Leaderboard

“Two Rode Together” isn’t a great movie, but it is an interesting companion/response to the Searchers. The focus is on the difficulty (and perhaps even the impossibility) of re-integration of captives back into white society, so it may satisfy people who feel Natalie Wood’s return is oversimplified. However, it’s an inherently pessimistic and unsatisfying film, anchored by Jimmy Stewart in one of his oft-overlooked unrepentant asshole roles. I think of it as one of Ford’s late “half-woke” films (Sergeant Rutledge, Cheynne Autumn) in which he is earnestly trying to take apart myths of the West from the perspectives of Native Americans and minorities, but he’s hamstrung by the conservatism of the studio system and the biases of the time as well as his own. The saddest example of this is how “Cheyenne Autumn” went from Ford’s original conception of a docu-realist narrative starring non-professional native actors to a bloated 60s Hollywood epic half-focused on white soldiers chasing the Cheyenne and half Sal Mineo and Ricardo Montalban in brownface. Anyway, I agree that The Searchers is good but underwhelming, particulary on first watch. It’s easy to get lost and frustrated in the meandering plot and miss the coherence of the themes and images, or fail to appreciate how easily the film switches from drama into action or suspense (and a little more abruptly in and out of comedy). It helps that since first watching this over a decade ago I’ve seen far more Ford films and become somewhat inoculated to his humor. One of the big problems with lists like the AFI is how they flatten genres and filmographies. It’s a pity that people write off Westerns or Ford or Wayne because this one overhyped classic doesn’t work for them (I did when I first saw this). It also makes films like this and High Noon seem especially unique, when really plenty of Westerns were similarly ambitious and complex. There’s as much complexity regarding different versions of masculinity in Stagecoach as there is in the Searchers (though admittedly, not much complexity with the treatment of Natives). There’s more darkness in Anthony Mann’s The Naked Spur or Boetticher’s Ride Lonesome. For better Ford, I’d highly recommend Fort Apache, which fictionalizes Custer and moves the action of Little Big Horn to Arizona, and is a much earlier, and in my opinion far sharper, take down of how Native Americans were mistreated and how the narrative around that was misshapen.

remember when this happened? No you don't because you all only think about yourselves! Anyway, it's fine now. I really thought I had done something bad for a second. p.s. There is not a single image on the internet that is under 20k except for possibly on hamsterdance.com. Can we update this forum's image capacity already?

I am really glad that June remembers this one.

Ah shit you're right Cameron. I miscounted again and could've sworn if we started this Monday we would be back on track. We can blame this all on me since I forgot days were a thing during the Christmas break lol.

And you were like, “Wait. I need to savor this.”

This ep was a total BANGer!!! It was also very clear and not confusing at all

That is an excellent trio of modern Westerns. Hell or High Water has stayed with me in a really profound way. One of my favorites of the last few years of any genre.

With no objections I will do a Rabbit showing at 9 p.m. Eastern. I'll try to open the room around 8:30 and post the link here.

I would be willing to rent it and play it tonight. I need practice hosting so that my pick later goes smoothly.

the stitcher homepage shows me the stupidest shit. i miss santa man

Damn son! That's a good episode!

Fuck joe hartzler and Fuck the doughboys for giving his misappropriated hate filled speech a platform. Creamed chipped BEEF. RIDE OR DIE.

Bosch on the pro version made bang rodgman look like a baby back bitch

I don’t know how helpful I’ll be. It might be nice to do it next week, but then Tom will have to postpone to get us back on track. Maybe we should do mine next week and Tom could announce her pick at the same time. We’d be doing two MM’s back 2 back, but it would get us back on track. Thoughts?

It's not my favorite John Wayne or John Ford film but I like it. I also enjoy their other collaborations: Stagecoach, The "Cavalry trilogy" (Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon), and Rio Grande, The Quiet Man and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence. Stagecoach is what made Wayne a star and Ford gave Wayne's character this memorable introduction: Wayne's expression is so innocent, like Ford's intent was not to show Wayne as a badass but someone with a good heart. In The Searchers, Ford gives Wayne another memorable zoom as he look with hate at the white woman who's now insane after being kidnapped and raised by Indians: I think nowadays when most people think of John Wayne they think of him as being like in the second GIF while people who grew up watching his movies think of him as like the first GIF.

I watched about 20 minutes of this earlier this year!

“Art?” Why, yes, I think that’s a perfect way to describe it... And, yeah, I would hold off until we find out what tomorrow brings.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Whoa that is NOT what I expected Bang Rodgman to look like. Note to self: Do not search for images of "Bang Rodgerman" at work. Very bad! Not good!

Very much so, god can the Houser brothers write amazing epics. As for my western recommendations, here are just a few off the top of my head that are fantastic: Bone Tomahawk The Proposition I also consider Hell or High Water as a modern western.

I'm still finishing Red Dead Redemption 2. Does that count?

Unforgiven is the Unspooled movie next week btw!

Well, time for my monthly Tombstone viewing.

I just want them to do this so I can get June's take on how distracting Michelle's hair is during this entire movie! Is it a wig, bad hair pieces or just out of date styling. I can't..its maddening the whole time!!!