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02-17-2011, 12:01 PM
USA TODAY asks Robert Birchard, editor of the American Film Institute's Catalog of Feature Films, to comment on AFI's top five Westerns:
By Marco R. della Cava, USA TODAY
1The Searchers(1956). In this epic tale, John Wayne searches for a niece kidnapped by Comanches only to discover she has become assimilated into their culture. "This is perhaps Wayne's finest performance, certainly director John Ford's greatest Western, and definitely one of the most influential Westerns for other filmmakers," says Birchard.
MORE: The Western genre gets back in the saddle
2 High Noon (1952). Gary Cooper won an Oscar for his portrayal of a sheriff desperately seeking help from locals who want a tranquil town but aren't willing to stand up to approaching gunslingers. "It's really about a peaceful man's struggle with the question of whether it is ever morally right to take up arms against one's enemies."
3 Shane (1953) "Shane took the clichéd tale about a lone cowboy riding into town to aid the homesteaders in their fight with the cattlemen and turned it into visual poetry," says Birchard. Rather than being populated by stock characters, the movie gives conflicted depth to a persecuted rancher (Van Heflin), a stranger seeking work (Alan Ladd as Shane) and a menacing hired gun (Jack Palance).
4Unforgiven (1992). "This movie is all about moral uncertainty in pursuit of noble objectives, for which Clint Eastwood took home Oscars for both best director and picture," says Birchard. As outlaw turned pig farmer William Munny, Eastwood delivers an iconic line while meting out vengeance — "Deserve's got nothing to do with this" — that neatly sums up the ambiguous nature of frontier justice.
5 Red River (1948). "This film explores the conflict of youth vs. experience set against a cattle drive," says Birchard. As boss Thomas Dunson (John Wayne) leads his herd from Texas to Missouri, his harsh ways grate on his adopted son (Montgomery Clift), who breaks away with the cattle. "This role really signaled Wayne's transition from young leading man to mature character star," says Birchard.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2011-02-17-westerns17_VA_N.htm
By Marco R. della Cava, USA TODAY
1The Searchers(1956). In this epic tale, John Wayne searches for a niece kidnapped by Comanches only to discover she has become assimilated into their culture. "This is perhaps Wayne's finest performance, certainly director John Ford's greatest Western, and definitely one of the most influential Westerns for other filmmakers," says Birchard.
MORE: The Western genre gets back in the saddle
2 High Noon (1952). Gary Cooper won an Oscar for his portrayal of a sheriff desperately seeking help from locals who want a tranquil town but aren't willing to stand up to approaching gunslingers. "It's really about a peaceful man's struggle with the question of whether it is ever morally right to take up arms against one's enemies."
3 Shane (1953) "Shane took the clichéd tale about a lone cowboy riding into town to aid the homesteaders in their fight with the cattlemen and turned it into visual poetry," says Birchard. Rather than being populated by stock characters, the movie gives conflicted depth to a persecuted rancher (Van Heflin), a stranger seeking work (Alan Ladd as Shane) and a menacing hired gun (Jack Palance).
4Unforgiven (1992). "This movie is all about moral uncertainty in pursuit of noble objectives, for which Clint Eastwood took home Oscars for both best director and picture," says Birchard. As outlaw turned pig farmer William Munny, Eastwood delivers an iconic line while meting out vengeance — "Deserve's got nothing to do with this" — that neatly sums up the ambiguous nature of frontier justice.
5 Red River (1948). "This film explores the conflict of youth vs. experience set against a cattle drive," says Birchard. As boss Thomas Dunson (John Wayne) leads his herd from Texas to Missouri, his harsh ways grate on his adopted son (Montgomery Clift), who breaks away with the cattle. "This role really signaled Wayne's transition from young leading man to mature character star," says Birchard.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2011-02-17-westerns17_VA_N.htm