
THIS TV MINI SEIRES MAY WELL BE THE LAST GREAT ROUND UP OF WESTERN CHARACTER ACTORS, AND WHAT A LOSS THAT IS.
THE SUPPORTING CAST READS LIKE A WHOS WHO OF COWBOY GREATS; SLIM PICKENS, JACK ELAM, BEN JOHNSON, GLENN FORD, BUCK TAYLOR AND OTHERS, MOST OF WHICH HAVE GONE TO THAT GREAT CORRAL IN THE SKY.
CONTEMPORARY ACTORS SAM ELLIOTT AND TOM SELLECK STAR IN THIS STORY OF BROTHERS DISCOVERING THE AMERICAN WEST AND EACH OTHER IN THE PROCESS.
BASED ON LOUIS LAMOURS NOVEL "THE DAYBREAKERS" 'THE SACKETTS'
IS A CLASSIC SHOOT EM UP WITH ROMANCE AND SUSPENSE THROWN IN FOR GOOD MEASURE.
THE DIALOUGE IS GREAT, ESPECIALLY THE SCENES WITH SAM ELLIOTT.
AS ELLIOTS CHARACTER ENJOYS A STEAK WITH FELLOW PROSPECTOR BEN JOHNSON, A YOUNG UPSTART GUNSLINGER INTERUPPTS CHALLENGING THEM TO A WALK DOWN.
WITHOUT LOOKING UP FROM HIS PLATE ELLIOTT WARNS THE WANNE BE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF PUSHING HIS LUCK.
BUT THE PUP IS INSISTANT TO WHICH ELLIOTT REPLIES, FINALLY LOOKING AT THE KID."YOURE FIXIN TO MAKE ME TAKE HOLD OF THAT PISTOL (WHICH SITS ON THE TABLE) AND THEN ILL HAVE TO KILL YA.....AND KILLIN DONT MIX WELL WITH A MANS SUPPER."
IT DONT GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT.
GLENN FORD PLAYS CONVINCINGLY AS AN EX LAWMAN GUNFIGHTER WHO BECOMES OBSSESSED WITH HATRED AND DIES BECAUSE OF IT.
THE ONLY DOWNSIDE TO THIS HORSE OPERA IS THE 1979 T.V. CINEMATOGRAPHY WHICH LEAVES A LOT TO BE DESIRED. OTHER THAN THAT IT IS TOP NOTCH WESTERN ENTERTAINMENT.

Response to Disappointed
I am watching a very fuzzy VHS recording from the early 90's and basically all I am getting is the audio, I decided I wanted it all and visited this site to purchase a copy of the video (hoped DVD) and encountered this review which I couldn't resist responding to. The movie follows what I remember of the L'Amour books (about to pull out of storage) which took their own sweet time in describing the characters & scenery. I admit, I didn't watch the whole recording, but from what I heard I thought it followed true to tradition, as well as a movie could.
Tim.

Disappointing.......
I've had this video for several years, and watched it again last night, after a break of about a year. I am a die hard fan of both Louis L'Amour books, and western movies, and thought a Louis written movie with this strong a cast would be totally first class.

Wish I could say it was. It's too long by about a third, which gives it a plodding, almost boring feel in places. It's obvious why this excessive padding had to happen. This was a TV project, not a theatrical movie, and they had to make it long enough to cover two nights viewing. With a few exceptions the actors seem to be pretty much just going thru their paces, waiting for somebody else to seize the moment. The one exception to this was Glenn Ford - he did a superb job. Of the other actors, Sam Elliot was probably the most believable.

The movie is very predictable for the most part. The obligatory love interests for all 3 Sacketts, for example. Then there is the final showdown: 3 good-guy brothers, with best buddy, take on the bad guy brothers, accompanied by numerous backup bad guys. In and around the livery stable, no less. Did the Sacketts change their first names to Wyatt, Morgan, and Virgil, with Doc thrown in for good measure? Then all four good guys stroll triumphantly down the street, side by side. Couldn't see Gary Cooper anywhere, tho.

Also a good part of the script is devoted to building up the racist, rich Anglo as number one bad guy, and the suspense builds as he prepares for war against the Spanish speaking citizens of Santa Fe. Then a couple of his hired guns sing like canaries to Sheriff Sacket and racist rich Anglo bad guy is meekly led off in handcuffs by the Feds, and this entire plot switcheroo happens and is over within about a minute. Soaring plot line ends with a resounding thud. And his more beautiful than life blonde daughter? One of the Sackett love interests? What happens to her? Left standing on the sidewalk as daddy is led away........ Hollywood abandoning a damsel in distress? Heresy.......

Most disappointing, tho, for me, was the lack of attention paid to historical accuracy, especially for a Louis project. Model 1873 and 1892 Winchesters in 1869? Don't think so.....

It IS well filmed, with gorgeous settings. All in all, this is an ok movie, but could and should have been so much more.

The Sacketts
I personally knew Louis L'Mamour and have ever book that he has ever written. The reason I'm trying to order this video now is because I have litteraly worn out the original I got when it first came out. I also have all the other videos that were based on his books but I feel like The Sacketts was on to the best based on his book. From the Four Corners where most of his books were written about an avid fan from Southwest Colorado. ... Read more

Description

The Old West comes to life in this taut, searing bloody tale of crime and vengeance starring Sam Elliot (Mask, Sibling rivalry) as Conagher and Katharine Ross (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Graduate) as Edie. Year: 1991 Director: Reynaldo Villalobos Starring:Sam Elliot, Katharine Ross, Barry Corbin ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Saddle Bum
When Louis L'amour suggested to Sam Elliot that he should read Conagher, a novel he wrote, I doubt he ever envisioned it would result in becoming an instant classic western. Sam Elliot befriended Louis L'amour while filming The Sacketts, a movie based on another L'amour novel series. Unfortunately, L'amour died before Conagher was filmed; I'm sure he'd have been pleased with the results.

After reading this novel as well as viewing the movie several times I would surmise that they are both equally extraordinary, but I like the movie better. It is a very rare occasion when a movie can hold up to the book it's based on; much less surpass it in quality and interest.

Conagher (Sam Elliot) is a drifter, working wherever enough money or a warm bed and a meal can be had. His job with the stagecoach and fate brought him to Mrs. Teal (Katherine Ross), but it was something else that kept bringing him back. Through his drifting, he made a few enemies of folks who swayed to the other side of the line between good and bad. He was always true to the brand he rode for though, and sometimes his honesty caused him to be outnumbered, but never outfought.

When something, like this movie, has so many good parts that make up the whole, a resulting masterpiece can often not be avoided. Elliot, the greatest living western actor, was able to co-script this movie, based on his friend Louis L'amour's novel, and star opposite his wife Katherine Ross (whom he finds love with in the story). The movie is a perfect balance of drama, action, and love blended beautifully into an accurately portrayed frontier western.

Excelent Western, Sensitive character study,
Sam Elliot has been in a lot of junk movies, but he himself is a GREAT actor, as intense as DiNero and as subtle as meryl Streep, when the writing is solid and the role actually gives him Something to do.This is a story about 2 sensitive people coming to terms with each other on the frontier. The chemestry between Katherine Ross and Sam is amazingly nuanced, no doubt a tribute to a very happy marriage.Her stoic lonliness and his sensitive reticence is heart breaking. The writing is solid, with no flaws. It's films like this that allow both of them to exercize their substantial talents, its a shame Sam is not in more Sam Elliott vehicle films that maintain the nuanced finesse and literary merit of this film. Too often he's dropped into a pop cult machine made mediocre action film as a macho icon: he has great moments in almost every film he's in, but he needs to be in more handcrafted, literary vehicles, and work with directors like Altman & Scorsese. Connagher is Sam's best film to date. the supporting cast is quite fine, Sam & Kathryn are brilliant.

"You couldn't hurt Conagher with an axe."

Format: Color
Studio: Warner Home Video
Video Release Date: May 11, 1994

Cast:

Sam Elliott
Katherine Ross
Gavin O'Herlihy
Daniel Quinn
Barry Corbin
Ken Curtis
Cody Braun
Anndi McAfee

Conagher was written by Louis L'Amour (Lamoore) about life in the West around the end of the 19th century, with trouble with the Indians, rustlers, and a widow woman (Katherine Ross) tryimg to raise her children on a hard scrabble farm. Conagher comes to their aid.

L'Amour was a student of Western history. He understood the common man, having worked as a cowboy, circus roustabout, merchant seaman, boxer and served in the U.S.Navy. He was also a prolific writer of Western fiction, among other things.

This is not the first L'Amour story that Elliott has played in. He also performed as Tell Sackett in The Sacketts, which was an amalgamation of several of Louis's stories in that series on that family.

This story of Conagher was one of his good stories, which you will find typical of L'Amour's writing...good entertainment.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

A lover of Western American history
Only a few westerns have become true favorites of mine over the last 40 years. Conagher ranks with the best of them. Why? The movie was not filmed in a movie lot specially made for movies, like Universal Studios or Old Tucson. But rather, you could say it was filmed 'on location' in a rugged, true-to-life environment that honestly represents what it was really like in the Old West. The Teal cabin and the surrounding country, the ranch of Seaborn Tay, the town - all have that authentic realism that lend excellence to the movie. Often in the film the lighting in certain scenes appears lacking as compared to other films in the genre. But actually, this is what gives the film a special feel, a special ring of realism. It's because you feel as though you are really there as a bystander, watching this drama play out right in front of you in the same way it would appear in real life. The direction of the film by Rebaldo Villalobos is superb and the performances by the actors are absolutely memorable. The musical score couldn't have been better because the selections chosen for the soundtrack apply perfectly and leave an indelible impression on the viewer. I don't know what Sam Elliot would think about this, but I believe this film is his best, most memorable performance of his career, bar-none. His rendition of Conn Conagher imprints Sam Elliot on my mind for all time - he IS Conagher. I don't think he has played characters in any of his other films that have struck me the way that Conn Conagher has in this one. But this is not to detract from the other performers in the film: Catherine Ross, Gavin O'Herlihy, Daniel Quinn, Barry Corbin, Ken Curtis, Cody Braun, Anndi McAfee, and the rest - they've all portrayed believable characters that make for a very enjoyable, memorable film that you will want to watch again and again over the years because it brings something special to the heart. Don't pass up the opportunity to see Conagher if you haven't seen it yet - you'll never regret it.

TALL IN THE SADDLE
IT APPEARS OUR ONLY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF GOOD WESTERNS LIES IN THE HANDS OF SAM ELLIOTT AND TOM SELLECK. I HOPE THEY DONT TIRE OF MAKING THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE BOTH IDEALLY SUITED FOR THIS GENRE.
THIS IS A SIMPLE STORY AS ALL GOOD ONES ARE. CONAGHER IS AN OLD SCHOOL COWHAND LOYAL TO HIS EMPLOYER AND TO HIS OWN TRUE BLUE MORALITY.
HE SIGHNS ON TO RIDE FOR A SMALL RANCHER EXPERTLY PLAYED BY THE LATE KEN CURTIS. A COMPETING OUTFIT WANTS TO KILL THE OLD MAN AND STEAL HIS STOCK. CONAGHER WONT ALLOW IT AND GIVES THE RUSTLING COWBOYS A TASTE OF THEIR OWN MEDICINE.
HE ALSO TAKES A SHINE TO A WIDOW WOMAN, MRS. TEAL PLAYED BY ELLIOTTS REAL LIFE WIFE KATHERINE ROSS. THE LONELY WIDOW WRITES HER THOUGHTS DOWN ON NOTES AND ATTATCHES THEM TO WANDERING TUMBLE WEEDS. CONAGHER FINDS SOME OF THEM, NOT KNOWING TEAL IS THE AUTHOR. CONAGHER HAS TO CHOOSE BETWEEN HIS NOMADIC COWBOY LIFESTYLE OR TRUE LOVE AND FAMILY LIFE. ONLY HE FEELS UNFIT TO PURSUE THE LADY. LOUIS LAMOURS STORIES ALWAYS HAVE A MORAL THROWN IN AS ALL GOOD WESTERNS DO. ELLIOTTS CHARACTER STANDS HIS GROUND, RIDES FOR THE BRAND AND SHARES HIS PHILOSOPHY OF DOING 'THE RIGHT THING' TO YOUNGER TIN HORNS.
IN THE END HE WHIPS THE BAD GUYS,.... BUT DOES HE OPT FOR ROMANCE OR HIS WEATHERD WAY OF LIFE? HAVE TO SEE THE MOVIE TO FIND OUT. THE MUSIC IS GREAT IN THIS ONE. IT IS SWEET AND SIMPLE LIKE THE FILM ITSELF.

ELLIOTT IS TODAYS QUINTESSENTIAL COWBOY AND SITS THE SADDLE WELL. ... Read more

Description

Three cowpokes band together with a feisty widow to recover a cache of stolen gold. John Wayne meets Ann Margret and you'll keep guessing who meets whose match! Year: 1973 Director: Burt Kennedy Starring:John Wayne, Ann-Margret, Rod Taylor ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Late Duke entry
The Train Robbers is a late film of the Duke's, but it is still an entertaining film. Directed by Burt Kennedy, the story follows a widow who hires Wayne to escort her to a cache of hidden gold that belongs to her recently deceased husband. Joining Wayne are a couple of old friends who come along. There are not any identifiable bad guys except for a nameless group of gunman making their own go at the gold. This is not a great John Wayne western, but it is not the worst. Still very entertaining.

Joining Wayne are Ann Margaret, Rod Taylor, Ben Johnson, and even Ricardo Montalban in a small but funny role. Taylor and Johnson are great together with plenty of laughs between them throughout the movie. Even though this may not be the best Duke western ever, it still deserves a DVD release like so many other of his movies that have been released recently. This is a good western that deserves a watch if for nothing else than the twist at the end. Very entertaining!

Wayne light!
One of the later Wayne westerns is pretty thin on action and excitement.It's from the time where they more or less stopped making westerns - until the revival with Kasdan's "Silverado". This one is really clinging to a straw.

Standard late Duke fare....
This was by no means a Duke classic, but standard fare for his later westerns. It was about a group of men helping a widow recover hidden gold she was told about by her late husband. Hot on their trail are 20 bad guys after the loot. A real twist ending and some great explosions and outstanding scenic backdrop. Too bad this is not avail in widescreen. The Duke in his standard tough as nails ex-cavalry role. It's not as bad as it's reputation but I think it could have been better if they gave the bad guys some characterization and persona. But instead they are just shown as 20 faceless riders every now and again. No speaking roles in the whole lot. Better than Rio Lobo but not as good as Chisum, The Shootist or The Cowboys. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Relatively Early, Excellent John Ford Movie
Relatively early, I say, because I think Ford really hit his stride in the 1940s once he started his John Wayne cavalry pictures.

"Drums Along the Mohawk" is a wonderful treatment of an era curiously left alone by most American movie studios, the Revolutionary War. Henry Fonda is a farmer on the Mohawk River in upstate NY, who brings home a "city" bride, Claudette Colbert. Much of the early part of the film is her adaptation to this backwoods life, so different from her father's home. Colbert's character is emblematic of the original settlers of the American continent, who left familiar ways behind them and set off into an adventure undreamed of. Bit by bit, her citified ways have to be jettisoned if she is to be a good wife to her honest and plain-speaking husband. Gradually their smaller domestic drama is engulfed in community concerns as the Revolutionary War whips up the warpath of the Indians surrounding the colonists, and they must fight for their very existence as that new concept, Americans.

There are some really pricless episodes in "Drums Along the Mohawk", such as when Fonda holds his newborn baby for the first time, Colbert goes into hysterics at her first encounter with an Indian, Edna May Oliver confronts Indian braves invading the sanctity of her home, and someone has to get word out of the beseiged fort to the soldiers for relief.

You'll be very glad to see "Drums Along the Mohawk", I assure you.

A Revolutionary War classic
Drums Along the Mohawk is a very good movie about a period in American history that not many movies have been made about. Set during the Revolutionary War, the story is about two newlyweds and their new life in the Mohawk Valley. The couple is trying to establish themselves with a home and farm of their own, but are interrupted when the British and the Mohawk Indian tribe begin to raid all along the valley. The settlers must deal with the raiding Indians while also trying to survive. There is plenty here for fans of Henry Fonda also. The action scenes are excellent, especially the attack on the fort. However, it is also very effective when the characters talk about a battle and how horrible it was rather than the viewer actually seeing it. An enjoyable film that is still very good!

Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert play Gil and Lana Martin, the newlywed couple struggling to survive. Both are very good and believable as husband and wife. This was a good period for Fonda when he made The Grapes of Wrath around this time. There is an excellent supporting cast, most notably Ward Bond as Adam, Gil's friend and neighbor, Edna Mae Oliver as the widow Mrs. McLenard, who puts up Gil and Lana when their house is destroyed. She has some incredibly funny scenes especially when some marauding Indians invade her house, but she refuses to leave even as they drag her out on her bed. This is an excellent movie with a great cast and excellent story. Do not miss this Revolutionary War classic!

Still the best movie about the American Revolution ever made
There are relatively few movies about the American Revolution. I think this is due to the fact that the American side lost most of the battles of that war. The battle at Saratoga, the surprise attack at Trenton, and the siege of Yorktown are part of the short list of American victories, and except for the occasion television movie or mini-series, they are rarely touched upon. Consequently, "Drums Along the Mohawk" remains the best of American movie about the revolution even though it was made before World War I and even though the redcoats are not really involved in the fight.

"Drums Along the Mohawk" does not start off as a movie about the American Revolution. Instead it begins as a movie about settling the frontier, which, at that point, was upstate New York. The focus is on a pioneer couple, newlyweds, Gilbert (Henry Fonda) and Magdalena (Claudette Colbert), called Lana. Martin is a farmer who brings his bride to the Mohawk Valley where their home is burned out by Indians allied with the British. The couple are taken in by neighbors after that happens and Martin joins the militia, but the settlers are going to need more men than that to fight the Indians and save the fort from attack.

Based on a novel by Walter D. Edmonds the screenplay for "Drums Along the Mohawk" is by Sonya Levien and Lamar Trotti, although William Faulkner worked on it without receiving credit as well. Edmonds' history novels were all set in upstate New York and "Drums Along the Mohawk" is about the warfare between the settlers and the Six Nations of the Iroquois allied with the British. The Battle of Oriskany in 1777, fought in a forest, was a American victory although their commander General Nicholas Herkimer (Ralph Imhof) died of his wounds in one of the moving scenes of the film.

This was the third film that John Ford made in 1939, following "Stagecoach" with John Wayne and "Young Mr. Lincoln" with Fonda; his next film would be "The Grapes of Wrath." Colbert and Fonda are the stars, but they are upstaged by several members of the supporting case, such as Edna May Oliver as Mrs. McKlennar and Arthur Shields as the Reverend Rosenkrantz. The old lady has such an iron will that she can make Indians take her bed out, with her in it, while they are burning down her home, and the reverend has a memorable scene in which he eases the suffering of a tortured settler. Fonda is young and earnest, while Colbert comes to terms with what it means to be living on the American frontier in troubled times.

More than anything else "Drums Along the Mohwawk" is about people coming to the realization that they are Americans, an interpretation more than amply justified by the film's final scene. These are not the Sons of Liberty living in Boston and dealing with the King's troops and all those burdensome taxes. These are small families living out on the frontier for whom the idea of the United States of America was as odd as a flag with thirteen red and white stripes with a circle of white stars on a blue field. Perhaps it is because it takes place off the main stage that "Drums Along the Mohawk" manages to hit the right notes.

five star films
Put it out on DVD and I will definitely buy it! How much longer do we have to wait to see some of Miss Colbert's other great work, especially those wonderful comedies like The Egg and I and No Time For Love, made available and on DVD?

Lavish colour production from Hollywood's Golden Age
"Drums Along the Mohawk" was one of many lavish classic productions released in 1939 and marked the first real venture by Director John Ford into classic movie status. This production is lavish in all departments from the lush colour photography which even in 1939 was still only employed on a handful of productions, to the beautiful on location photography utilised throughout the story, to the many exciting action filled sequences employed around which the storyline is structured.

"Drums Along the Mohawk" tells the rather simple story of Mohawk Valley farmer Gilbert Martin who courts and marries refined city bred Lana Magdalena (Claudette Colbert)and brings her back to the valley to begin a new life as a farmer's wife in the untamed American wilderness. What ensures is a story of hardship in the face of the unpredictable environment, attacks from Indians, the revolutinary war, and in carving out a new world and new way of life. Much of the story focuses on Claudette's characters efforts to adjust to this strange and foreign new environment and to make a home for her new husband and she succeeds admirably in the task. It has often been stated by critics that Claudette was far more suited to sophisticated urban comedies and always looked far too modern a screen personality to fit into period productions. While she certainly had no peer in that area she is highly effective in historical roles as witnessed by her great work in "Cleopatra" and "The Sign of the Cross". In "Mohawk" she displays all the fear and uncertainity of moving to a new land and leaving behind her all that is familiar. While her makeup and pristine outfits throughout tells us this is indeed a Hollywood production I believe it is one of her more appealing performances combining equal measures of doubt about what she has done moving to the wilderness, to a longing to build a happy life with her husband. Henry Fonda an actor who I normally find fairly bland and unexciting on screen performs very well in this production playing the role of Gilbert who works like ten men to clear his property, often under very trying circumstances, and set up a workable farm with which to support his family.

Claudette Colbert by 1939 was at the peak of her popularity and success and that same year turned out what I feel was her greatest film performance in the classic "Midnight". At the time of release of this film Henry Fonda was also enjoying a triumph in "Jesse James" with Tyrone Power so it was easy to see why this film was also a great success upon release. As with most Epic productions of this type the supporting cast adds greatly to the overraul impact of a film and "Drums Along the Mohawk" had two of the best in Edna May Oliver and John Carradine. Oliver a superb character actress had the important role of Mrs. McKlennar and the character embodies all the standard qualities that she always brought to her film roles, a no nonsense flinty character with a deep down heart of Gold. Her big scene where her home is invaded by rampaging Indians is a delight to witness as she almost bosses them out of destroying her home! John Carradine a regular performer in these Fox productions is also effective in the devious role of Caldwell who is out to further his own ends no matter what it takes.

The beautifully staged action sequences of this film are terrific and really add to the excitement of the piece. The attack on the fort and the destruction of the farmers properties are two of the highlights and are staged to the maximum effect that only John Ford could bring to such things.

Overraul "Drums Along the Mohawk" is an engrossing piece of cinema both from its more personal representations of settlers moving into a hostile land and making a new life, to the standard excitement of the action western type of film complete with Indians, besieged forts and spectacular scenery. In all these respects "Drums Along the Mohawk will not fail to both impress and entertain. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Although scarcely seen in its original 3-D, and entirely out of sight for a decade and a half after its producer-star died, Hondo has maintained a high rep among John Wayne fans--and it wasn't even directed by Howard Hawks or John Ford. (Actually, Ford did shoot some second-unit stuff while visiting Wayne on location.) Half-breed Hondo, companioned only by an antisocial dog, tends to be more sympathetic toward the Apaches than toward the white society he occasionally scouts for. He falls into uneasy friendship with a New Mexico farmwoman (Geraldine Page) whose husband deserts her for long stretches, and whose son (Lee Aaker) is blood brother to the local Apache chieftain. A good, spare frontier tale--Louis L'Amour via James Edward (Angel and the Badman) Grant--in which danger and solace come in unexpected ways. John Farrow, who did direct, brings it in at a lean 84 minutes. Page was Oscar^®-nominated for this first film role. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Even John Wayne can't save this movie
Hondo has all the makings of a fine movie....great actors and an interesting story line. Unfortunately, it falls short. John Wayne gives a good performance as Hondo Lane, a half-breed Apache turned gunfighter turned Army dispatch rider. However, director John Farrow should have been tortured by the Apaches for turning what could have been a great film into little more than a typical western movie matinee. The scenes are choppy and a couple leave you wondering why they weren't left on the editing floor. Also typical western movie flaws -- John Wayne carrying a 94 Winchester lever action more than twenty years before it was introduced, people setting up horse and cattle ranches on land that could barely support a few goats, Indians patiently waiting for the settlers to circle their wagons and then riding around them like targets at a shooting gallery, and the inside of Geraldine Page's cabin looking like a photo spread from Ladies Home Journal. And speaking of neatness (as one other reader's review accurately pointed out), everything looks too clean. Only actor Ward Bond as Buffalo Baker looked the part. Comments on accuracy aside, this movie gets only two stars for three reasons - bad direction, bad direction, bad direction!

An effective western.
Based on a Louis L'Armour novel this movie contains a pretty standard western plot: a frontier scout risks his life during an Indian uprising. It is notable for the fact this is one of those John Wayne films that is rarely shown on TV, and only became available on video four or five years ago. It also is a western that marks the development of a more sympathetic attitude towards the American Indians by Hollywood. Make no mistake the Duke and the cavalry are presented as the good guys; but their opponents, the Apaches, fight because the whites broke the treaty. The Apache leader,Victorio, mourns the loss of his sons killed by whites, and even Duke's Hondo remarks that the Apache way is a "good way of life."

I have to agree with an earlier review that the direction is a little spotty. The screen sometimes blacks out between scenes which gives the impression that the film is about to go into a commericial break! However, the action scenes are fantastic especially the Duke's barroom brawl, the blood-right duel, and the thrilling chase from the Apaches. The ending, though, is cliched with the settlers circling their wagons and the Apaches obligingly riding around them just begging to be shot. Overall, this is a very entertaining, and fast-paced western.

John Wayne's forgotten western classic
This exciting and colorful 3D film was released over 50 years ago and remains an enjoyable action adventure today. With its distinctive peppermint-striped titles, "Hondo" is John Wayne's film and he is the title character who rides out of the desert to come to the aid of a young woman and her boy at their isolated ranch against the backdrop of Apache smoke signals and war drums. Hondo Lane is drawn to the plain yet steely Angie Lowe who is also interested in the dusty stranger but refuses to leave her ranch, instead choosing to wait for her ne'er-do-well husband who has abandoned them to their fate in Apache land. The film has a matter-of-fact approach in the relationship between Lane and Angie, and although there is tension between them in the beginning, Angie is convinced of the stranger's sincerity and is keenly aware that Johnny enjoys the man's presence on their ranch. Johnny's character is a key part of the film's plot as both Lane and Apache leader Vittorio seek to guide him towards manhood with the values of their very different social mores. The Apaches are presented as a fierce but proud people, as personified by Vittorio, who adopts Johnny as a blood brother because of the bravery and courage he displays in protecting his mother from the menacing sub-chief Silva. The battle scenes are exciting and colorful, with the blue and yellow cavalry colors contrasting with the dusty, brown-skinned calico-shirted warriors mounted on all manner of striking ponies against bright blue skies and thick, fluffy clouds. The sound effects during the battles, of whistling bullets and whizzing arrows striking their targets, are realistic and superb. The movie was filmed in Camargo, Mexico, an arid desert country studded with isolated, cone-shaped mesas, and the music score has a heroic quality that smoothly underscores the action sequences.

Hondo Rules
As the great Al Bundy said "Your life is meaningless compared to Hondo"

Great flick...but this is a flat print of a 3-D movie
HONDO is an excellent western, featuring terrific performances by Wayne and Geraldine Page. The VHS release in welcome, but the film is compromised a bit here since it is robbed of the original stereoscopic 3-D presentation. It is one of the better 3-D movies (in fact, the only one to win an Oscar (G.Page).

Don't confuse the awful red/blue 3-D TV showings in the early 90's with the original polarized (clear glasses) 3-D...it isn't the same thing at all and the TV version looked nothing like the original 3-D did.

Try to catch this one at a 3-D revival sometime, to experience the movie as intended. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

"IF YOU SAW THEM, THEY WEREN'T APACHE,"
is arguably one of The Duke's best lines (Michael Herr referenced it in his Vietnam War best seller DISPATCHES, making it a prophecy). John Ford's cavalry trilogy is a great body of American film, all three works have their individual moments that distingush their own lasting perfection. FORT APACHE has the classic Ford/Wayne elements: action, dialogue, a great supporting cast both Ford and Wayne knew how to play (Ward Bond, Victor McLaglen). Henry Fonda is brilliant as the pompous, ego maniacal Colonel Thursday and Victor McLaglen's drunken buffonery is classic. FORT APACHE is a ride into film greatness.

A great American film
Director John Ford's first entry in his "cavalry trilogy" is this excellent film about life on a military outpost far from the glamorous theaters of the Indian Wars in the American west. The film is about character development of the officers and enlisted men on the post, family relationships and the class distinctions among the military social order. Henry Fonda dominates this film with a wonderful interpretation of a bitter, unhappy colonel who feels he has been shunted aside by an ungrateful military hierarchy to an isolated desert outpost to fight Apaches, an assignment he considers beneath him. John Wayne's Capt. Kirby York gives the film just the right balance between the two men who have very different viewpoints about fighting Apaches and respect for their fierce adversaries. The concerns of the wives of officers and enlisted men are also explored in the daily routine at Fort Apache and their fears are touchingly portrayed as their men march at dawn one morning to do battle with Cochise's warriors in an attempt to force the venerable chief to return to a reservation that is run by a corrupt, morally bankrupt Indian agent. The original black and white print is superb and is much better than the colorized version available on video. Richard Hageman's music is reflective and melancholy.

This Ford still works.
I'm out of my element with this film. I normally don't review black-and-white classics, because I'm too cynical to view the big studio releases of yesteryear with an open mind. All of them are contrived and somewhat sappy; I watch them and envision a cherubic Mickey Rooney looking on while eating chocolate chip cookies and drinking milk. "That's a swell show, Dad!"

But I like John Ford films. And I really like FORT APACHE, despite the movie being a stereotypical product of its time. Why, you ask (or mutter indifferently)? Because this film actually depicts some range for Henry Fonda and the Duke himself. Fonda plays a very unsympathetic role, while John Wayne steps out of character (for him) to play a compassionate second fiddle. And Ford's experiment works: the two actors pull off exceptional performances; their on-screen chemistry is riveting.

Tension--that's the motor that drives FORT APACHE. A new disciplined, disgruntled, by-the-book colonel (Fonda) arrives at a remote Arizona outpost; immediately, he is at odds with the fort's seasoned and weathered captain (Wayne). The captain, who possesses a deep respect for a band of Apache that has left the reservation, has the loyalty and affection of his men; the colonel is looked upon as an unwelcome intruder and resented as a martinet. The two officers wage a battle of wills that ultimately has Fonda using an unsuspecting Wayne as a ploy to draw the Apache back for a surprise attack--a strategy that produces deadly consequences.

This is good stuff, further enhanced by some outstanding supporting roles, including Ward Bond, Pedro Armendariz, and Victor McLaglen. We're even treated to a grown-up--yet still annoying--Shirley Temple. Kudos to John Ford for creating a good-looking film that successfully had Fonda and Wayne step outside their respective boxes. FORT APACHE, despite its "Aw, shucks" big studio smarm, is solid entertainment.
--D. Mikels

Four and a half stars, actually...
A truly excellent western, one of the all-time greats; the only reason it's not a full 5 stars is there are a few which are marginally better, such as "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" and "Shane".
Both Henry Fonda and John Wayne are cast against type here, and both prove what great actors they are. Fonda plays a stubborn, excessively proud army commander (loosely based on General George Armstrong Custer) furious at being sent to an outpost in Arizona to fight the Apache, complaining they're not even the "tough" Indians. Wayne is a looser, kinder man more adjusted to living in the middle of nowhere, beloved by his men, and holding much more respect for the Apache since he's dealt with them many times. Fonda insists on using the Apache's trust of Wayne against them, luring them into a trap to force them back onto the reservation. Wayne does his best to stop it, but the forces are already at work and there's little he can do. The ensuing massacre (remember, this tale is based on the exploits of Custer) leaves Wayne with the dilemma: tell the truth about Fonda, or go along with the typical "national-hero" myth that has developed around his death?
This is not your typical western. The cavalry aren't the bad guys (as they would be portrayed 40 years later in "Dances With Wolves"), but the Indians aren't exactly the bad guys, either. Their treatment on the reservation at the hands of a corrupt American government, providing them with scant food to survive but plenty of rotgut whiskey to demoralize and destroy them, is clearly presented. The Indians (portrayed here mostly by Mexican actors) are justifiably angry as their trust in "the great white father" is betrayed over and over. They are presented as intelligent strategists; they offer Fonda a legitimate chance to sit down and talk, but when they're betrayed yet again they go on the offense and, incredibly, they don't lose the fight. This was a western far ahead of its time, and since it was directed by the great John Ford it isn't just a moral tract: it's a beautifully-photographed and expertly-acted drama that pulls you in and teaches you something at the same time. Great stuff.

A wonderful movie
This was the greatest movie! Anyone would like it~! I would tell anyone/everyone to see it! You should add this great one to your westerns! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Consciously crafted by director George Stevens as a piece of American mythmaking, Shane is on nearly everyone's shortlist of great movie Westerns. A buckskin knight, Shane (Alan Ladd) rides into the middle of a range war between farmers and cattlemen, quickly siding with the "sod-busters." While helping a kindly farmer (Van Heflin), Shane falls platonically in love with the man's wife (Jean Arthur, in the last screen performance of a marvelous career). Though the showdowns are exciting, and the story simple but involving, what most people will remember about this movie is the friendship between the stoical Shane and the young son of the farmers. The kid is played by Brandon De Wilde, who gives one of the most amazing child performances in the movies; his parting scene with Shane is guaranteed to draw tears from even the most stonyhearted moviegoer. And speaking of stony hearts, Jack Palance made a sensational impression as the evil gunslinger sent to clean house--he has fewer lines of dialogue than he has lines in his magnificently craggy face, but he makes them count. The photography, highlighting the landscape near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, won an Oscar. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (93)

Farmers vs. Ranchers
Shane is the title of the movie and the main character of this well-made Western. Alan Ladd plays the stranger who arrives in a Western community where a range war between farmers and ranchers is about to play out. The farmers' leader is Joe Starrett, played by tough, reliable Van Heflin. He wants the farmers to stay, to stand up to rancher Rufe Riker and his hired hands.

Riker tries to buy Starrett out, but Starrett won't go. Then Riker hires a gunman - Wilson - played by Jack Palance. He's as mean as they come and he verbally goads one of the farmers into trying to "draw" on him. Wilson(Palance) kills the farmer without blinking.

The farmers are about ready to give up. But when Riker sets fire to a farmer's home as the community gathers to bury its dead, the farmers vow to "play one more hand." Riker sends men to Starrett's ranch to tell him that Riker wants to see him. But Shane stops Starrett by physically knocking him out. He knows that he must go into town to "talk" to Riker.

Civilization is fast approaching on the Western range. And Shane is going to hasten that change by going into battle against Riker.

Western Classic
Shane might well be the greatest western ever made and a true American classic. Recently in a New York Times article, Woody Allen of all people considered it the best American film of all time. The movie is about a mysterious stranger who unexpectently comes into a homestead family's life and helps in their battle against a greedy landowner who is threatening them to move off their land. Alan Ladd stars in the title role and he exudes an air of calm control and dark mystery. Shane is an expert gunman and a skilled fighter, but he doesn't want any trouble. He tries hard to avoid a fight in the local saloon, but no matter how hard he tries, trouble finds him. The homestead family is played by Van Heflin, Jean Arthur and the young Brandon De Wilde. Mr. De Wilde is excellent as a wild-eyed youngster who grows to idolize Shane. Mr. Heflin plays the strong, defiant landowner, but also loving husband to his devoted wife, played tenderly by Ms. Arthur, and his son. He stands by his new friend Shane, when the other homesteaders want him to leave when they feel he's stirring up trouble. A young Jack Palance is menacing as an icy hired gun hired to drive the homesteaders off their land. The showdown between him and Shane is a tense and taut showdown. Director George Stevens captures the breathtaking beauty of the American Old West. Shane was nominated for several Academy Awards, but failed to win any. Despite that fact, it remains a brilliant film worth repeated viewings.

Revisionist History as Entertainment
A lone rider approaches a family ranch. He observes a gang riding up to order the owner off his land. There is an economic conflict between a big land owner and small ranchers who are bringing in Jersey cows and working the land for agriculture. The big land owner wants to eliminate competition from small businesses; his government contract shows his political connections. The film shows the use of barbed wire, the invention that put an end to the open range. The settlers go into town for supplies. A barroom brawl occurs when Shane is attacked; Joe Starrett joins in to help his hired hand. Tavern owner Riker sends to Cheyenne for a hired gun, Jack Wilson, for a final solution to the homesteader problem.

The settlers gather for a July 4th celebration. They hear of Riker's hired gunfighter. That evening Riker show up to make a final offer to Starrett: join him for a good price, and abandon the other small ranchers. This offer is refused. The next day the gunfighter insults Torrey to force a duel, and kills him. Joe Starrett announces he will go into town next, without waiting for the other settlers. The question is: shall the people be oppressed and swindled by a rich powerful landowner? (Most of the large ranches were owned by corporations from back East.) Some of the small ranchers decide to abandon their claims. Yet they have the right to settle and farm the land. "This country wasn't made for just one man." The burning of one home makes the settlers decide to hang on for a while.

Riker makes an offer to draw Starret to his place (for an ambush). Calloway turns up to warn Shane of this trick. Starrett's wife argues for giving up and moving out now. (Credible?). Shane tries to stop Starrett, and they fight in the dark (to hide their body doubles?). Shane wins and leaves to keep the appointment, and force a final showdown. Shane successfully resolves the problem of Jack Wilson, then Riker, and moves on to new territory. [This avoids any retribution by Riker's allies.) {This film uses the dime-novel fantasy of a "fast-draw", which did not occur in historical records.]

This story is loosely based on the Powder River war. In reality, the settler's militia drove off the armed gang hired by the large landowners. The large ranchers tried to get rid of small ranchers by passing a law that gave them sole rights to all cattle in the state! Read the chapter in William Weir's "Written With Lead" for more details. "Unhappy are the people who want a hero."

Two stars. One for each time it put me to sleep.
Don't get me wrong, folks ,I am A HUGE fan of classic Westerns! This one, it just doesn't make it for me. Don't even get me started about Alan Ladd's "tough but gentle" potrayal of Shane. Ladd is unconvincing to this reviewer not only in the tough guy category, but his dramatic side is very, very "Ward Cleaver." AND THAT KID!!! That blasted kid. Joey, played by Brandon De Wilde. Good gawd, if he wasn't the most annoying little snot that came out of Hollywood. (before the debut of Pauly Shore) "Shane, are you gonna shoot that man? "Shane, are you gonna let me look through your Playboys?" I spent half the film (before I fell asleep) hoping Shane would say, "Come here, Joey, and help me change the wheel on this stagecoach" and have a little "accident." Joey's absence from the second half of this movie MAY have kept me awake. (but I doubt it.)

miscast but still legendary
SHANE is among the most renowned westerns in motion picture history, inspite of the miscasting of Alan Ladd in the title role. many other more accomplished actors come to mind of whom could have assumed the role, and many of these were offered the role. however it was Alan Ladd who was awarded the role.

Ladd was a formidable actor and delivered a fine performance inspite of the other more accomplished actors who may have given better performances.

regardless of Ladd in the role of SHANE, the movie was legendary and considered a true classic to this day. the other actors, which include: Van Heflin, Jean Arthur, Brandon De Wilde, Emile Meyer and Jack Palance all gave stellar performances. however it was George Stevens, a director whose name is synonymous with great filmmaking who was solely responsible for the renowned success of this truly legendary western classic. a true masterpiece. ... Read more

Album Description

Canadian DVD release for 1974 spaghetti-western inspired by Sergio Leone who produced, starring Henry Fonda & featuring a soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. Also known as 'Il Mio Nome E Nessuno'. 2000 release. ... Read more

Reviews (59)

Quick Draws......
This review refers to the WHAM! DVD edition of "My Name Is Nobody"......

Who is faster on the draw than the legendary gunslinger Jack Beauregard(Henry Fonda)?.....NOBODY! (Terence Hill). That's Who! This is the most delightful western, that the whole family can enjoy together(there is some mild violence and language).

Jack Beauregard who has made quite a name for himself with a gun, just wants to slip away quietly on a slow boat to Europe. But it's easier said than done. There are others who would rather see him dead and young gunslinger Nobody is hired to do away with Jack. Nobody is so taken with the his idol though, that not only does he want Beauregard to live, but wants his legend to live on in history as well. The pair become the Odd Couple of the 1890's and you'll have a fabulous time watching their antics.

It is filmed in the wonderful "Spagehitte Western" style. Based on an idea by Sergio Leone("Fistful of Dollars" et al), directed by Tonino Valerii, and with a fabulous whimsical score by Ennio Morricone. It has all the great western landscapes, camera work, and some terrific acting.

I was very confused when I was shopping for this DVD. I knew this edition was an import only but I was confused as to how many versions there were.The tech info here says the studio of release is Pid, yet most of the reviews that mentioned the name of the studio refered to it as WHAM. But I really like this film alot, so I went ahead and ordered it. The image of the case here is the same as the one I recieved, but does not say Pid anywhere on it, and is WHAM!. So I just want to clear that up in case anyone else was wondering the same thing. And by the way, it's a decent DVD transfer as well.

The DVD is very good. The sound is excellent. I wasn't sure what to expect as there was no info here or on the box as far as the sound was concerned. My DVD player decoded it at DD2.0, and the music as well as the dialouge was crisp and clear. Every little detail(like Fonda getting a shave) was distinguishable. The picture was clear and good for the most part. There were times when it seemed a little grainey, and also the colors seemed somewhat dated. But the widescreeen (1:85:1) was great and it was a nice view. As far as extras, you won't find too much, but there is some. You can go to "soundtrack" and listen to the music from your favorite scenes. There are also bios on Henry Fonda, Terence Hill and Ennio Morricone (no filmographies though), and there is a theatrical trailer as well.

If you have seen this and know you like it, I would say this DVD is a good buy. If you have'nt seen it but love these kind of spaghetti or comical westerns, you'll love this one! It's a keeper!
Happy Trails...Laurie

Funniest Western Ever
I have seen many comedy westerns including Cat Ballou, Blazing Saddles, and City Slickers. None have made me laugh harder than "My Name is Nobody". Henry Fonda plays a retiring gunfighter, Jack Beauregard, for the law while Terence Hill plays a comedic young gunfighter, Nobody, for good. His methods are quite different and should keep you in stitches more than once. The scenes at the Circus can't be beat. Although he is proficient with a gun, you never see him kill anybody to make his point. Did I mention the musical score by Ennio Morricone is great? As mentioned in a good review, laurie's boomer views, you can play just the soundtrack. I love Morricone's happy go lucky intro song , My Name is Nobody, and all the western themes that dramatize the scenes with Beauregard. I do hope this will be released on DVD in the US and for a lower price. The import quality lacks a little to be desired so I am hoping for a better transfer of the master in the future. The WHAM! version menu is overly red and the Bio has Henry Ford instead of Fonda as the name, but the bio is correct. The DVD is decent quality with a only a few screen glitches and the sound is good. The occasional graininess can't be helped since the original VHS quality was no better and probably the master print wasn't sharp. I don't regret getting the DVD since this is a great movie and my VHS is wearing out.

Nobody beats nobody ...
You will not go wrong with this jewel. Even if you've never seen an Italian western, you will find this one addictive. The only bad thing about this movie is that there is no sequel. This one is the epitome of a spaghetti western. I've enjoyed it time and time again! I 100% agree with all the reviewers remarks on this one.

Incredible Scope
In another review I mentioned this was the funniest Western, but to avoid losing votes on it I had to write another review to mention that the scope is amazing as well. Fans of movies like "How the West Was Won" and "Once Upon a Time in the West" will enjoy it as well. The realism of the movie sets and performances make you believe you are actually seeing this dramatic change in the West from watering hole and cowboys to ranchers and towns. The West is becoming civilized and Henry Fonda as Beauregard is the old ways and Terence Hill as Nobody is the new. I really wish I had pointed that out in my other review. This movie goes well beyond being just a great comedy. It is like he wrapped "The Magnificent Seven" with "Shrek". Sometimes incredibly dramatic, sometimes downright goofy, but always magnificent.

My Name is Nobody - Terence Hill & Henry Fonda
One of my all time favorite comody Westerns! Lots of laughs and funny wit from Terrance Hill and an awesome performance from Henry Fonda. Even my teenage kids love this one!!! ... Read more

Reviews (11)

IN THE SPIRIT OF MONTE WALSH
Tommy Lee Jones brings the Elmer Kelton western classic to life with The Good Old Boys. Like Monte Walsh, the story follows a tried and true cowboy's nostalgic efforts to hold on to the only life he knows. Even being roped down in order to help his brother keep his homestead and an appealing lady friend aren't enough to make Huey Calloway (Jones) settle down.

A wonderful movie, The Good Old Boys features terrific performances by Jones, Sissy Spacek, Francis McDormand, Sam Shepard, Wilford Brimley and Matt Damon.

A cameo performance by Larry Mahan, one of the greatest rodeo cowboys ever, adds some wonderful spice and authenticity,

As Jones rides off into the sunset, like Tom Selleck in Monte Walsh, the hope and the dream that cowboys will continue to ride is very artfully expressed.

Where in the heck is the DVD for this one?

A Bitter-Sweet Reunion with Inlaws and Outlaws
My Love for Tommy Lees Jones talent is ever on the increase. One would have to understand that when this Super Star takes on a project, It will sparkle, and bring you too tears in all the right moments. The national reviews were shy to say the least concerning this great art. Way to go Tommy Lee. Now concerning the story; Huey, a good ol boy, Cowboy, Rake and rambler, Returns home. West Texas,after two years of seeing the country and raising hell the way cowboys of old do. He is not recieved by his two loving nephews as he had anticipated. All the reasons why are found in perhaps one of my favorite scenes of the movie/ Eve [Francis McDormond] and Huey [Tommy Lee] enguage in a most tender scene, in the bitter-sweet. Tommy Lee, Sissy Spacek, Matt Damon,Francis McDormand,Jimmy Don Cox,Wilford Brimley,Sam Shepard, All Deliver. Other great scenes make it all happen, This one approaches a real old Time Tear Jerker. Now one of my favorites. I rented,Now I Will Buy....

One of the best
Tommy Lee Jones had the sense not to change anything about Elmer Kelton's great book. This is a simple story well told. The scene with the dog had me laughing so hard there were tears in my eyes.

Cow-boy to cowboy Movie
As a born and raised cow puncher from Arizona I know for
a fact that this is a well done true to life movie with rancher tommy Lee Jones playin' the part so real it purt neared is real! Im a head injured ( by a gate envolvin a cow) old boy now tryin to make livin makin saddles. this movie gets me
a goin!

Tommy Lee Jones and Elmer Kelton - What a combination!
TLJ does a superb job of both acting and directing. The entire cast is wonderful, but not enough credit is given to Elmer Kelton, a great western writer. What Sam Elliott has done with Louie L'Amour, TLJ does with Elmer Kelton. A story without diabolical killers, crazed lunatics, super heroes, terrible corporations, mass killings, ... and the other ingredients that are so common, these actors, directors, and writers have told a great story of the time of change in the west. A real story with heartache, humor, sweat, and tears, and have done it without vulgarity. Awesome!! ... Read more

Description

Australia's breathtaking Victoria Alps set the backdrop for this spectacular epic saga. Tom Burlinson and Sigrid Thornton, two of Australia's brightest film talents, star in a fast-paced, action-packed story of a stormy romance caught up in a violent feud between landowners. Acclaimed actor Brian Dennehy (LEGAL EAGLES, COCOON) gives a gripping performance as the powerful patriarch determined to keep them apart. Visually unforgettable and packed with rugged adventure and masterful stuntwork, RETURN TO SNOWY RIVER is a thrilling and memorable film! ... Read more

Reviews (34)

The Man from Snowy River is Back!
The man from Snowy River is back! After a few years trying to earn money to marry Jessica Harrison (Sigrid Thornton), Jim Craig (Tom Burlinson) returns to Snowy River. But he finds that a lot of things have changed. The succesful ranchers and bankers want to buy up all of the land of the beautiful Australian mountains where he was brought up. He also finds that Jessica's father, Harrison (Brian Dennehy) wants her to marry Alistair Patton (Nicholas Eadie), son of landowner Patton Sr. (Rhys McConnochie). With a sort of silent feud between the landowners and the mountain men going on, Jim and Jessica must decide if they're love is worth firing up the feud even worse.

As most of the cases, I prefer the first movie to "Return to Snowy River" though I think they both deserve 5 stars. One of the reasons is I enjoy the first one more is that Kirk Douglas played Harrison in the first movie. Yes, Brian Dennehy was superb in that role, I still like Kirk Douglas.

All right, to the fine parts of the movie. Beautiful and magnificent scenery of the Australian mountains! Excellent acting by all actors and actresses, the suspense, action, and adventure will keep you on the edge of your seats! And Tom Burlinson sure know how to ride when he performs some pretty cool stunts while riding horses. Especially the earlier part of the movie where he proves that he can certainly ride better than Nicholas Eadie who plays the part of the jealous bad guy for Jessica's affection.

I recommend this movie along with the first movie, "The Man from Snowy River". These movies are classics and one of the family movies I watch at home. Can't be missed!

The Man from Snowy River is Back!
The man from Snowy River is back! After a few years trying to earn money to marry Jessica Harrison (Sigrid Thornton), Jim Craig (Tom Burlinson) returns to Snowy River. But he finds that a lot of things have changed. The succesful ranchers and bankers want to buy up all of the land of the beautiful Australian mountains where he was brought up. He also finds that Jessica's father, Harrison (Brian Dennehy) wants her to marry Alistair Patton (Nicholas Eadie), son of landowner Patton Sr. (Rhys McConnochie). With a sort of silent feud between the landowners and the mountain men going on, Jim and Jessica must decide if they're love is worth firing up the feud even worse.

As most of the cases, I prefer the first movie to "Return to Snowy River" though I think they both deserve 5 stars. One of the reasons is I enjoy the first one more is that Kirk Douglas played Harrison in the first movie. Yes, Brian Dennehy was superb in that role, I still like Kirk Douglas.

All right, to the fine parts of the movie. Beautiful and magnificent scenery of the Australian mountains! Excellent acting by all actors and actresses, the suspense, action, and adventure will keep you on the edge of your seats! And Tom Burlinson sure know how to ride when he performs some pretty cool stunts while riding horses. Especially the earlier part of the movie where he proves that he can certainly ride better than Nicholas Eadie who plays the part of the jealous bad guy for Jessica's affection.

I recommend this movie along with the first movie, "The Man from Snowy River". These movies are classics and one of the family movies I watch at home. Can't be missed!

The Snowy River Movies are awesome!!
I've seen both 'The Man From Snowy River' and 'Return to Snowy River' and loved them both. They are wholesome movies to watch with a lot of action, but not violent. Whenever we had sleepovers these were the movies to watch. I definetly recommend watching 'The Man from Snowy River' first though. The scenery is beautiful, the cast is great, Kirk Douglas playing double roles is always good. The story line, and if you love horses this is a movie for you. It's a movie for all ages and both guys and girls. It's not a total 'chick flick' or a 'guys' movie.

Return to Snowy River
THis move WAS very exciting BUT it was also a terrible one as at least ONE horse was REALLY killed in the filming. They tripped the little buckskin horse and he did not survive his tumble down the hill!

A Letdown
Like many sequels, it disappoints. Tom Burlinson and Sigrid Thornton did nice work as the lovers Jim Craig and Jessica Harrison. Brian Dennehy stepped ably into the shoes of Kirk Douglas as Harrison. The scenery is glorious and the action and riding quite cool. Notable was Jim Craig's unique demonstration around the skill at arms course after meeting his new rival.

So, what is the problem? It simply lacked the movie magic and spark and, perhaps, storyteller's art which made the "The Man from Snowy River" a success. I have watched "The Man from Snowy River" many times over many years, and still love it. I have watched "Return to Snowy River" perhaps twice. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Funniest Movie Ever Made
This cult classic has finally made it to video. Every western movie cliche is lampooned in this made for TV movie starring (among others) John Astin, Milton Berle, Mickey Rooney, and Dick Shawn-- with cameos by then unknown actors such as Ed Begley, Jr, Penny Marshall, Pat Morita, John Ritter, and Dom Deluise.

Evil Roy Slade falls for Miss Betsy Palmer who tries to reform Slade, unsuccessfully. Slade even tries to change his name. "Evil John Ferguson? Nah. Evil Lee Rich, yeah, that's good, that's good."

Dick Shawn plays the "Paladin" type character, Ding Bell, hired to put an end to Slade. Rumor has it his outfits were created by Liberace's personal wardrobe designer.

Bing Bell likes to sing and play his guitar as he rides along to "keep my mind off the smell of the horse".

The puns and one liners come so quick and often, that you will probably miss half of them the first time through. But that's OK because you will want to watch this film several times.

This film is great fun for the whole family.

The Search Has Ended!
I had been looking for a copy of this video for years. I had first viewed this movie while I was in high school and it was a movie made for TV. It is probably the funniest movie I have ever watched. When I watched it again, I was laughing so hard, I fell off the couch! My daughter enjoyed watching it, and so have all of the people who have watched it. I am now waiting for this to come out on DVD, so that I can buy another copy, in case my VHS doesn't get returned or simply wears out.

This movie was made in a time when family-viewing films were more common. I would place it into the same category of many of the Disney films of the era.

A gunfighter is attempting to reform himself for the love of his life. The Evil Roy Slade trys real, real hard to become a member of society. My favorite scenes are when he becomes a shoe salesman. People working with the buying public will understand his frustration with the customers.

Again, a wonderful, funny look at life for the entire family.

Decent Western Parody
Evil Roy Slade is a decent parody of Westerns. Evil Roy is literally a truly evil villain so much so that as a baby he was spurned by both Indians and wolves alike and wound up being raised by vultures.

Evil Roy Slade ranks 4 out of 5 stars because while the movie is funny, it is also overly goofy and quite implausible overall. It is also predictable.

Jeez I have finally got a copy
This film cannot be bought for love nor money over here in the U.K. So finally after something like 25 - 30 years of searching I have finally got a copy coming from the States(thankfully my VCR is NTSC compatable).
I only have ever seen this film once when I was about 10 or 11 back in 72/73....to say it has stayed in my memory ever since says a lot about it!!! I thought it was the funniest film I had EVER seen (and still do), and though I never ever saw it again I was always scouring the TV listings .... the closest I got to seeing it for a second time was whilst holidaying in Canada..I saw it listed but we could'nt get the T.V. station!!!
I have to agree with the other reviews at Amazon (I have read every one!!) and say this has to be the best comedy film ever made, and although I was only small when first watching it the film has stuck with me throughout my life. At last my friends who thought I was nuts will get to see it!!!
Can't wait!!!!

stubby finger, tapping out your code......
John Astin at his best. Mickey Rooney and Henry Gibson are a riot as well. even Milton Berle is memorable. Get it, grab a root beer, grab the kids and laugh together. ... Read more

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Cromwell, Oklahoma, 1924: an oil boomtown full of saloons, cathouses, mud-and-crude-oil streets, bootleg whisky, and gun-toting roughnecks. Technology had overpassed the Old West, in the form of Model T's and oil rigs, but the mentality had stayed much the same. Add to that a population that's a bit tweaky from a combination of cocaine and morphine that had been going around, and you have a recipe for trouble. Enter Marshall Bill Tilghman, a contemporary of Wyatt Earp. Tilghman had made a silent film, The Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaws, and on the strength of his reputation had been called into service as chief of police in the hopes of restoring order to a lawless community. In this fact-based story, Sam Elliott plays Tilghman, a larger-than-life character who was one of the last of a dying era. Many Prohibition agents became renegades in the '20s; Tilghman's nemesis was Wiley (Arliss Howard), a rogue agent strung out on drugs and dealing in bootleg liquor himself. Howard's performance is as overwrought as Elliott's is restrained; together the two offset each other well. The flinty Elliott brings a measure of warmth to his role, especially in his relationship to his wife and kids; he's perfectly cast as the man on the cusp of a new age. As a modern-era Western, You Know My Name rises well above its made-for-cable roots to stand as a good character study and action picture. --Jerry Renshaw ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The Greatest of Us All
This movie depicts the final days of my distant relative, Bill Tilghman. Tilghman enforced the law from the 1880's, as Marshal of Dodge City through the Indian Territory days in Oklahoma to statehood and Roaring '20s gangsters.
At 70, he was about the only man left alive who had tamed a wild cowtown. The Governor called on him to bring law and order to Cromwell, the oiltown known as "the meanest town in Oklahoma." He did it, though did not live to see his work totally completed.
Sam Elliott does a wonderful job of portraying this lawman who was better known in his day than the Wyatt Earps and such we are familiar with today. While a few cinematic prerogatives were taken, William Kent Harrison stayed pretty close to history and clearly did a lot of research. He beautifully depicts the wonderment of an old West lawman coping with gangsters in T-model Fords and ignoring the ethics that characterized even such desperadoes as Bill Doolin in the 1890's.
Particularly interesting were the vignettes of Tilghman's 1915 movie, "The Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaws," which he and many of the people who were really there starred in.
In the early 1900's, famed lawman Bat Masterson was asked about the old lawmen of the West. Without hesitation, he said "Tilghman was the greatest of us all."

Very Inspirational
I loved the portrayal of a tough honest lawman who also showed a deep understanding of human nature. He was also a very warm family man. The way he handled the young man who wanted to become his assistant and how he became a role model for him while he was alive is interesting. I like certain westerns and this was a good one. I think Sam Elliott should have been aged a little more...it was too obvious that a young man was wearing props to make him look much older. I recommend this feel-good movie for a general audience.

One of the Great Modern Westerns
Sam Elliot is without a doubt the best modern western actor today. As with all his movies, he gives a stunning performance. While filled with a few historical flaws, it shows the general theme of Bill Tilghmans life. I admit that it would have been more interesting if they showed his earlier life and involvment with the likes of the Doolin gang. Some may say that is lacks a good plot, but the movie is a true story.

you know my name
Most of the reviews of this movie say it has a lousy plot, what few critics probably realize,however, is that it is a true story (some liberties were taken of course.). I am Bill Tilghman's great-great granddaughter, and I had some problems with the story, too, mostly in what they chose to portray. I think that the early days of Bill Tilghman's life were much more interesting than the last few months. It's too bad they didn't focus more on the material in the "Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaws" movie that Bill made with his partner, Benny Kent. Unless the audience knows a lot about Bill Tilghman, they wouldn't understand the "flashback" sequences. I also think Sam Elliott was mis-cast ! I have spoken to many living old-timers that knew Bill - they say he was a very unassuming and quiet man. He wasn't a tough guy at all. Still, I was glad the movie was made - many people never read history unless they've seen the movie first !

Good cast, lousy script
Sam Elliott's portrait of Marshal Tilghman is splendid as ever his performances as a westerner are. But the script is really lousy. After a thrilling start sequence and a surprising film-in-film-montage the film is lacking the necessary straightforwardness that, e.g., "Last Stand at Saber River" makes a 5-star-western. There's lot of talking and too little action. Best example: the scene when riding Tilghman is chased by a car with gangsters. The car simply crashes downward a hill. There's no thrilling tension in that sequence. The authors and director John Kent Harrison were not able to turn the conflict between old-fashioned lawman Tilghman and the modern, organised and law-protected crime into a entertaining duel. It's a pity: A lot of good ideas and a stunning Elliott performance wasted by uninspired filmmakers. ... Read more

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A remarkably ambitious and engrossing project, this 1978 televisionminiseries ran 26-and-a-half hours, cost a then-enormous $25 million, and involved 4 directors, 5 cinematographers, and somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 speaking parts. Based on James Michener's panoramic bestseller about the settling of the American West--as reflected in the history of a fictionaltown called Centennial, Colorado--the story begins in the late 18th century and ends with a typical 20th century conflict over land usage.Centennial, however, largely concentrates on various memorablefrontiersmen, trappers, Indians, ranchers, cowboys, and farmers from longago. Richard Chamberlain shines as the pioneer Alexander McKeag, RobertConrad does some of his best work as French-Canadian Pasquinel, andperformances by Alex Karras, Chad Everett, Sally Kellerman, Raymond Burr,Richard Crenna, David Janssen, and Dennis Weaver effectively add to atapestry of adventure, tragedy, violenc