The Cowboys [Blu-ray]

Director: Mark Rydell Mark Rydell

Overview

A crusty old cattleman is preparing to launch a 400-mile cattle drive when his crew suddenly deserts him, leaving him with no choice but two hire eleven adolescent and pre-adolescent boys. This western centers on their training and upon their arduous journey across the desert. One cowpoke becomes terribly angry when the rancher refuses to hire him. He and his henchmen end up shooting the rancher during the trek. The boys, under the guidance of a crusty old chuckwagon cook, decide to continue the drive and avenge their mentor's death.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/05/2007
UPC:	0085391142706
Original Release:	1972
Rating:	PG
Source:	Warner Home Video
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:15:00

Special Features

Commentary by director Mark Rydell; New cast/director reunion featurette The Cowboys: Together Again; Vintage featurette The breaking of Boys and the Making of Men; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

John Wayne	Wil Andersen
Bruce Dern	Long Hair
Roscoe Lee Browne	Long Hair
Colleen Dewhurst	Kate,Mrs. Kate Collingwood
Slim Pickens	Anse
Lonny Chapman	Preacher
Charles Tyner	Jenkins
A. Martinez	Cimarron
Alfred Barker Jr.	Singing Fats
Nicolas Beauvy	Four Eyes
Steve Benedict	Steve
Robert Carradine	Slim Honeycutt
Stephen Hudis	Charlie Schwartz,Charlie Schwartz
Sean Kelly	Stuttering Bob,Bob's Mother
Clay O'Brien	Hardy Fimps,Jimmy Phillips
Gary Epper	Stunts,Rustler
Kent Hays	Stunts
Mike Pyeatt	Homer Weems
Henry Wills	Stunts
Sarah Cunningham	Annie Andersen
Allyn Ann McLerie	Ellen Price
Matthew Clark	Smiley
Wallace Brooks	Red Tucker
Jim Burk	Pete
Larry Finley	Jake
Maggie Costain	Phoebe
Norman Howell, Jr.	Weedy
Jerry Gatlin	Howdy
Walter Scott	Okay
Richard Farnsworth	Henry Williams
Charise Cullin	Elizabeth
Collette Poeppel	Rosemary
Larry Randles	Ben
Joe Yrigoyen	Rustler
Tap Canutt	Rustler
Chuck Courtney	Rustler
Norman Howell	Weedy - Cowboy
John Williams	Composer

Technical Credits

Irving Ravetch

Harriet Frank Jr.

William Dale Jennings

Mark Rydell	Director,Producer
Irving Ravetch	Screenwriter
Harriet Frank Jr.	Screenwriter
William Dale Jennings	Screenwriter
Richard Portman	Sound Effects
Kay Rose	Sound Effects
Joe Kenworthy	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

This unforgettable combination of adventure story and coming-of-age tale is a cult favorite with John Wayne fans and it's easy to see why: The Cowboys is great American filmmaking, pure and simple. The script takes its time to develop rich characters and set up themes that pay off memorably in the film's second half. Director Mark Rydell handles the story in an understated, thoughtful manner that makes its dramatic peaks truly effective. Western fans will be happy to know that when it comes time to deliver a bit of action, Rydell gives it just the right amount of punch without overdoing it. His work is aided immensely by a sweeping, Copeland-esque musical score by John Williams and gorgeous scope photography from Robert Surtees: both do an excellent job of enhancing the film's rich feel of vintage Americana. The final, crucial pieces of the puzzle are the performances and they are magnificent: John Wayne carries the film on his mighty shoulders, delivering all the presence one would expect while also tempering it with a sense of vulnerability that only enhances his heroic appeal. Elsewhere, Roscoe Lee Browne makes an excellent (and equally charismatic foil) to Wayne as the drive's resident cook and Bruce Dern makes a genuinely unnerving villain for Wayne to square off with. It's also worth noting that the child actors playing the cattle drivers all do strong, subtle work, managing to be likeable without ever getting cutesy or maudlin (it's no surprise that young stars Robert Carradine and A Martinez graduated from this film to lengthy acting careers). In short, The Cowboys is a great Western and stand proudly alongside True Grit and The Shootist as the best of John Wayne's latter-day work.