RIDE LONESOME

Ride Lonesome (1959) dir. Budd Boetticher
Starring: Randolph Scott, Karen Steele, James Best, Jams Coburn, Lee Van Cleef

***1/2

“Ride Lonesome” is the fifth film in the great Budd Boetticher/Randolph Scott saga. Boetticher crafts this story on a grander scale than his previous four films, a classic tale of revenge with specific plot points and imagery which would directly influence Sergio Leone.

Randolph plays a tough bounty hunter Ben Brigade who picks up wanted criminal Billy John (James Best) to take back to Santa Cruz. Along the way while stopped at a staging post he encounters Carrie Lane (Karen Steele) a woman left by her husband to fend off an Indian attack. When she realizes he must be dead Ben brings Carrie along to save her from certain death at the hands of her enemies.

The trio then meet up with a nefarious duo Sam and Whit (Pernell Roberts and James Coburn) who form an oddball group of shifty outlaws. In between persistent Indian attacks, like an episode of ‘Survivor’, the individuals tempt and tease each for alliances. Billy tries to convince the not-so-smart Whit to set him free. Sam conspires to get rid of Ben and take the bounty for himself. As for Ben, his true intentions are kept secret - a desperate but focused mission of revenge.

Karen Steele’s character Carrie would seem to be lost in the plotting. An extraneous element designed to get a pretty face on the screen perhaps? Carrie purpose is deeper than mere plot. As a woman, her presence causes much restlessness among the hombres. While the men speak in chauvinistic bravado there’s a fear and misunderstanding of her which puts them all on edge. Carrie exudes such power over the undersexed men, it’s both dominant and dangerous.

Randolph Scott’s character is the classic Western loner – hence the title. A broken man whose wife died and whose sole purpose is a focused desire for revenge. Scott’s journey mirrors Charles Bronson’s ‘Harmonic Man’ character in Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in the West’. The final climatic moments which reveal his elaborate plan is a direct influence on that film. In fact, as Leone and his co-writers (including Dario Argento and Bernardo Bertolucci!) were crafting their story, they specifically watched quintessential Westerns to inspire them. Clearly the Boetticher films and specifically “Ride Lonesome” were on their list.

“Ride Lonesome” is perhaps Boetticher’s most beautiful film visually. For the first time he used a Cinemascope process, the effect of which is a crisp wide angle frame which further isolates his archetypical lonesome characters against the environment. But it’s the final shot which is the resonating imagery of the film. After the climax Boetticher cuts away from Brigade to wrap up the other characters. We don’t know what happened to Brigade until we cut back to the scene of the final shootout showing Brigade standing in front of the burning ‘hanging tree’ – an awe inspiring image and arguably one of the great ‘closing shots’ in film history. Enjoy.

“The Budd Boetticher Box Set” is available from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

DECISION AT SUNDOWN

Decision at Sundown (1957) dir. Budd Boetticher
Starring: Randolph Scott, Tate Kimbrough, Lucy Summerton, Noah Beery, Karen Steele

****

Part two of my continuing education of the influential Western director Budd Boetticher is his second collaboration with Randolph Scott, “Decision at Sundown”. After watching only two films (first being “The Tall T”) Boetticher’s inate talent with story and character is apparent. Boetticher distills his films down to its essential elements of conflict, character, theme and plot. But within this minimalism the characterizations of hero, villain, and the damsel in distress are as complex as any genre picture.

Randolph Scott plays Bart Allison, who with his friend Sam (Noah Berry), arrive at a typical western town called Sundown to break-up the wedding of Tate Kimbrough (John Carrol) and Lucy Summerton (Karen Steele). Bart is aiming to avenge the death of his wife and kill Tate, whom he accuses of causing her suicide. Kimbrough is one tough hombre and rules the town with intimidation. His underlings chase Bart out of the church and into a derelict barn for cover.

The remainder of the film is a lengthy siege of Kimbrough’s men against Bart’s pinned down position. During the tense action slowly the details Bart’s wife’s suicide are brought to light revealing a more complex character than the typical western hero.

By the end of the film Boetticher’s hero is a broken man and a disgraced hero, whose anger has clouded his rational behaviour. Boetticher also cleverly turns Kimbrough around. Like Richard Boone’s Frank Usher character in “The Tall T” good and evil is a fine and ambiguous line. It’s Kimbrough who changes the most by the end - at the point of his defeat he accepts his comeuppance and challengeS Bart to an honourable duel.

Boetticher's notions of good and evil, and justice are defined by the western genre – the raw, primitive and lawless way of life governed by man’s individual code of honour. A man’s word is bond and death as a way of reclaiming one’s honour.

“Decision at Sundown” is a great film revered by some of the great filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Quentin Tarantino, Sergio Leone, Jean-Luc Godard. In the new Budd Boetticher Box Set from Sony all of these filmmakers (save the dead ones) go on camera to show their respect for this great and underappreciated filmmaker. As I watch each successive film in this unique director/actor collaboration my understanding of cinema continues to be enlightened.

“The Budd Boetticher Box Set” is available from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

THE TALL T

The Tall T (1957) dir. Budd Boetticher
Starring: Randolph Scott, Richard Boone, Maureen O’Sullivan, Arthur Hunnicutt, John Hubbard

***1/2

One of the most influential actor/director collaborations in the history of film are the films of Randolph Scott and Budd Boetticher. In the late 1950’s the duo made a number of Westerns which would influence filmmakers from the French New Wave to Martin Scorsese. Admittedly I wasn’t aware of this significance until Sony released its reverent Boetticher Box Set. The first film in this series is “The Tall T”.

Randolph Scott plays Brennan, a typical western genre protagonist – an unattached aged journeyman labourer who specializes in cattle rangling. After years traveling the countryside doing other people’s work, he’s finally bought his ranch and is ready to settle down.

While hitching a ride to his ranch with a pair of upper class newlyweds, their wagon is ambushed a trio of thieves. The cowardly passenger Willard makes a deal with the wily leader of the bunch Frank Usher (Richard Boone) and offers the men a ransom to be paid by his rich father-in-law. This buys Brennan and Willard’s wife Doretta enough time to stage a coup before they become Usher’s next victims.

“The Tall T” exemplifies the aesthetic and allure of the Boetticher/Scott pictures. Boetticher strips down the genre to its bare essentials of character and theme. Boetticher puts his characters in the arena reserved for low budget filmmakers – minimal actors, in a confined space where character conflict and dialogue move the story forward.

In the “The Tall T” characters are not so much confined as 'isolated'. And for two thirds of the film it’s the relationship Brennan and his foe Frank Usher which drives the story. The film was based on a short story by Elmore Leonard, coincidentally made the same year as his original “3:10 to Yuma”. Like “Yuma”, Boetticher establishes a charismatic bad guy – not a prototypical gunslinger, dressed in black, killing without reason. Boetticher takes time to get to know Usher and although we never sympathize with him, we admire him. Richard Boone’s characterization reminded me of Alan Rickman’s nuanced and admirable Hans Gruber in “Die Hard”.

Without showing off Boetticher creates a slow burning, quiet but palpable tension. Look closely and you can see the influence of Boetticher’s framing, pacing and editing in Sergio Leone’s stylish westerns. Watch the introduction of the trio of hombres at the train station. As Brennan’s coach approaches, Usher and his men slowly emerge from the shadows. Boetticher’s high angle wideshot is uncannily reminiscent of Charles Bronson’s arrival in the opening of “Once Upon a Time in the West.”

The new Sony Box Set features a comprehensive feature length documentary on the life and career of Budd Boetticher. Since Leone is dead, we can only imply his influence, but heavy-hitters such as Clint Eastwood, Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and Taylor Hackford all pay humble reverence to the man Boetticher. Enjoy.

“The Tall T” and the Budd Boetticher Collection are available on DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment