my favorite westerns

List creator: pbmsf Created on: July 1, 2004 - 10:22 PM PDT Description: i've added a few more... the order is still somewhat random

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	movie title	related list	average rating	MPAA rating	watch	rent	buy
	The Long Riders (1980)
this is the first western i remember seeing that includes the influence of the civil war and aftermath on the culture of the wild west and outlaws. brothers as brothers casting, a stroke of genius . usually what i would call my favorite western.
	Unforgiven (1992)
this is clint eastwood's brilliant answer to all those earlier, heroic/killing-is-what-real-men-do westerns. it often vies for #1 for me. it is absoloutely beautifully done.
	Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
look! in this epic film, we see charles bronson, acting! henry fonda, good as a nasty bad guy! and claudia cardinale beautiful, barely hindered by her limited english. excellent, moving ending.
	Little Big Man (1970)
frankly, a movie that most americans should see. it is a wonder that native americans don't all hate the rest of us.
	High Plains Drifter (1973)
this was my first clint eastwood spaghetti western, and it is still my favorite. eerie, violent, mythic, stark and beautiful. good post-film discussion starter, too!
	The Ballad of Little Jo (1993)
really well done, and based on a true story. this one does not get enough credit -- or showings!
	Blazing Saddles (1974)
mel brooks takes on western movies -- and *we* win! ridiculously funny.
	High Noon (1952)
some say that this is the greatest western. i don't know if i agree with that, but it is great, with our hero having a very real moral quandary.
	Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
this was my favorite as child/teen. there are some very haunting scenes in this one. and i can't think of too many other movies that go o long between any spoken words that aren't old silent movies.
	Destry Rides Again (1939)			Not Rated
jimmy stewart is wonderful in this atypical anti-gun western. and marlene dietrich is marvelously jaded.
	Silverado (1985)
this is not the greatest western, but i can't resist it. it is full of familiar faces enjoying themselves. i especially love a young kevin costner's ridiculously exuberant performance.
	The Quick and the Dead (1995)
this is not a great movie. i like it anyway, at least partly because of the casting: sharon stone as a gunfighter. gene hackman as the bad guy. a very young leo di caprio. and russel crowe as a failed preacher...
	Rooster Cogburn (1975)
john wayne has met his match in katherine hepburn, and it is delightful. it makes me think of "african queen", which is not a bad thing.
	Tumbleweeds (1925)			Not Rated
this silent movie contains some of the greatest shots ever copied in other movies -- namely the land rush of the former indian territories in the 1880s. that part is strong enough that i forgive the cheesy melodrama.
	Paint Your Wagon (1969)
i would call this my western guilty pleasure. even though the two male leads can't sing. i come back to enjoy it again and again...