After his cowhands desert him for a nearby gold rush, aging, leather-tough rancher Will Anderson (John Wayne) resorts to hiring 11 schoolboys to help him on a 400-mile cattle run. Setting off with the boys and an eloquent but equally tough black cook (Roscoe Lee Browne), Anderson must get his cattle to their destination while contending with the wilderness and a psychotic, vengeful ex-con (Bruce Dern) who is out to get him. With an amazingly natural performance by Wayne, this stylized, action-packed Western is exquisitely filmed, emotionally sensitive, and highly entertaining. Director Mark Rydell gets solid performances out of not just Wayne (in one of his later screen roles) and Browne, but the group of youngsters accompanying them on the journey, as well as actors like Slim Pickens and Colleen Dewhurst who play smaller supporting roles. Close attention is also paid to the natural beauty of the mountains, wild mustangs, and other often overlooked standard Western fare.
In director Mark Rydell's THE COWBOYS, a veteran rancher hires a group of young boys to drive his cattle to market after his regular hands desert him. The length of the trip and the unwieldly herd of cattle make for an impromptu classroom on the range, complete with attacking outlaws.
Filmed in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Colorado.
Director Mark Rydell discovered the novel when it was still unpublished, and sold the idea for the film to Warner Brothers.
John William's overture, entr'acte, and exit music was never used in the film's general release prints, but you can hear them on video and DVD versions of the film.
For the cattle-drive scenes, there were 1,500 cattle and over 100 horses used.
Rydell said making THE COWBOYS was one of the greatest experiences of his life.
Blu-ray Disc Features:
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English
Mono 1.0 - French, Spanish
Subtitles - English, French, Spanish - Optional
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary: Mark Rydell - Director
Trailers: Theatrical Trailer
Featurette:
1. THE COWBOYS: TOGETHER AGAIN
2. THE BREAKING OF BOYS AND THE MAKING OF MEN
Director of Photography
Robert Surtees: Director of Photography and father of Bruce Surtees
Production Designer
Philip M. Jefferies: Production Designer
Review 1:
"[T]he real subject here often seems to be Wayne's persona....Rydell is able to hint at a vulnerability not found in many of the star's other performances."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.75 12/01/2004
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