Enjoyed a good western from days of yore

[George Bellefontaine]

WARLOCK
It stars Henry Fonda, Anthony Quinn and Richard Widmark. And in it, Star Trek's Bones plays a pretty cool cow dude. Man, I've forgotten how great these guys were and to see them all together is really something. This one has been in my collection for awhile and strangely this is only the second time I've watched it.
Next up is The Tall Men with Clark Gable, Robert Ryan, Cameron Mitchell and Jane Russel -- all in beautiful widescreen cinemascope.

I guess you know by now how much I love westerns.

[joetama]

My favorite movie of all time is still The Good The Bad and The Ugly...

Ever since I was about 10 I have loved that movie....

[Alloroc]

WARLOCK
It stars Henry Fonda, Anthony Quinn and Richard Widmark. And in it, Star Trek's Bones plays a pretty cool cow dude. Man, I've forgotten how great these guys were and to see them all together is really something. This one has been in my collection for awhile and strangely this is only the second time I've watched it.
Next up is The Tall Men with Clark Gable, Robert Ryan, Cameron Mitchell and Jane Russel -- all in beautiful widescreen cinemascope.

I guess you know by now how much I love westerns.

A great movie, George.

My Dad way a massive western fan and it rubbed of on me....

He was always buying old Louis L'Amour, Jack Schaefer and the like - novels from second hand bookshops.... Drove my Mum nuts! Anyhow, I'd usually end up reading them also..... To him 'Shane' was the ultimate western - can't argue there! But mine possibly hase to be the 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre' I watched it last about 2 years ago - Great, great movie.

I don't know if you've read any of them but most Westerns began as novels?!It's wierd because for me I seemed to read them before I saw them...

It's also interesting you mention DeForest Kelley. Most of his career performances were westerns - in fact he once said that he was more comfortable in westerns than scifi!

[Danbry39]

WARLOCK


I guess you know by now how much I love westerns.

That's because you're the strong, silent type, George. :T

Is it available on DVD?

Signed,
another strong, silent type.

[Danbry39]

Never mind, found it, ordered it.

You don't know how busy I am these days, George. Nothing like a great Western to put things right. Thanks for the recommendation. Truth be told, I can't remember if I saw this when it first came out, so that makes it a special treat.

[George Bellefontaine]

A great movie, George.

My Dad way a massive western fan and it rubbed of on me. To him 'Shane' was the ultimate western - can't argue there!

Vincent, your dad has great taste. SHANE is and always will be number one in my book. I saw it first several times in the theater, then bought it on tape when vhs came out, then on laserdisc, and finally on dvd. I watch Shane at least once every year and can pretty much talk along with Alan Ladd in every scene... especially the shootout with Wilson.

Keith, if you havent seen it ( Warlock )you are in for a big treat.

[Danbry39]

Well, I set out to give the DVD a watch today, George. Turned on the TV and was about to play Warlock. What's this? Ooh, Paul Newman's Hombre is on cable. Another goodie. Well, watched that, ate, waited a couple of hours, then Warlock time. Boy, what a treat to have two Westerns to watch today. opcorn: Even though traditional, Warlock had me guessing as to how it would end up. Definitely a keeper if you're a fan of the great bank of traditional cowboy movies.

Honestly, George, I would have been clueless about watching the film if not for your heads up, so thanks!!!

Every time I watch Henry Fonda, I regret how many simply overlook how great an actor he was, especially the younger generations who weren't around at the time. And, Paul Newman/Richard Boone are terrific in Hombre as well.

[David Meek]

Every time I watch Henry Fonda, I regret how many simply overlook how great an actor he was, especially the younger generations who weren't around at the time.

I agreed Keith. There are boatloads of good Henry Fonda roles to choose from. One of my all-time favorite Fonda roles was his menacing villain Jethro Stuart in How The West Was Won (which was another good western). He was just plain scary.

[Danbry39]

Boy, I haven't seen How the West Was Won since when I was actually young. :B I saw it a lot too. Cinerama was something that excited me, even though now I'm not sure if it would.

Do you own the DVD, David? Is the PQ decent?

[Burke Strickland]

The non-anamorphic letterboxed DVD truncates the three panel image to about 2/3 of the orignal. The picture quality is below average for a DVD by today's standards, and the studio made no attempt to color balance the three Cinerama panels, so the sky, for instance, abruptly changes hue part way across the image. Even though the Cinerama soundtrack was multichannel surround, the best they could cough up for the DVD was Dolby 2.0 surround. At least there is some activity in the surrounds where appropriate, even if the overall effect is not optimal.

Nevertheless, if you are a fan of the movie (as I am, having seen it perhaps a half dozen times in commercial theaters during its initial Cinerama run and several more times during its subsequent rerelease in "standard" widescreen) then the mediocre DVD is still a "must buy" because it is still better than the VHS tape, or laserdisc release, for that matter.

Until the studio that owns the property properly restores it and gives it to us in high def, the substandard DVD is about the only way to relive the excitement of this remarkable film. (So buy the DVD if you really like the movie -- I doubt we will see an improved release in the next decade.)

Burke

[David Meek]

Yep. What Burke said.

Seriously though, this excellent (IMO) movie does deserve a better transfer than it received the first time around. But, it IS a must have if you like the genre.

Apologies for hi-jacking the thread Sir George. Now, back O.T.

[George Bellefontaine]

HOMBRE Now there was a western. Newman was so cool as the reluctant hero, and no one could play baddies better than Richard Boone, though his Paladin was something else on tv.

I agree with Tex too on Fonda's performance in How The West Was Won. You hated his character but were fascinated by him at the same time. Only a great actor can do that.

BTW I watched my copy of YELLOW SKY starring Greg Peck, Richard Widmark and Anne Baxter just the other night. I must have gone to see this every day it was playing way back when it was in the theaters. Guess I'm giving away my age. :P

[dynamowhum]

With a dirth of good movies coming out these days I say it is a worth while adventure to explore the old films.