Product Description
-------------------
Cowboys, The: Deluxe Edition (DVD)
]]>
.com
----
Almost in spite of itself, The Cowboys has taken its place among
John Wayne's most beloved films. It wasn't always that way: When
it was released in January of 1972, the film was widely
criticized for appearing to promote the notion that boys become
men through violence. From a politically correct perspective,
this apparent message is arguably deplorable (and some
interpreted the film's young fighters as a reflection of young
draftees into the Vietnam war), but there's no denying that The
Cowboys remains as invigorating as it ever was, no matter how
dubious its thematic implications. Based on a novel by William
Dale Jennings, and adapted with Jennings by the married
screenwriting team of Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr. (whose
impressive credits include Hud, Hombre, and Norma Rae), the movie
opens with aging ranch owner Wil Anderson (Wayne) desperate for
ranch-hands to herd 1,500 head of cattle across 400 miles of
dangerous territory. With no better options, he reluctantly hires
boys from the local schoolhouse (including Robert Carradine in
his screen debut), and an experienced, worldly-wise cook named
Nightlinger (played to perfection by Roscoe Lee Browne) joins the
cattle drive--the first black man the boys have ever seen.
A Hollywood liberal who initially felt at odds with Wayne's
right-wing politics, Mark Rydell (On Golden Pond) originally
sought George C. Scott for the lead, but studio executives urged
him to convince Wayne to take the role. It was a happy outcome
for both, as Rydell directs Wayne with an enjoyable mixture of
Old West humor and grizzled trail-hardiness, and The Cowboys is a
top-drawer production with gorgeous cinematography (on location
in Mexico and Colorado) by veteran cameraman Robert Surtees.
Colleen Dewhurst appears briefly but memorably as the madam of a
traveling troupe of prostitutes (in a scene often cut from
earlier TV broadcasts and some home-video releases), and the
young A Martinez (who would later star in several TV soap operas
and the indie-hit Powwow Highway) makes a strong impression in a
prominent supporting role. But the real reason for the film's
lasting popularity is the hiss-worthy villainy of Bruce Dern (as
"Long Hair," leader of the rustlers), who earned a dubious place
in movie history for his character's cheating approach to
play. No matter how you interpret its themes of herly
influence and justified vengeance, The Cowboys (later the basis
of a short-lived TV series) is undeniably entertaining, dominated
by Wayne's reliable presence and bolstered by a rousing,
Copland-esque score by John Williams. --Jeff Shannon
P.when('A').execute(function(A) {
A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse',
function(data) {
window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100);
});
});
Set Contains:
-------------
Released in 2007 to commemorate the centennial of John Wayne's
birth, the Deluxe Edition of The Cowboys beautifully presents the
film in its original 2.35:1 widescreen Panavision format, with a
pristinely remastered Dolby Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack.
Director Mark Rydell's feature-length commentary is sporadic yet
easily recommended, especially for Rydell's anecdotes about John
Wayne, his young supporting cast, and the controversial opinions
surrounding the film's violent climax. "The Cowboys: Together
Again" is a 28-minute reunion interview (from late 2006) with
Rydell, Bruce Dern, and fellow cast members A Martinez, Stephen
R. Hudis, Norman Howell Jr., and Robert Carradine (the last in
separate video clips), reminiscing about filming with Rydell,
John Wayne, and Roscoe Lee Browne (who also appears separately,
in one of his final interviews). "The Breaking of Boys and the
Making of Men" is a vintage 1971 Warner Bros. promotional
featurette (running just under nine minutes) consisting of movie
excerpts and behind-the-scenes footage of the young Cowboys
costars during their extensive training to become skillful riders
and ropers for the film's cattle-herding scenes. This deluxe
edition DVD also includes the film's original theatrical trailer,
and is accompanied by a terrific set of eight collectible
behind-the-scenes photo-postcards, including one priceless photo
of John Wayne and John Ford, taken when the legendary director
visited his old pal "Duke" on the set of The Cowboys. --Jeff
Shannon
See more ( javascript:void(0) )