Cowboys, The (BD)

In the wonderful short documentary with director Mark Rydell and Bruce Dern (and three of the original young cowboys, now middle-aged), Dern says he was proud to be part of "the last great Western." With due respect given to "Unforgiven" and "Lonesome Dove," he's not far off. From 1972, this was one of John Wayne's final, fine films - and surely one of his best. As Wil Anderson, he has no choice but to recruit a group of actual "cowBOYS" to lead a cattle drive of 1,500 steer across 400 miles of rough country. Robert Surtees was the cinematographer and one of the greatest in his field - every shot in this picture is a work of art. The music by John Williams is one of his finest scores - indeed it is regularly performed at high schools and colleges across the country, including the Boston Pops. It is uplifting, bittersweet, and rousing all at once. The supporting performances, particularly memorable and timeless ones by Bruce Dern, Roscoe Lee Brown, and Colleen Dewhurst (who praised Wayne in her autobiography as a great actor), and the young cowboys themselves, all so emotionally engaged in their roles that none of it feels like acting, add to the grit and texture of the tale. And then there is John Wayne: timeless, heroic, and, as in the best of his performances, filled with good humor, and a vulnerablity and sensitivity that ignorant critics seem to always miss. He seemed to make it a habit of appearing in several of the greatest films ever made - and this is close to being one of them. Yes, the movie is violent. Yes, the boys forced into becoming killers makes it a strong story. But that is life too. We all wish for an "easy ride" through life - but it never happens. The film's message, beautifully foreshadowed at the beginning of the film with the schoolhouse scenes, which show a well meaning school marm trying to teach the boys genteel and sensitive things, is that life is, as Wil Anderson states in the film, "hard," and these boys, as much as we'd like to see them sheltered, have to learn that sooner rather than later. It's interesting the criticism the film has garnered - which tells you that critics knew it would have staying power because of its many virtues - because SO many of today's films ARE needlessly violent, with no theme, meaning, or story often apparent - and yet these films are regularly extolled for being "real" and somehow justified in their awfulness just because they show scenes of violence or perversion. "The Cowboys" is actually a REAL movie - splendidly filmed, written, scored, and acted - with amazing performances that pit the older star Wayne against the "Method Actors" of his time and he not only holds his own, he towers over them, without ever seeming to. It's a film that has improved with age. It speaks to our own confused era. I was the same age as the "cowboys" in the film when I first saw it. Now, many years later, expecting to find it wanting from my memories, it has only grown in stature - it was made with exquisite craftsmanship and it's there in every frame. Rydell's and the other's memories of John Wayne in the extra featurette, which is a wonderful addition to this DVD - which includes an actual set of 10 black and white postcards, suitable for framing (what a deal!) - may bring you to tears. Wayne almost begged Rydell for the lead part saying, "I'll do a great job for you, if you give me a chance." This is John Wayne speaking here - forthright, sensitive, not full of himself, and one of the greatest actors the film world has ever seen. There is no one even close today - no one. Grab this film and see how it's really done. One last note: this movie also has one other special feature that today's no longer have and which is also missed: an "Overture" of the music's marvelous music before the film begins, which used to let you anticipate the great event you were about to see; then an "Intermission," with more music, and "Exit Music" at the end. Just marvelous. "The Cowboys," along with "True Grit" and "The Shootist," are the three masterpieces of John Wayne's later period. All are worth owning and celebrating.

John Wayne at his best, great costars and a good story.

Another John Wayne best. This movie is a emotional roller-coaster. A must watch !

Love this movie, in fact my whole family loves this movie! The Duke is timeless, the storyline is edgy adventure. Grab the popcorn and get ready for surprises and a little heart wrenching action.

Maybe the best late career entry for Duke. JW's interaction with the young cowboys is best thing about the movie and there is plenty of that. As I understand the casting the young cowboys were made up roughly 50/50 between young actors and kids with real horse and ranch experience. Roscoe Lee Browne's role as the trail cook added substantially to the coming of age dynamic and supporter and sometime critic of JW's character. The ending, while satisfying, seemed a bit contrived, but the bad guys get their just due. A good JW oater, for sure. IMHO it's a way better curtain call than JW's final film, The Shootist.

Good movie

This is not the finest John Wayne movie, but is certainly one of his best...he turned in a lot of his best work during the last years of his life. When I first read the liner notes for this film, I thought it would be on the hokey side...an aging frontier rancher loses his experienced cowhands right before the annual cattle drive; and not being able to find anyone else, hires a crew of kids for the drive...literally, "cow-boys". But don't reject this film, thinking it is lightweight...it is not by a long shot. With excellent production values; a fine directorial effort by Mark Rydell ("On Golden Pond"); breathtaking cinematography; and exceptionally fine performances by the entire cast, this is easily a four-star Western and doesn't miss five stars by much, on a scale of 1-5. Wayne turns in one of his most polished acting performances; Roscoe Lee Brown turns in the best performance of his career (my opinion) and the young men and boys who play the cowboys are perfectly cast...watch for an 18 year old Robert Carradine in his first film appearance. Bruce Dern has been typecast as a villain throughout his career and he plays the villain, Long Hair, to exquisite perfection in this film. In a reported repartee between Wayne and Dern, Wayne said, "The American people are going to hate you after this film."; to which Dern replied, "Yeah, but they'll love me in Berkley." If you love Westerns, especially John Wayne Westerns, you will love this offbeat classic of the genre. Highly recommended

GREAT MOVIE!

un magnifique films de John wagne je suis très heureux de l’avoir enfin en blue- ray mais petit dommage le bonus est seulement en anglais c est bien dommages très bonne image et son excellent c est le sixième films que j’achète sur Amazon usa et je ne suis pas déçut pascal de FRANCE

Un vecchio ranchero (John Wayne) abbandonato dai suoi cowboys partiti per una corsa all'oro, deve portare la mandria per seicento chilometri, e si affida a una dozzina di scolari. Prima di partire sua moglie gli chiede di tornare con una collanina, ma lui non potrà esaudire la promessa. Durante il tragitto infatti verrà ucciso da uno sbandato (Bruce Dern) che gli vuole portare via la mandria. I ragazzi, aiutati dal cuoco nero che li accompagna col carro durante la trasferta, lo vendicheranno. Un western diverso dove l'anziano John Wayne (odio invecchiare, confida al nero in una scena del film) dà una convincente interpretazione. Apprezzabile come sempre anche Bruce Dern, efficaci gli scolari che verranno temprati da quel duro viaggio di iniziazione all'età adulta. Il dvd, dotato di extra, è però in inglese con sottotitoli in inglese e francese.

That is 1 of the great movies

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE WESTERNS THAT HAS ATTAINED CLASSIC STATUS. THIS FILM IS ONE OF "JOHN WAYNES" GREAT WESTERNS. YOU CANNOT HELP BUT BECOME EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED IN THIS FILM AS ITS STORY PULLS YOU IN. YOU CAN SEE IN JOHN WAYNES EYES THE PREDICIMENT HE FINDS HIMSELF IN WHEN HE CANNOT GET THE RIGHT HIRED HELP FOR HIS CATTLE DRIVE SO HE HAS TO EMPLOY BOYS FROM THE LOCAL SCHOOL. THESE BOYS GROW UP FAST AND LEARN HARD LESSONS ALONG THE WAY. BRUCE DERN A VERY GIFTED ACTOR PLAYS THE BAD GUY AND I FELT SORRY FOR HIM THAT HE HAD TO PLAY SUCH A BAD GUY OPPOSITE JOHN WAYNE, WATCH THE FILM AND YOU WILL SEE WHY. ESSENTIAL VIEWING OF THIS FILM GIVES IT CLASSIC WESTERN STATUS, GOOD STORY, VERY GOOD ACTING BY ALL, AND A FITTING TRIBUTE TO "JOHN WAYNE"

Tried for a long time to buy this DVD with no success. It was for my husband for Christmas but no guarantee I would receive it before, it came Christmas Eve 😀 Super pleased with the whole purchase. Thank you.