39 / 121
39
FEATURE
DVD&BD
is out on Dec 30
(2016)
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
(1960)
The oppressed residents of a Mexican village enlist the
help of seven mercenary gunslingers to fight off marauding
bandits in John Sturges’ star-powered reworking of Akira
Kurosawa’s classic
Seven Samurai
(1954). It’s grand, epic
entertainment and one of the last great Hollywood Westerns
before a certain Italian filmmaker named Sergio Leone took
up the reins. And of course there’s that unforgettable theme
from Elmer Bernstein, too.
HIGH NOON
(1952)
“Do not forsake me, oh my darlin’.” Gary Cooper’s
marshal must stand alone against a vengeful killer when
the townsfolk refuse to help him in this unconventional
Western. A highpoint of the genre,
High Noon
is also a tightly
wound suspense thriller set against a Wild West backdrop,
with a ticking clock counting down to the arrival of a train
carrying Cooper’s nemesis. The film won Oscars for Cooper’s
performance, Editing, Original Score, and Original Song.
3:10TOYUMA
(1957)
Drought-stricken rancher Dan Evans (Van Heflin) is hired
to escort notorious outlaw Ben Wade (Glenn Ford) to the
titular prison train, only to discover that Wade’s posse is
waiting for its arrival, too. Based on a short story by Elmore
Leonard and shot in atmospheric black and white,
3:10 to
Yuma
echoes what was great about
High Noon
, with the
suspense building towards a climactic showdown (and
the arrival of a train). Glenn Ford is terrific as the charming
villain, and the cautious respect that develops between the
two men adds a dramatic layer to this classic ‘50s oater.
Watch for the scene in the hotel room.
UNFORGIVEN
(1992)
Clint Eastwood’s Best Picture Oscar-winner is everything
you’d expect from one of the genre’s icons. The director also
stars as a weary former gunslinger that takes one last job
in Big Whisky, Wyoming, where the town’s brothel workers
have put a bounty on the heads of a pair of cowboys who
attacked one of their own. A modern tale rooted in the
mythology of the Old West,
Unforgiven
is a dark look at the
effect of violence on the souls of the men who dispense it
for a living, and a bona fide classic.