The Movie Reel

[Front242]

Interesting list. But how can you have such a list without ONE FROM JOHN WAYNE EPIC :huh:

You know these ? Fort Apache, Hondo, Rio Bravo, The Searchers, El Dorado ?

Good point! Yup, those are all great. Also True Grit (1969), Rooster Cogburn (1975), The Cowboys, The Cowboys (1972), The Shootist (1976). Sorry for forgetting John Wayne!

 

[Front242]

Once Upon a Time in the West is the greatest western of all time and one of the best movies ever. I'd take it over The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in a heartbeat, and I am a fan of the latter.

Incredibly, Clint turned it down because he said that nothing happens in the first ten minutes... :cover

Nah.. Clint was correct.. Also, think about this .. How many times can you watch OUATINW without falling asleep.. However, the GB & U, its so entertaining it makes you want to see the next scene.. Also, it prompts you to want to see the other two movies in the triiogy(A Few more dollars and a fist full of dollars)

Eh, I can watch it every single time without sleeping and I must be up to about fifty times by now. It's on my list with Goodfellas and Unforgiven as movies I watch every single time they're on, without diminishment. There are others on the list too, but i can't think of them.

Sergio Leone was asked about Clint as an actor, and he said, "Clint has two expressions: with a hat, and without a hat." :lolz: But he was wrong too.

As far as westerns go I'd also consider these some of my favourites:

The Wild Bunch (1969)
Face to Face (1967)
A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
For a Few Dollars More (1965)
Hang 'Em High (1968)
High Plains Drifter (1973)
Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970)
Django (1966)
A Professional Gun (1968)
The Magnificent Seven (1960)
The Great Silence (1968)
The Grand Duel (1972)
The Big Gundown (1966)
Companeros (1970)
A Bullet For The General (1966)
Death Rides a Horse (1967)
Bandolero! (1968) <---- Mmmmm, Racquel Welch was some tasty minx.
Sabata (1969) <--- There are two sequels as well but they're not as good as the first one.
Soldier Blue (1970) Though ultra violent in its uncut form, it's a film fans of westerns should watch.

I'm with MrT. Any list of westerns has to include a few movies with the Duke, most especially The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

I'd also add The Big Country and The Gunfighter, two great westerns with Gregory Peck. And though Clint is well represented by your list, you leave out Josie Wales and Unforgiven? :nono :cover

I'm in a rush to go to the gym. Clearly I missed loads Especially those 2 classics from Clint. Doh uzzled Yeah, The Big Country and The Gunfighter are great too. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957).
Tombstone was cool too as a modern western. There are literally tons more out there!

 

[Kieran]

Sorry for forgetting John Wayne!

"The hell you are!"

 

[brokenshoelace]

Once Upon a Time in the West is the greatest western of all time and one of the best movies ever. I'd take it over The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in a heartbeat, and I am a fan of the latter.

Incredibly, Clint turned it down because he said that nothing happens in the first ten minutes... :cover

Nah.. Clint was correct.. Also, think about this .. How many times can you watch OUATINW without falling asleep..

Never fell asleep watching it, or never got bored even. Yes, it's extremely methodical and Leone's style grew to be slower as he evolved as a director. But as far as pure film making art goes, it was becoming sharper and more polished. The Once Upon a Time In the West opening scene is my favorite opening scene of any movie, ever. It's a true masterpiece. They literally teach it in "Art of Film" classes.

 

[the AntiPusher]

Once Upon a Time in the West is the greatest western of all time and one of the best movies ever. I'd take it over The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in a heartbeat, and I am a fan of the latter.

Incredibly, Clint turned it down because he said that nothing happens in the first ten minutes... :cover

Nah.. Clint was correct.. Also, think about this .. How many times can you watch OUATINW without falling asleep..

Never fell asleep watching it, or never got bored even. Yes, it's extremely methodical and Leone's style grew to be slower as he evolved as a director. But as far as pure film making art goes, it was becoming sharper and more polished. The Once Upon a Time In the West opening scene is my favorite opening scene of any movie, ever. It's a true masterpiece. They literally teach it in "Art of Film" classes.

I would agree , the open scene in OUATINW is a instant classic :clap

 

[Kieran]

Wait, AP - you said above that you agreed with Clint about the opening scene! But it's sheer genius. And though I'm not a huge fan of Charles Bronson, he was good enough in this film, but Henry Fonda? That's inspired casting right there... :clap

 

[tented]

Sergio Leone was asked about Clint as an actor, and he said, "Clint has two expressions: with a hat, and without a hat." :lolz: But he was wrong too.

:lolz: That's great -- and does carry some truth in his first few films.

 

[the AntiPusher]

Wait, AP - you said above that you agreed with Clint about the opening scene! But it's sheer genius. And though I'm not a huge fan of Charles Bronson, he was good enough in this film, but Henry Fonda? That's inspired casting right there... :clap

No(BTW, not a Rafa No, lol).. The opening scene with the young actor and Henry Fonda is priceless.. However. I still say Clint Eastwood role as "Blonde" and the man with no name is the all time best westerns.

 

[Kieran]

Wait, AP - you said above that you agreed with Clint about the opening scene! But it's sheer genius. And though I'm not a huge fan of Charles Bronson, he was good enough in this film, but Henry Fonda? That's inspired casting right there... :clap

No(BTW, not a Rafa No, lol).. The opening scene with the young actor and Henry Fonda is priceless.. However. I still say Clint Eastwood role as "Blonde" and the man with no name is the all time best westerns.

No, the opening scene is three dubious looking gents waiting for a train. "Nothing happens" but they wait...

 

[shawnbm]

Can anyone post the first iconic ten minutes or so of this classic with Fonda and Bronson? I don't know how to do it. The ending is just as iconic--the harmonica pulled off of the rope around the neck and put in Henry's dying teeth!!!!! Absolutely fantastic!!!!

 

[brokenshoelace]

Wait, AP - you said above that you agreed with Clint about the opening scene! But it's sheer genius. And though I'm not a huge fan of Charles Bronson, he was good enough in this film, but Henry Fonda? That's inspired casting right there... :clap

No(BTW, not a Rafa No, lol).. The opening scene with the young actor and Henry Fonda is priceless.. However. I still say Clint Eastwood role as "Blonde" and the man with no name is the all time best westerns.

No, the opening scene is three dubious looking gents waiting for a train. "Nothing happens" but they wait...

It's absolutely brilliant. Leone's use of diegetic sound was phenomenal. The climax of the scene is brilliant too: "You brought two too many." Arghhhhh just thinking about it makes me want to go back and re-watch that film.

Also, I would like to point out that the final duel was brilliantly filmed too, with the flashback, that epic soundtrack, etc... "Keep your loving brother happy."

To me, this was Leone at his most inspired. The mixture of realism and formalism, the epic score, the acoustics, the symbolism (using the railroad to mark the shift from the old west to the new frontier, the death of the traditional western "heroes," etc...), the long takes, and yes, the casting. Henry Fonda as a villain? Who would have thunk it...

 

[brokenshoelace]

Can anyone post the first iconic ten minutes or so of this classic with Fonda and Bronson? I don't know how to do it. The ending is just as iconic--the harmonica pulled off of the rope around the neck and put in Henry's dying teeth!!!!! Absolutely fantastic!!!!

Here you go sir:

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_tt83itYA8[/video]


[Note: Edited to display the video within the post.]

 

[Kieran]

Yeah, it's got everything, really. The faces, the look, the music. That opening is both hilarious and threatening. Leone was a unique genius, and the use of Ennio Morricone's music is proof of this...

 

[shawnbm]

Oh, how I love the beginning of that movie! Thanks Broken. It is always riveting, and just goes on from there. That harmonica music is one of the most unique and evocative in cinematic history in my book.

 

[TsarMatt]

Having recently watched Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood again, DDL's performance is truly the definition of a captivating, nuanced tour-de-fore.

His remarkable ability to transcend what many in the industry perceive as 'acting restrictions' is nothing short of noteworthy. His commitment to his roles speaks volumes too. The term method actor gets thrown around much too loosely, but it's absolutely applicable to the way Lewis approaches his characters. People may argue he goes a little bit too extreme in cases, but I think it's admirable. He caught pneumonia on the set of Gangs of New York because he refused to wear a jacket because it wasn't in keeping with the period; he constantly stays in character between takes; he demanded to be fed and mobilised in between takes during principal photography of My Left Foot; he refused to speak to British actors during Lincoln in fear it'd distort his accent; he trained for a year and a half as a professional boxer for The Boxer; learned the Czech language for The Unbearable Lightness of Being; learnt how to become a survivalist and refused to eat anything he hadn't personally killed for Last of the Mohican; walked around New York City in his period costuming to adapt to his character for The Age of Innocence; did not wash himself during the entirety of The Crucible filming so he could understand the hygienic living conditions during the 17th century. If that's not dedication then I have no idea what is.

He's openly admitted that he gets 'lost' in his characters for extended periods of times when he's shooting a film. He lived by himself in isolation for a few months, I believe, in preparation for Spielberg's Lincoln. He resided in a decaying, 18th century-like flat, even dressed like the President. There is a common notion held amongst artists that the best of the best tend to be slightly eccentric and even somewhat radical in their approach to making art. I think I'll place Lewis in that category. For sure, many will discern his method acting as way too excessive and unneeded, but a lot of great artists are often questioned for their 'procedures'. Stanley Kubrick once filmed Tom Cruise in Eyes Wide Shut opening a door 75 times. He did this in hope that he'd wear out Cruise so much that eventually he'd just open the door, almost oblivious to the fact that the camera was rolling and the crew was there. This is zealously questionable, but many - including Cruise himself - believed that it worked. William Friedkin once shot a gun unexpectedly during shooting of The Exorcist to film genuinely real and terrified reactions from his actors. To what extent should people go to in the name of 'art'? It's boundless, in my opinion, and Lewis encapsulates that concept perfectly.

Any other fans of him here?

 

[Kieran]

Ah yeah, I love old DDL. He makes other actors who think putting on 60lbs for a part means they're committed to it, actually look ambivalent about their work. His methods and whatever aren't so interesting to me, as the result. All the extremities he goes to, as you list them there, are surely extraordinary but I also think you used a great word for him too: he's eccentric. These methods only work because he's a genius - not every actor who commits to his level would get the same results.

There's an exactness about DDL when he acts, it's as if he gets the part in all accuracy - but even the small things he does, the grimaces, the sideways glances, the blank stares, they all become bigger and more compelling. He's magnetic in ways few actors are, maybe because we're aware of what he's done to achieve this level of virtuoso, so we lean back in glory in it. He's signaled it all in advance, through on-set anecdotes and his own marvelous record of achievements.

Sometimes I think of the advice Laurence Olivier gave to Dustin Hoffman, when Hoffman said he was going to stay up all night before filming a scene, so he'd look suitable jittery and jaded: "Why don't you just try acting, old dear?" But of course, there are many ways to skin a rabbit, and DDL's way gets incredible results.

Here's an outtake from the great film you watched:

[video=youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjNw3pNsSmM[/video]

 

[TsarMatt]

^ Excellent post.

Hey, guys, a few months ago I recorded some random footage with my cheap camcorder when I was visited my grandma at her nursing home. I just remembered I still had some raw clips on my computer. This is my attempt at a 'tracking shot'. It's only 20 seconds:

[video=youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uOq6Gr59rk[/video]

What do you all think? Does it have a cinematic 'look' to it? I deliberately went for the high-contrast B&W because the walls are so damn white and it also helps considering I had nothing but natural light to play with. The guy in the vid is my brother, by the way. I was behind the camera.

It was a cheap camcorder, so yeah. :lolz:

 

[Kieran]

Yeah, I like it! It is cinematic, a little bit moody and threatening - who is this bloke and what does he want? I like the way light doesn't overwhelm it, if you know what I mean. And your hands are steady too! It definitely shows that you understand this stuff...

 

[TsarMatt]

Yeah, I like it! It is cinematic, a little bit moody and threatening - who is this bloke and what does he want? I like the way light doesn't overwhelm it, if you know what I mean. And your hands are steady too! It definitely shows that you understand this stuff...

Thanks mate, appreciate the feedback.

I'm planning to make a short little film once university is over for the year. My grandma's nursing home is an apt location because the lighting is pretty damn good.

Thanks again.

 

[the AntiPusher]

Just saw Brad Pitt's Fury.. What a great movie.. Excellent writing, script and etc.. This should win a few Oscars.. if not its a real shame