The Shootist (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
John Wayne's swan song, 'The Shootist' (a haunting, beautifully executed, character-driven Western from 1976, directed by Don Siegel) is a touching tribute to the legendary actor & his status as the ultimate Western superstar; fittingly comparing the film's hero nearing his end of his life with the end of the modern Western film, and to Wayne, who was well aware that he was nearing the end of HIS life due to cancer -- this all makes the making the movie that much more affecting. The story takes place in January of 1901 in Carson City, Nevada, where John Bernard Books (Wayne), our titular shootist, is an aging, ailing legendary gunfighter who is the very last of his kind; riding the trail & returning to his hometown. Books is both feared & revered.
In town, where electricity & trolley cars are anticipated commodities, Books visits Dr. Hostetler (James Stewart) - someone he knows & trusts - to get a 2nd opinion about the terminal pancreatic cancer that he's told he has; a month or two is what he has left. It is confirmed by Hostetler and, is given laudanum for the intense, increasing pain. Resolved to die in peace & obscurity, Books rents a room at the quiet boarding house run by the widowed Mrs. Bond Rogers (Lauren Bacall, so good). But he can't lay low, as Mrs. Rogers's hero-worshipping son, Gillom (Ron Howard), learns that his mom's guest is the famous gunslinger. To that, the uncouth Marshal Thibido (Harry Morgan) is relieved to know that notorious Books won't be alive long.
Thibido gets newspaperman Dobkins (Richard Lenz) to print a story of Book's presence in town and, then teams-up with the Books' ex (Sheree North) to make $$ off his legendary status by getting an authorized biography that they want to fill with tall tales. All the while, a greedy undertaker (John Carradine, quite humorous) schemes for a fancy funeral; and even the friendly liveryman tries to make $$ off his fame. At 1st, Mrs. Rogers resents having a gunslinger as a boarder, but when she learns he is dying, her Christian values set in and, the two bond in a sincerely endearing way. Rather than face a painful death, Books looks to go out with a bang; arranging for one final shootout in the cavernous local saloon with 3 locals, Pulford (Hugh O'Brian), a vengeful Sweeney (Richard Boone) & Cobbs (Bill McKinney). Books insists to the very end of living by his old-fashioned behavioral code.
This elegiac, moving film about growing older, illness, death, and exploring the John Wayne legend, is impeccably acted & astutely adapted from Glendon Swarthout's novel by Miles Hood Swarthout & Scott Hale. The plot really parallels Wayne's actual battle with cancer & Lauren Bacall's caring for her similarly-afflicted husband, Humphrey Bogart. This movie is a brave & dignified farewell from Wayne; especially because it ends on an expected downer. Wayne is excellent here, conveying quiet anguish & drumming up the requisite intensity needed for the role. My favorite line of his is the calmly uttered: "I'm a dying man, scared of the dark". He shares lovely moments with Lauren Bacall's Mrs. Rogers. There's is a warm, comradely friendship. Ron Howard lends just the right amount of charm to the precocious role of Gillom. And James Stewart is great as 'ole doc Hostetler. The cast is so effective that you want them all to have more screen time.
Don Siegel directs with great precision & feeling. The sentimentality & stoic heroism that he imbues through Wayne is something to behold. I admire this film VERY much. If I were to dock it points, it would be for the sometimes too languorous pacing. Also, the final shootout lacks a bit of emotional oomph behind it; I needed more depth & 'bite' from the villains. Bruce Surtees' wintry cinematography is outstanding to look at. I loved Elmer Bernstein's music score. And Robert F. Boyle & Arthur Jeph Parker's Art/Set Direction was nominated for an Academy Award. From top to bottom, this is just an impeccably made movie; an intimate story and personal elegy that celebrates the one-and-only John Wayne & his legacy.
In town, where electricity & trolley cars are anticipated commodities, Books visits Dr. Hostetler (James Stewart) - someone he knows & trusts - to get a 2nd opinion about the terminal pancreatic cancer that he's told he has; a month or two is what he has left. It is confirmed by Hostetler and, is given laudanum for the intense, increasing pain. Resolved to die in peace & obscurity, Books rents a room at the quiet boarding house run by the widowed Mrs. Bond Rogers (Lauren Bacall, so good). But he can't lay low, as Mrs. Rogers's hero-worshipping son, Gillom (Ron Howard), learns that his mom's guest is the famous gunslinger. To that, the uncouth Marshal Thibido (Harry Morgan) is relieved to know that notorious Books won't be alive long.
Thibido gets newspaperman Dobkins (Richard Lenz) to print a story of Book's presence in town and, then teams-up with the Books' ex (Sheree North) to make $$ off his legendary status by getting an authorized biography that they want to fill with tall tales. All the while, a greedy undertaker (John Carradine, quite humorous) schemes for a fancy funeral; and even the friendly liveryman tries to make $$ off his fame. At 1st, Mrs. Rogers resents having a gunslinger as a boarder, but when she learns he is dying, her Christian values set in and, the two bond in a sincerely endearing way. Rather than face a painful death, Books looks to go out with a bang; arranging for one final shootout in the cavernous local saloon with 3 locals, Pulford (Hugh O'Brian), a vengeful Sweeney (Richard Boone) & Cobbs (Bill McKinney). Books insists to the very end of living by his old-fashioned behavioral code.
This elegiac, moving film about growing older, illness, death, and exploring the John Wayne legend, is impeccably acted & astutely adapted from Glendon Swarthout's novel by Miles Hood Swarthout & Scott Hale. The plot really parallels Wayne's actual battle with cancer & Lauren Bacall's caring for her similarly-afflicted husband, Humphrey Bogart. This movie is a brave & dignified farewell from Wayne; especially because it ends on an expected downer. Wayne is excellent here, conveying quiet anguish & drumming up the requisite intensity needed for the role. My favorite line of his is the calmly uttered: "I'm a dying man, scared of the dark". He shares lovely moments with Lauren Bacall's Mrs. Rogers. There's is a warm, comradely friendship. Ron Howard lends just the right amount of charm to the precocious role of Gillom. And James Stewart is great as 'ole doc Hostetler. The cast is so effective that you want them all to have more screen time.
Don Siegel directs with great precision & feeling. The sentimentality & stoic heroism that he imbues through Wayne is something to behold. I admire this film VERY much. If I were to dock it points, it would be for the sometimes too languorous pacing. Also, the final shootout lacks a bit of emotional oomph behind it; I needed more depth & 'bite' from the villains. Bruce Surtees' wintry cinematography is outstanding to look at. I loved Elmer Bernstein's music score. And Robert F. Boyle & Arthur Jeph Parker's Art/Set Direction was nominated for an Academy Award. From top to bottom, this is just an impeccably made movie; an intimate story and personal elegy that celebrates the one-and-only John Wayne & his legacy.