Tag Archives: westerns

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Friday Films: Western Double-Feature

"That'll be the day."

We stopped off at Mr. Chicken first, ordering our roasted half-chickens with pommes. We came back and chowed down to the bones, bared the wall and plugged the laptop into the projector. Up went the Duke, with a blaring soundtrack at his back, riding toward us alone across a vast southwestern prairie. We were on the porch with the rest of the Edwards family, waiting for Ethan to climb down from his horse and amble in for his close-up, all stoic and macho and lionhearted.

For all the fun we poked at it, it’s hard to deny that The Searchers is a classic of classics.

We took a bathroom break and then sat back down for a classic Eastwood flick, Unforgiven, choosing arguably one of that icon’s best as well. I’ve already written plenty about that one here.

It was a good time to be men, and to realize how different we “men” are from the men in these films. I’ve always wondered if I could make it in the late 1800′s, with all its stark frontierism, horses and guns – a place and time so devoid of entertainment opportunities that the whole family is abuzz with exhilaration at the arrival of a poorly written letter. Passing the days slogging through mud to separate feverish pigs, digging holes for fence posts and gathering firewood so the family won’t freeze to death is a far cry from my list of chores growing up (mow the yard, skim the pool, recycle the cans, etc.).

One thing that I do recognize as remaining constant is the desire to sit and… be. In Unforgiven, Gene Hackman’s dream is to build his little house with a porch where he can sit out in the evenings and smoke his pipe and watch the sunset. In The Searchers, John Wayne relaxes on the porch steps of his brother’s house and muses upon his travels while the sky turns from yellow and blue to orange and indigo. All the Tivo’s, DVR’s, high-speed Internet connections, and Netflix envelopes in the world don’t hold up in comparison to the desire I have to enjoy the same. To sit out on a porch of my own, smoke my pipe and watch the same sun that set in 1868 set over me… That’ll be the day.

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Friday Films: True Grit

Sometimes, the easiest way to catch sight of the wonder in life is to immerse yourself in a great story. Given a choice of how to be served one, I’d pick a good novel over anything else. But as much as I enjoy reading, I am also a fan of the cinema, and if a quality novel isn’t within reach, a movie will do just fine. Whether I’m planting myself in the center of the center row of a theater or settling down to a DVD on the laptop, a good film thrills me as much as a good book. I’m not one of those readers who spurns film – in my opinion, they’re family. The film is the scrappy nephew to Uncle Novel.

Thus, each Friday, Wonderstuff will celebrate a film. Unlike today, most of these will be movies you can snag for yourself on Netflix or the Redbox (my theater-going is limited in Germany). Nevertheless, I highly recommend each film. If you have yet to experience it, I’ll give you five good reasons why you should delay no longer.

Today’s Film:

Visiting the States for Christmas meant that I could catch a couple of Best Picture Academy Award contenders (’tis the season, you know). The first one I caught was the Coen Brothers’ remake of True Grit. The purists and traditionalists alike will cry foul on the Coens for tampering with the classic western that nabbed John Wayne his only Oscar, but Joel and Ethan compose the two-man genius machine behind such new classics as Fargo, The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and No Country For Old Men, not to mention the brilliant A Serious Man. I’m not a fan of this trend of remakes either, but I was willing to give the Coens the benefit of the doubt. I’m glad I did.

Five good reasons to go see True Grit:

#2 – A phenomenal supporting cast, including compelling turns by Matt Damon and Barry Pepper.

#3 – The music. Old-timey variations on “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” and other traditional hymns provides a gorgeous background to a rough-and-tumble story.

#4 – The old-timer in the bear fur. This is what makes westerns so fun.

#5 – A deftly drawn Old West narrative in the capable hands of the Coens – a oddysey that lightly and fearlessly explores issues of vengeance, purpose and belonging. This is what makes westerns so beautiful.