Man of the West (1958)

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  • MAN OF THE WEST


    DIRECTED BY ANTHONY MANN
    PRODUCED BY WALTER MIRISCH
    ASHTON PRODUCTIONS
    UNITED ARTISTS


    Photo with the courtesy of lasbugas

    Information from IMDb


    Plot Summary
    On his way to hire a schoolteacher, a homesteader is left a hundred miles from anywhere
    when the train he is on is robbed.
    With him are an attractive dancehall girl and an untrustworthy gambler
    and he decides to get shelter nearby from outlaw relatives he used to run with.
    They don't trust him and he loathes them but they decide he can help them with one last bank job.
    Written by Jeremy Perkins


    Full Cast
    Gary Cooper ... Link Jones
    Julie London ... Billie Ellis
    Lee J. Cobb ... Dock Tobin
    Arthur O'Connell ... Sam Beasley
    Jack Lord ... Coaley
    John Dehner ... Claude
    Royal Dano ... Trout
    Robert J. Wilke ... Ponch (as Robert Wilke)
    Joe Dominguez ... Mexican Man (uncredited)
    Dick Elliott ... Willie (uncredited)
    Frank Ferguson ... Marshal of Crosscut (uncredited)
    Ann Kunde ... Train Passenger (uncredited)
    Tom London ... Tom, Henry's Friend (uncredited)
    Tina Menard ... Juanita, the Mexican Woman (uncredited)
    Emory Parnell ... Henry, the Livery Proprietor (uncredited)
    Chuck Roberson ... Rifleman-Guard on Train (uncredited)
    Guy Wilkerson ... Train Conductor (uncredited)
    Jack Williams ... Alcutt (uncredited)


    Writing Credits
    Will C. Brown (novel "The Border Jumpers")
    Reginald Rose (screenplay)


    Original Music
    Leigh Harline


    Cinematography
    Ernest Haller


    Trivia
    Gary Cooper was, at 56, a decade older than Lee J. Cobb who played his "Uncle" Dock Tobin. In the film Cooper and John Dehner talk about being children together - Dehner was actually fourteen years younger than Cooper.


    James Stewart eagerly sought the role played by Gary Cooper, but since Stewart had fallen out with director Anthony Mann he did not get the part.


    Screenwriter Philip Yordan had previously written a novel entitled "Man of the West", but it bears no relation at all to this film. Yordan's novel was filmed as Gun Glory.


    Jean-Luc Godard, a film critic before he became a director, raved about the film saying it was the best film of that year. Because of his recommendation, the film has been reevaluated and is now considered a classic western.


    Gary Cooper bravely did his own horse-riding scenes despite physical pain from a car accident years earlier.


    Goofs
    Boom mic visible
    Early in the film, when Beasley, Billie Ellis, and Link Jones are left behind by the train after the robbery attempt, they stand on the railroad tracks debating what to do next. As they do so, the shadow of the boom mic is visible above their own shadows on the ground behind them.


    Continuity
    When Link and Trout arrive at Lasso, their shadows are to the right of screen, indicating mid-morning. As they get to the bank, their shadows are nearly under them, indicating the sun nearly directly overhead or a time of around noon. The shadows are in the same place when Trout flees from the bank. However, when Trout reaches the edge of town and dies, the shadows are again to the right of screen and are in the same direction when Link finds him, and when Claude and Ponch arrive in town.


    When the "Man of the West" is waiting for his train and when he finally boards this train, near the beginning of the film, the cloud patterns in the sky change significantly in that short time.


    Revealing mistakes
    On the beginning train trip, poles & electrical power lines are clearly visible outside the train windows.


    Memorable Quotes


    Filming Locations
    Santa Clarita, California, USA
    Jamestown, California, USA
    Janss Conejo Ranch, Thousand Oaks, California, USA
    Melody Ranch - 24715 Oak Creek Avenue, Newhall, California, USA
    Mojave Desert, California, USA
    Red Rock Canyon State Park - Highway 14, Cantil, California, USA
    Sierra Railroad, Jamestown, California, USA


    Watch the Trailer


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    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited once, last by ethanedwards ().

  • Man of the West is a 1958 American Western film starring Gary Cooper and directed by Anthony Mann,
    produced by Walter Mirisch and distributed by United Artists.
    The screenplay, written by Reginald Rose,
    is based on the 1955 novel The Border Jumpers, by Will C. Brown.
    The film co-stars Julie London, Jack Lord, Arthur O'Connell and Lee J. Cobb in supporting roles.
    The film is one of Cooper's final western roles.



    The film premiered in October 1, 1958.
    At the time of release, the film was largely panned by American critics,
    but it was praised by Jean-Luc Godard,
    who, before he became a director, was a film critic.
    Godard claimed that Man of the West was the best film of the year.



    Decades after the film's releaseit has gained a cult following and greater acclaim
    , with film historian Phillip French
    claiming the film to be Anthony Mann's masterpiece, containing Cooper's finest performance.


    Look out for Chuck Roberson ... Rifleman-Guard on Train (uncredited)


    User Review

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited once, last by ethanedwards ().

  • For me, Cobb's makeup helps disguise the age difference, but Coop is definitely looking his age, and either some dialog should have been changed, or a younger looking actor should have gotten the part.

  • Hi


    Man of the West was quite a provocarive film dealing as it doesa with the violence and the mentality of the players portrayed. Cooper stripping Jack Lord in the fight scene caused quite a stir at the time as did the rape of Julie London by Lee J Cobb (seen off screen). But for all of that a reasonable film. J hadn't realised that James stewart had fallen out with Mann. It is an interest thing to consider if Stewart had played the Cooper role would it have included even more violence.




    Regard


    Arthur

    Walk Tall - Talk Low