Bertrand Tavernier's overlooked and underrated Westerns

[MikeBSG]

Here is a list of westerns that French director Bertrand Tavernier considers very overlooked and underrated.

Day of the Outlaw (de Toth)
The Naked Dawn (Ulmer)
The Last Wagon (Daves)
Law and Order (Cahn)
Apache Drums (Fregonese)
Four Faces West (Green)
The Wonderful Country (Parrish)
Pursued (Walsh)
Ulzana's Raid (Aldrich)
From Hell to Texas (Hathaway)
Silver Lode (Dwan)
Tennessee's Partner (Dwan)
Ride Lonesome (Boetticher)
Hangman's Knot (Huggins)
Chuka (Douglas)
Man from the Alamo (Boetticher)
Will Penny (Gries)
Drumbeat (Daves)
Little Big Horn (Warren)
The Indian Fighter (de Toth)
Blood on the Moon (Wise)

Have you seen them? What do you think?

[MikeBSG]

I was surprised "ride Lonesome" was on a list of overlooked westerns. It seems all of Boetticher's Ranown films are known to all Western experts.

I am lukewarm on "Tennessee's Partner" and "Blood on the Moon." They had good points but didn't seem too special to me.

It has been an eon since I saw "The Last Wagon," but I remember liking it.

"Law and Order" and "Ulzana's Raid" are two of the best westerns in my book. The first is a version of the Wyatt Earp story with Walter Huston as the Earp figure and Harry Carey as the Doc Holiday figure. Andy Devine has a heartbreaking cameo in that film. "Ulzana's Raid" is one of the best cavalry vs. Indians films, avoiding easy sentiment.

[Mr. Arkadin]

Day of the Outlaw (1959) is one of my all-time faves.

This Burl Ives, Robert Ryan, and Tina Louise film is a cross between Key Largo (1947) and On Dangerous Ground (1952), yet still creates something entirely new. A great film--if anyone has a good print--PM me PLEASE!

[Erebus]

As somebody who considers himself to be rather wayward and forgetful of titles but still fond of the genre, it's difficult for me to think of "Will Penny" as underrated except as possibly underacknowledged as one of the best westerns ever. As for the rest, I'll be looking, you can be sure. Thanks for the list.

[movieman1957]

"The Man From The Alamo" is running on the Encore Westerns channel lately. I haven't seen lately but I remember being an interesting if unremarkable movie. I like Glenn Ford as it is so it would be something I like.

I think "Four Faces West" is coming soon but I can't remember when right off. "The Last Wagon" is OK. Some good action and a determined Richard Widmark.

"Hangman's Knot" is a typical (no slight intended) Scott picture. I don't think it's as good as the Scott/Boetticher pictures but it's ok.

[MikeBSG]

Is "Four Faces West" the movie with Joel McCrae from the late Forties in which no gun is fired?

[MissGoddess]

The ones on the list that I've seen and enjoyed the most are the Robert Mitchum ones: Pursued, Blood on the Moon and The Wonderful Country.

I also thought Day of the Outlaw was quite unique and I look forward to seeing it again.

Roberts Ryan and Mitchum make almost anything worth watching.


Hey, everyone! I just bought this western dvd box set: OUTLAWS, which includes The Proud Ones, Forty Guns, Broken Lance and The Culpepper Cattle Co. I've never seen The Proud Ones or all of Forty Guns and I like Broken Lance. However, I don't think CCC will be my cuppa. Does anyone else like any of these films?

[MikeBSG]

I can't get into "Forty Guns." The theme song kept making me want to laugh. Of course, I've never gotten into Sam Fuller either. "The Big Red One" and "Underworld USA" struck me as okay. (Which I know is heresy. All I can say is that when Martin Scorsese showed "Forty Guns" to Michael Powell, Powell hated it.)

[MissGoddess]

I am not familiar with too many Sam Fuller films. I get the impression they were very graphically violent. Only that it has Barbara Stanwyck makes me excited about Forty Guns. Gene Barry and Barry Sullivan are OK actors, but not great guns (ha).