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Post by markpatrus on Sept 9, 2011 13:20:58 GMT -5
What about the new one coming out called 'BLACKTHORN' based on the premise Butch Cassidy was not killed in Bolivia, has grown older calling himself by the title name and wants to return home before he dies. You can find the trailer on the web and it looks GOOD!
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Post by mjbrathwaite on Sept 9, 2011 23:49:50 GMT -5
That sounds interesting. In the early 1980s, a sister of Butch Cassidy was still alive, and said she knew where he was buried, but died without telling anyone. Also, I read something about his grave in Bolivia being reopened so someone could do DNA testing on his remains. I've just had a quick look for the article, but couldn't find it. However, I'll keep looking and report back if I find it.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Sept 10, 2011 10:59:01 GMT -5
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Post by mjbrathwaite on Sept 10, 2011 20:43:00 GMT -5
Thanks Allen. I found my Butch Cassidy file eventually, but it didn't have the article on the grave being opened, so perhaps I just saw it somewhere. What I have got is a review of "In Search of Butch Cassidy" by Larry Pointer. The book claims a friend who owed Cassidy a favour put out the story of his death, and Cassidy subsequently used the name William T. Phillips and lived until 1937, when he died of cancer. Michael.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Sept 10, 2011 23:13:24 GMT -5
The Phillips story is an old, roundly discredited one. All of the evidence we have indicates that they were killed in San Vincente by a small group of policemen (not the huge army unit depicted in the Newman-Redford film). Sundance was badly wounded and, while they were holed up in a small room, Butch shot Sundance and then himself. Not exactly Hollywood, but that's the way it looks.
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Post by mjbrathwaite on Sept 11, 2011 22:43:30 GMT -5
Obviously I'll have to check out the book you mentioned. Although Cassidy's death doesn't hold the same fascination for me that David Crockett's does, I have a strong interest in it. I'll also look atmy video of the interview with his sister again. She met him only once when she was very young, so I guess it could have been before he went to Bolivia.
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Post by markpatrus on Oct 10, 2011 13:56:29 GMT -5
Caught 'Ulzana's Raid' on Encore Western channel over the weekend. Great western in its day and still is. Read that the version seen in Europe they edited out the horse stunt scenes. They do beat up some horses in this film.
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Post by Richard Weddle on Dec 27, 2011 17:37:30 GMT -5
I never thought I would praise a film that violates history as much as this one does, but .... watched Blackthorn the other day. The film doesn't need to use the mythology of Butch and Sundance to give it a grounding, because the story would ring true emotionally even if the characters were anonymous. The filmmakers could have changed the names and the film would still hold up. This is a first-rate drama and an impressive modern western, quiet instead of noisy, introspective instead of shallow, character-driven instead of action-driven, with fully rounded characters and a suspenseful chase plot. Once you start watching you'll be glued to the screen to see how the story pans out. Sam Shepard was born to star in westerns, and he brings gravitas and authenticity to the retired outlaw on his way home who gets sidetracked and must flee for his life once again. He is an admirable western lead; I wish he'd starred in dozens and dozens of westerns over the years. Eduordo Noriega, who is a star south of the border and in Spain, plays the bandit who unwittingly causes all the trouble and tries, in his way, to make up for it. I dislike flashbacks as a rule, but they do work here, as memories of past ordeals intrude into Blackthorn's present to suggest that history is repeating itself. The Bolivian landscapes are a fresh presence on the eyes, breadthtaking and true western. Director Gil Mateo's aesthetic is commendably austere and spartan. He locks the camera down and offers uncluttered compositions of landscapes, towns, and faces. He shoots with fixed lenses under natural light, giving the image a warm glow.The film is shot in High Definition on Sony's AlteCine f23, which means it looks better on the luminosity of a home monitor than projected on matte screen in theaters. He makes sure the gunfights are felt, and he keeps the confrontations interesting. The film has a lot of heart. There is no nihilistic posturing like in a Clint Eastwood western, no political correctness like in The Alamo (2004), no gender deconstruction like in The Missing (2003) and The Legend of Zorro (2005), and no whacko feminist agenda like in Meek's Crossing (2011). Today, it is a virtue for any film to be straightforward and traditional. There is no nonsense and no wasted frames in this elegant beauty of a western. Why can't there be more westerns as good as Blackthorn on the big screen, say once a month? Richard
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Post by Allen Wiener on Dec 27, 2011 18:57:31 GMT -5
That's a great review, Richard. I'll have to try to catch this one.
Has anyone been watching "Hell on Wheels" on AMC? I've gotten totally hooked on that and also AMC's "Mad Men" (not a western); both very well done series that really suck you in. I recently got a very cheap copy of the entire "Deadwood" series but still have not found a time to sit down and start watching it.
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Post by TRK on Dec 27, 2011 21:04:30 GMT -5
I've been watching "Hell on Wheels." I thought last weeks' episode had perhaps the strongest opening sequence I've ever seen in a TV program or maybe even a movie; the one with Elam as a child reading from the Bible. Also, it was a very strong episode in general--acting, production, writing, etc.
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Post by Herb on Jan 1, 2012 14:13:08 GMT -5
The Western Channel is having an all day marathon of my favorite tv western, Rawhide, today, before it joins the daily lineup this month. In a surprising, to me, Alamo connection the Rawhide theme song was composed by Dimitri Tomkin.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Jan 1, 2012 17:33:42 GMT -5
In all these years, I never knew that, Herb! How did I not know that? I've got the Frankie Laine recording on my iPod with a bunch of the old TV western themes and it's one of the best. Good series, too.
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Post by Kevin Young on Jan 2, 2012 11:56:44 GMT -5
Tiomkin also wrote the original theme to Wild Wild West, but CBS didn't like it and went with a new composer. Having heard the Tiomkin vesion, I will say, I like the one CBS went with better.
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Post by Rich Curilla on Jan 2, 2012 14:11:15 GMT -5
Tiomkin did miss the mark occasionally. Sometimes he could be downright bombastic (Land of the Pharoahs). Over the holidays, I just listened to the complete scores from both The Fall of the Roman Empire (the redo by Nic Raine) and 55 Days at Peking (original with Tiomkin conducting) and I find "Peking" to be a far richer and more subtle score than "Rome." Of course, it also had to do with the scripts for these movies. I must see "Peking" again, but I think it had a more subtle and sensitive love story than "Rome."
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Post by Rich Curilla on Jan 2, 2012 14:20:40 GMT -5
Why can't there be more westerns as good as Blackthorn on the big screen, say once a month? Richard Thanks for the great review. I will get this one. Heck, if it's that good, I may just watch it once a month. LOL. I worked with Sam Shepard on The Good Old Boys at Alamo Village. He is a true artist.
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