The Classic Movie Thread

[Doomy]

We already have a thread for new movies, we might as well have some discussion of older films as well.

I'll start things off with this evening's choice of viewing - The Wild Bunch (The Original Director's Cut).

I got this a few months ago as part of The Ultimate Westerns Collection, which I picked up on impulse while grocery shopping in the supermarket.

Sam Peckinpah's bloodsoaked epic Western is 40 years old now, but has lost none of its power.
From its opening botched bank raid to the final, infamous shootout, it's a fascinating story of a bunch of killers who, as their way of life become obsolete, discover a cause in the midst of the Mexican Revolution. Classic stuff, and violent even by today's standards.

As Peckinpah himself said (quoted in the 1996 "making of" documentary also on the DVD):
The point of the film is to take this façade of movie violence and open it up, get people involved in it so that they are starting to go in the Hollywood television predictable reaction syndrome, and then twist it so that it's not fun anymore, just a wave of sickness in the gut . . . It's ugly, brutalizing, and bloody awful; it's not fun and games and cowboys and Indians. It's a terrible, ugly thing, and yet there's a certain response that you get from it, an excitement, because we're all violent people.

[wildhare]

Nothing like a good western, when done right it is a thing of beauty.
What else was in that Ultimate Western Collection?

My all time favorite is sergio leone's ONce upon a time in the west. I know it's a tribute western but it is so damn good. Henry Fonda as the bad guy. Charles Bronson as Harmonica and he kept playing that creepy tune. Jason Robards as cheyenne and could Claudia Cardinale look any sexier (I seriously doubt it) .
Chock full of great one liners.
"You trust me don't you Frank?"
"Trust a man who wears both a belt and suspenders? Man can't even trust his own pants"

Amazing!!!!
And Enio Moricone's music? sublime!
They don't make them like that anymore.

[Doomy]

I'm glad there's someone else on these boards who likes a good western.
Once Upon A Time In The West is a great film, but I haven't seen it in years. Have you also seen Once Upon A Time In America, Leone's gangster epic starring Robert de Niro and James Woods?
The collection has no Sergio Leone films unfortunately, but is heavy on Clint Eastwood and John Wayne. The other films are Pale Rider, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Unforgiven, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Rio Bravo, The Searchers and Chisum. Not a bad little pile of DVDs for the money.

[wildhare]

Wow what a great collection...
Pale rider was the first western I ever remember seing as a kid where I didn't get bored and walked away halfway through. It had me glued the whole time. It was the spark that ignited my passion for good westerns.

Unforgiven was meant to be Eastwoods swan swong on the western genre and even though it's been fifteen years already I hope this truly ends up being his last. there's no way you can top the awards and accolades he received for it.
In college I had a room mate who had every RPG imaginable, after watching unforgiven my roommates and I said It's too bad they don't have a Rpg for a western setting.
too which he replied yes they do and I have it. Sadly the system proved very flawed and we couldn't hit anything we shot at. So after two sessions of running around pistol whiping everybody the game died down pretty quick...

Rio Bravo is my second favourite western of all time. This one has it all ACtion, romance, comedy, a duet between (my favourite rat packer) Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson.
This movie was Howrad Hawks rebutal to High Noon he felt that Gary Cooper was a coward and not a real man for running around town looking for help against the bad guys.
So you'll notice every time someone offers to help Chance in this movie he turns them down...Like a real man should I guess?
Oh and Angie Dickinson another saucy redhead...

Sadly I have never the Searchers (I know, I am hanging my head in shame as I type this) someday soon I promise...life is what happens to you while you are busy making plans...

I have never seen once upon a time in america but de Niro and woods...directed by Leone...I will have to locate this movie soon...

Enjoy the dust and the six guns...

[Doomy]

Hah! I didn't know that background trivia to Rio Bravo, thanks for that.
The Searchers is one of the definitive westerns, and a must-see if you are a fan of the genre. It's also considered an historic landmark in American cinema as a whole.
Once Upon A Time in America is very different from Once Upon A Time in the West. It's about the lifelong friendship between the main characters, Jews who grew up in the same ghetto at the time mobsters began to establish power in American society.
In case you don't know, West and America begin and end a vague trilogy, with A Fistful of Dynamite (aka Duck, You Sucker!) in the middle.

[Black Cat]

Last westerns I watched were the Sabata trilogy (the real one, not the copies) with Yul Brynner and Lee Van Cleef. I thought that they were funny.

Since it is the "Classic movie" thread (so it means we can talk about movies other than Westerns! ;D), I highly suggest The Great Dictator. This Charlie Chaplin's flick is probably one of the funniest thing I've ever seen.

Commander Shutz: Strange, and I thought you were an Aryan.
A Jewish barber: No. I'm a vegetarian

[Doomy]

Yeah, that's why I didn't call it The Westerns Appreciation Thread.

The Great Dictator is a stone-cold classic. Good call.

EDIT: Of course, it's less important as a comedy as it is a stinging attack on US neutrality while Europe was engulfed in the Second World War, but that doesn't mean there are no laughs to be had.