User Reviews

This intelligent Western contains many a wily comment on the savage mindset of frontier times. Walter Brennan as Judge Roy Bean thoroughly deserved his Academy award though it beats me why he picked up a supporting Oscar instead of a full one. After all, his part is about as long as Gary Cooper's. That aside, Gregg Toland's photography is a gem and the dialog well ahead of its time. The best thing about it all, though, is Wyler's disciplined direction. Yes, some would argue that the film does not accurately reflect history, that Judge Roy Bean died much later and not in a shootout but frankly there is enough prejudice, malice, and quirky humor in this film for one to know outright that Wyler never intended it as a historical account but, rather, as a comment on the difficulties of bringing law to the West. Some of it might be dated but Brennan will startle you, Cooper is darned slick, and it will keep you riveted. Don't miss it!

This film focuses on the relationship between Judge Roy Bean and a stranger who rides into his town against the backdrop of conflict between homesteaders and cattle men. While Cooper has one of his best roles, Brennan steals the film in a marvelous performance as Bean that brought him his third Oscar in four years. Cooper and Brennan have great chemistry, and the film is at its best during the earlier parts when the two are engaged in witty banter about Lily Langtry, the actress than Bean is obsessed with. Davenport, who would make only one other film before retiring at age 23, is fine as Cooper's love interest. As usual, Wyler's direction is impeccable.

The Westerner will seldom make it on anyone's top ten westerns list, even one compiled by those of us who haven't succumbed to the garlicky charms of the Man with No Name. But this is one of the top notch hay-consumers of all time, make no mistake.

What can you say about Gary Cooper that has not already been voiced over and over. His beautifully understated acting style, the subtle twitches and raised eyebrows. His bearing. The way he sits a horse, as only someone who grew up on a Montana ranch can. The sure enough Western accent. Had he discovered the ear-pull yet, I didn't notice it in this one. Until watching this movie on a newly restored DVD tonight, I had not seen it in 20 years, and had come to think of it as more of a Walter Brennan movie. I was wrong. Brennan was there with all his fine tools, all right, and he royally deserved his best-supporting award, but that is what his role was. When it's a Gary Cooper movie, it's a Gary Cooper movie. Never having been a fan of High Noon, I had thought maybe Dallas or Vera Cruz were Coop's best westerns. But The Westerner gives us the definitive Gary Cooper.

The movie is handsomely turned out in the sensuously luminous black and white cinematography, fluid editing and silky-smooth scene changes we have come to accept as standard for top studio productions of the late 'thirties, 'forties era, and every cinematic effect is enhanced by a stirring Dimitri Tiomin score. The sets and costumes are superb with a much more authentic look and feel for the old west than most westerns before or since. The clothes of both the men and women, both the cowboys and the farmers, the gun leather, and the buildings, are all unusually accurate to the time and place. Refreshingly, the heroine of our piece, sensitively and strongly played by the beautiful but obscure Doris Davenport, wears a long, feminine dress and uses a wagon for transportation, rather than wearing men's jeans and riding astraddle a horse with her Tangee lipstick blaring as we see in so many great and small westerns. All the other characters, both male and female, come off like real 19th century men and women, not products of the time in which the film was made. William Wyler's direction is virtually flawless with just the right blend of action, tension, and humor. But considering the acting talent, the cinematographers, lighting specialists, art directors, and other technical help any director in the awesomely efficient big studio systems of the time had available, maybe he just knew how to stay out of the way.

The Westerner is directed by William Wyler and written by Niven Busch, Jo Swerling and Stuart N. Lake. It stars Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Fred Stone and Doris Davenport. Music is by Dimitri Tiomkin and cinematography by Gregg Toland.

Story is a fictionalised account about Judge Roy Bean (Brennan), who here rules Vingaroon Town by his own law and punishment. When suspected horse thief Cole Harden (Cooper) comes under his judicial system, they become odd friends due to Harden claiming to know personally Lily Langtree - the object of Bean's worship.

Lots of uncredited work was involved in the making of The Westerner, while Cooper famously sulked about not having the main character role, so much so his part was expanded and he performed under contract but under protest! Fact is is that it is as everyone has said before, Brennan steals the film regardless, winning a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in the process. Cooper needn't have worried, he's very good here, turning in a number of various strains to Harden's character, bouncing off of Brennan to the pics eternal benefit.

At the core of the plot is a good old fashioned thread involving Homesteaders versus Cattlemen, with Bean throwing his weight around and Harden forced to reevaluate his standing in the town when he falls for Jane Ellen Mathews (Davenport). The Lily Langtree (Lilian Bond) strand gives the pic an offbeat sensibility, making this a sort of dramatic comedy oater, but it works really well. Toland's photography is superb, sharp black and white sequences are given ethereal qualities, hinting at the fact this at times fun picture might be leading to a darker path?

Davenport is weak and most of the supporting players struggle to make much of an impact, but come the attention grabbing finale you know you have been fed a wholesome western of substance. Propelled by two acting legends. 7/10

I first watched this movie because of Gary Cooper (after seeing "The Pride of the Yankees," the man could do no wrong in my book). While Coop is great in "The Westerner," it is -- lock, stock and blazing barrels -- Walter Brennan's performance as Judge Roy Bean that steals the show. What a deeply nuanced character! Here's an example of an actor making a villain a likeable, endearing character. Brennan richly deserved his Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Samuel Goldwyn's The Westerner would be considered a good western about that old familiar topic in westerns, the cattlemen versus the homesteaders. Gary Cooper is his usual tall in the saddle hero whose presence brings about a general righting of wrongs.

Except that Mr. Goldwyn had the presence of mind to cast Walter Brennan as Judge Roy Bean, local head honcho of the area around Vinegarroon, Texas. With William Wyler directing Brennan etches an unforgettable film portrayal of a man who's both ruthless in enforcing his will on the territory and a likable sort of cuss once you get to know him.

Brennan has one weakness, as the legends have it in the west, he's crushing out big time of famed English actress Lily Langtry. When Gary Cooper is brought into Brennan's courtroom which in off hours is also a saloon, a little quick thinking on his part upon seeing Langtry's portrait over the bar saves his life.

Despite Cooper's friendship with the judge, he's also taken an interest in homesteader Fred Stone's daughter, Doris Davenport. It's inevitable that Cooper and Brennan come to a parting of the ways.

Wyler who is not a director of westerns per se has directed a couple of good ones and this is one of them. There are some good action scenes here, there are some scenes laced with humor when Brennan is around, and the romance is nicely handled.

Dana Andrews and Forrest Tucker got their first notice in The Westerner as well in small parts. But it's Brennan's show.

Walter Brennan won his third Best Supporting Actor Oscar with this film. This was the fifth year the Supporting Player categories were being awarded by the Academy and Brennan won numbers one and three previously.

Western fans will like The Westerner in any event and others will watch it to see a master craftsman in Walter Brennan at his job.

This western film features several top elements that help make it a classic in its genre. Director Wyler was regarded by many people as one of the all time greats. Cinematographer Toland was also a well-respected presence in his field. Producer Goldwyn was famed for his attention to quality. (This trio had, in fact, just made "Wuthering Heights together the year before.) Then, of course, there is the delightful (and Oscar-winning) presence of famed character actor Brennan as Judge Roy Bean. This is not in any way discounting the work of Cooper who is highly effective and appealing here as well. Cooper plays the title character, a drifter who has the unlucky prospect of having to appear before the notorious "hangin' judge" Brennan. Once his case is settled, he forms an uneasy alliance with Brennan, while also sticking around long enough to help damsel in distress Davenport. Before long, he's in the middle of a range war between cattle ranchers and farmers all being unfairly presided over by Brennan (who has an undue fascination with the actress Lily Langtry.) Cooper is gorgeous in this film and gives a strong performance (despite his documented disinterest in it due to the knowledge that Brennan had the best part.) Brennan predictably steals most every scene he's in in a part that is more co-starring than supporting. Still, his rapport with Cooper is what gives his role meaning. Although riddled with what are now cliches, the script is full of neat touches between the two men. It's not every day a viewer catches Gary Cooper waking up drunk in a twin bed with Walter Brennan's arm around him! This sequence (as well as one earlier when the two men square off over "a drink") is priceless. There's also a memorable showdown in an opera house. Davenport makes a lovely, if unusual heroine (earthier and less slender than many leading ladies of her day.) She would retire shortly after this film. Tucker will be almost unrecognizable to his fans from "F Troop" and other later works of his. Andrews is given very little to do. The film might have been better off with a more apt title as it's less the story of "The Westerner" than it is an observation of the relationship between these two men.

I saw the film again after a gap of 25 years recently, and it really is as good as i remembered it. So good in fact it almost made it into my list of top ten westerns. Everything about is top notch-the performances, the photography, the humour and the screenplay. It is only let down by the contrived ending. The fight scene between Cooper and Tucker is as realistic as you will see anywhere, and the scene where Cooper cuts off a lock of Davenports hair is erotically charged. Of course the two main plusses are the performances of Brennan and Cooper-each fills the frame with their presence even when they have no lines, and Brennans portrayal of Judge Roy Bean results in one of the more memorable characters in westerns. In the hand of another actor the result could have been a caricature but Brennan treads the very thin line between parody and homage perfectly.

This is an outdoor epic about land war in which director William Wyler offers us a solid, absorbent and entertaining film . "The Westerner" is an intense and rewarding western , which is filmed on location in Arizona. Nominated for 3 Oscars (actor cast, art direction and original screenplay), won one (for Walter Brennan who sparkles as judge who dispenses frontier justice in the days of wild west). The film explores the tensions and fights faced by the old farmers and new settlers landowners engaged in the operation of small farms, erected through the efforts of their work . It focuses on the conflicting interests of the two groups, their diverse working methods , struggles and different visions of the country and world . Within this scenario is the showdown among two two antagonists , a drifter addicted to freedom named "Cole Harden¨ (featured by an unforgettable Cooper), a sly , soft spoken cowboy who champions Texas border homesteaders in a range war , Cole is a former outlaw and become socially integrated while legendary Judge Roy Bean (Brennan's Academy Award was his third playing a shrew piece of villainy) known as ¨The law west of the Pecos ¨ sentences Hardin hang as a horse thief . Cole then falls for damsel Jane Ellen (Doris Davenport) and stays in the area advocating for the rights of homesteaders ; Cole has to have an ending confrontation with the judge . With these characters, the film explores the misery and the greatness of the human condition. Gary Cooper was 39 years when he played in this movie and he was a very famous player . The film gave Cooper one of the best of his laconic , strong characters as the cowboy caught among opposing factions ; in other hand Walter Brennan composing the reply and gives a role of cruel judge but that is nice , capable at the same time, being brutal and relentlessly hanging whatever suspect . The film describes the institutional and administrative instability that prevails in wide zones of western border, underscores the friendship, companionship, honesty, sense of adventure, enterprise and justice sentence drills by unscrupulous and dishonest people.The narrative is vivid and vibrant. The story is presented polished, stylish and free of nonessential items. The dialogues are sharp and funny, peppered with humor. The film includes spectacular scenes, fast-paced and iconography amalgam of the old silent westerns with romantic references characteristic of modern western.It's also a comedy, Brennan and Cooper have a fun relationship during the first half hour of the movie, you think we will soon lead to a happy ending, which ultimately will result but one of the two dead. Furthermore, movie debuts of actors Dana Andrews and Forrest Tucker. William Wyler exceed film genres and built an excellent film from the first minutes the feeling of coherence and emphasis that produces the majority of which went over his career.

Amazing cinematography by Cregg Toland (citizen Kane) places an emphasis on the realism of the action and splendid frames , which is one of the best things of the movie, with spectacular scenes as the fire. Emotive and stirring musical score by the classic Dimitri Tiomkin . Wyler looking camera concealed positions that sees without being seen observed with curiosity and interest and look for the pleasure of seeing. The film, made by a young Wyler (37 years) is solid, absorbing and entertaining.There are moments, like burning down crops that technically is wonderful . Some rides from Cooper or fighting in the middle of the country , so are scenes impossible to forget.

The Bean 's role is based on actual events as Roy Bean (1825-1903) was a near-illiterate frontier justice of the peace who ran a combined court-saloon in the tiny railroad hamlet of Langtry in the West Texas desert between the River Pecos and the Rio Grande . He was known as the ¨Lay west of the Pecos¨ . He was running a saloon in a tent-town for railroad builders called Vinegaroon . Ben , backed by the Texas Rangers and the railroad , was appointed Justice of the peace , although he had never studied law . He managed to keep the peace with a strange brand of common and rough sense , often basing his ruling on a single law book . The stories about him are legion, most apocryphal . The fines usually stayed in his pocket and he acquitted accused on condition that he buy a round of drinks for the boys . The law of the Pecos was a law unto himself . He got himself elected Langtry's justice of the peace , holding court in his crude saloon called the ¨Jersey Lily¨ where he lived till his death in 1903 . In 1896 he brought fame to Langtry by staging the Fitzsmmons-Peter Maher heavyweight-boxing championship. He also performed marriages , ending the short ceremony with the worlds ¨I Roy Bean , justice of the peace , hereby pronounce man and wife . May God have mercy on your souls¨. Bean's ¨Jersey Lily¨ has been preserved by the Texas Highway Department and is now a tourist attraction.

It's "Judge" Roy Bean and his bloodthirsty cattlemen against the hard-working homesteaders in post-Civil War Texas, with drifting 'saddle bum' Gary Cooper caught between the warring sides. William Wyler's cloudy, dusty, majestic western suffers a bit from an unresolved unhappiness at its core (and a conflicting attitude towards Walter Brennan's hang-'em-high Judge, who happily wields a cold-blooded sense of immorality yet is built up in the film's preamble to be something of a hero!). Cooper, barely twitching a facial muscle, is supposed to be a crafty, quick-thinking sonuvabitch, but Cooper just doesn't exude that type of personality; he's rugged when he needs to be, and stalwart with the one eligible woman in town, but he's disappointingly one-dimensional. Brennan got the critical kudos (and a Supporting Oscar) for his work, although his Bean is hardly a dandy villain--and the brutalities suffered by the homesteaders leaves behind a bad taste for the film. Gregg Toland's fine cinematography and Dimitri Tiomkin's solid score are certainly helpful, as are the terrific supporting performances from Fred Stone and Doris Davenport (a curious choice for the female lead, but ultimately a good one). **1/2 from ****

This movie contains what has to be one of the great performances by Walter Brennan as Judge Roy Bean. Indeed, the title of this movie should have been "The Story of Judge Roy Bean" starring Walter Brennan. For it is obvious that this movie was a vehicle for Walter Brennan, not for Gary Cooper, who actually was cast in a supporting role in this movie. It is obvious that someone in the studio saw potential in Walter Brennan to star in a major motion picture in which Brennan, who was normally cast in supporting roles, carries the movie. What makes the movie even better is that it is based on a person who actually lived, which made the role even more challenging. Walter Brennan carries this movie and transforms what would have otherwise been just another western into a classic.

Texas, post-Civil War. Judge Roy Bean is the notorious hanging judge of Vinegarroon - "The Law West of the Pecos". An accused horse thief, Cole Harden, is brought before him one day who, to everyone's surprise, manages to smooth talk himself out of being hanged. Meanwhile tensions are running high between cattle ranchers and new settlers, crop farmers - "Homesteaders". This is a lopsided battle in that Bean tends to side with the ranchers.

The basic plot seems interesting enough in that it focuses on an actual historic figure - Judge Roy Bean - and his brand of justice. Also, having seen the 1972 film 'The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean' (directed by John Huston and starring Paul Newman as the Judge), I was intrigued to see another take on the man.

Not that Bean, played by Walter Brennan, is the main character. That honour goes to Cole Harden, played by the legendary Gary Cooper. Having legends like Cooper and Brennan in the movie, plus the fact that it is directed by William Wyler, made me think this this should be well worth the watch.

Well, sort of, and no. Brennan is great as Bean and Cooper is okay as Harden. The initial few scenes are quite interesting, often funny, as we see Harden's clever manoeuvring of himself out of being hanged. However, from then on the plot becomes disjointed with many sub-plots that don't really go anywhere, a main plot that changes direction randomly, plus limited character depth and thus limited engagement. It all seems so start-stop and discontinuous.

Interesting enough to keep me watching but overall it is reasonably disappointing.

"The Westerner" (1940): Directed by William Wyler, starring Gary Cooper and Walter Brennen. On one level, this is a classic tale of the Old West as it struggled through a transition of re-settlement. Depicted as such, it is a beautifully photographed, well acted, gritty, weird, funny, and emotional story. But, this film was also made in 1940. The Germans had begun their sweep across Europe, they were breaking treaties as fast as necessary, and non-militarized countries could not withstand the armed renegade country bent on following no rules but its own. To think that this was not on the minds of "The Westerner's" writers, directors, and audience, would be naïve. It's a perfect representation of current events in Europe, England, and America – as of 1940. (1941 would change that.) I found it fascinating from this perspective – watching it with something of the same gut level understanding that people in that time would have certainly felt. Cooper was the outsider who had no real attachments and wanted to remain isolated – keeping his freedom and avoiding entanglements. The town, run by despot Judge Roy Bean, made their own laws, convicted everyone in their way, and hung them without a second thought. The farmers were seen as an impediment to their expanding ideas which required more and more land and water. Cooper was drawn into the battle of ideologies, and attempted to become the ambassador aiming for peace, not war. He moved slowly, and lost the trust of everyone – until it was made very clear to him that the aggressors had no intention of honoring promises. It was time to take sides. It is PERFECT representation of that, and our (we, the Westerners), time.

There were some parts of The Westerner that brought me to laugh. Walter Brennan, who won his third Oscar, as Judge Roy Bean, made me laugh with his obsession with Lillian Langtry. That obsession would prove to be his undoing.

Some of the dialogue is hackneyed. After punching Bean, Cole (Gary Cooper) tells others in the next room that he is out now.

Bean is a corrupt judge who has it in for the homesteaders. In fact, he is lynching and shooting them whenever possible.

Enters Cole who is accused of horse stealing. He gets off when he gives details about the infamous Langtry to Bean and by sheer coincidence, the real horse thief rides into town.

Love blossoms between Cole and Doris Davenport. She is angry when Cole seems to support the Judge. The latter goes against his words and burns the homes down of the homesteaders. Davenport's father dies when horses trample him during the blaze.

If you look closely, you will see a very young Dana Andrews as one of the homesteaders. He says one line and is quickly out the door.

The scene of the fire is memorable and Brennan's comedic-tragedy performance makes this a film not to forget.

Have said more than once about highly appreciating Westerns, though when it comes to film genres it wouldn't be my first choice when it comes to picking a favourite, and there are many great films in the genre. Absolutely love William Wyler as a director, the number of classic films he did are countless. The story sounded interesting as did the character of Judge Roy Bean. Personally like Gary Cooper, and this is the sort of role he always played very well indeed. Walter Brennan always shone in support.

'The Westerner' didn't disappoint me. When it comes to Westerns, while it's not one of my very favourites it is one of the most fascinating and most accessible as well as well made and entertaining. One of those Westerns where even those that dislike the genre normally are likely to find a lot to love or at least appreciate, and those that do already love the genre will love it even more. 'The Westerner' represents everybody involved extremely well indeed and deserves the positivity it has always gotten.

Almost everything is done right, no brilliantly even. 'The Westerner' is a very audaciously photographed film with a lot of atmosphere, with some sweeping camera angles that prevent the film from looking static or stage bound. The setting looks handsome and is evocative. Dmitri Tiomkin's music score is typically luscious and atmospheric with clever, complex and beautifully balanced structuring of his mood-enhancing themes, his distinctive style (when reading up about it and people analysing it it was incredibly illuminating and made me appreciate him even more).

Wyler directs immaculately, directing with typically impeccable taste, intensity and class. Although he was a notorious perfectionist, 'The Westerner' never struck me as clinical or emotionally cold, and although Westerns is not a genre one normally associates Wyler with he doesn't seem uncomfortable in it. The script is clever and taut, especially towards the end and especially in the interactions between Harden and Bean. The story is always compelling, there is a light-heartedness in places but a not held back grit in others. Absolutely loved how the entertaining relationship between Harden and Bean was handled.

Some of my friends consider Cooper on the wooden side and dull generally, personally don't agree. Not every role suited him, especially early on, but this role does and perfectly. At his best his acting is appreciatively natural and restrained and also with personal touches, which was pretty much what his whole acting style was, and all of that can be seen here in 'The Westerner'. Other Western leads may have more intensity, but Cooper underplays beautifully here and is likeable. Doris Davenport brings a lot of heart and charm to the picture and her character is more than just a plot device, in no way does his role slow the plotting down or feel like padding. Best of all is Brennan in a ferocious performance that is both sinister and charming, how he managed to make an evil character likeable says a lot about how good an actor he was at his best. He did deserve the Oscar he got for his performance here, but would make a strong case of him actually being a co-lead rather than supporting.

My only issue, and actually this is minor, was that the ending could have done with more tension and not been as too neat.

Otherwise, a great film and well worth catching. 9/10

This stands as a reasonably representative example of the initial flood of classic Westerns and, though an atypically regressive step for director Wyler to take (since he basically went back to his starting point as a director and would do so again twice more in the next 30 years); even so, he invested it with his customary flair for melodrama (via a number of confrontation scenes) and emphasis on characterization. Walter Brennan's Judge Roy Bean not only rewarded him with a third Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 4 years, a record which still stands to this day, but possibly marked the crowning achievement of his long and illustrious career – upstaging, in fact, nominal leading man and genre stalwart Gary Cooper! In this respect, the film has more talk than action but its pictorial qualities are more than evident: the cinematography is courtesy of the celebrated Gregg Toland. Revolving around a real-life character (subsequently played by Paul Newman in John Huston's eccentric Western pastiche THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN [1972]), the script – based on an Oscar-nominated story by Stuart N. Lake – draws on both his skewed sense of justice and passion for theatrical performer Lily Langtry (a split-second[!] appearance at the very end by Lilian Bond from THE OLD DARK HOUSE [1932]). However, for all Wyler's notoriously pain-staking approach, I had problems with both the central characters: Bean is depicted as ruthless yet unrealistically gullible – whereas Cooper has the demeanor of a simpleton but proves remarkably quick-witted! On the other hand, the heroine played by unknown Doris Davenport is unusually strong-willed for a Western (particularly this early into the game); also among the cast list, albeit in unrewarding roles, are Forrest Tucker (in his movie debut) and a pre-stardom Dana Andrews. As I said before, the film's highlights involve various forms of clashes – verbal sparring, fisticuffs, a widespread fire (Bean's cattlemen are determined to wipe out the homesteaders) and the final showdown inside a theater between Cooper and Brennan. For the record, among the star's other genre efforts, I recently acquired but have yet to watch THE VIRGINIAN (1929), NORTHWEST MOUNTED POLICE (1940) and ALONG CAME JONES (1945; which he produced himself).

Gary Cooper has never ridden better and Walter Brennan been more villainous than in this film directed by William Wyler and lensed by Gregg Toland that holds its own with the best of John Ford oaters. In the finest of their many excellent teamings together they form an uneasy bond based ironically on sentimentality in the most unforgiving part of the Texas West.

Cole Hardin (Cooper) is accused of being a horse thief before Judge Roy Bean (Brennan), aka the hanging judge. Employing his kangaroo methodology Bean sentences Hardin to hang but is spared by preying on the judge soft spot regarding stage actress Lily Langtry. Concocting a lie Cole saves literally saving his neck and the two enter into an uneasy alliance that deal from locks of hair to range wars.

Wyler and Toland's mise en scene in both suffocating court room bar interiors and Hardin's panoramic gallops across the prairie have a dusty vitality where the compositions inform with tension, energy and a gallows humor that befits the scales of justice West of the Pecos. Fronting this grand canvas Brennan and Cooper as Bean and Hardin maintain a weary bond throughout; Cooper an impossible to dislike aw' shucks duplicity about him while Brennan though a monster,( vividly brought forth in long cold prolonged stares) remains at the same time highly sympathetic.

It is only in the waning minute after the climatic final scene of an odd mix of comedy and beautifully choreographed gunfight The Westerner takes a sentimental bullet to the heart that kills what has been up until that moment an all around exhilarating western.

The Westerner enjoys a big reputation, due to two persons: Gregg Toland and Gary Cooper. I am a great admirer of Walter Brennan, but what he did in The Westerner was the same thing he had been doing for years, without adding anything which could have justified a new Oscar for him. Nobody can believe the first sequence in which Cooper escapes being hanged by the infamous Judge Roy Bean by making believe he is a friend of Lily Langtry. This could have worked, had Wyler treated the whole picture as a parody, which in a certain way it is. The climax, in the empty theater is still more unbelievable than the first sequence. I have read somewhere that Cooper did not want to make this picture, and it was Wyler that convinced him. The trouble is that Wyler does not appear to have been convinced himself, except in the dramatic even tragic sequences: the spectacular fire, for example. It is a pity that the charming Doris Davenport retired after three films; she showed promise in The Westerner. Anyhow, it has the wonderful photography one always expected from Gregg Toland, and is terrifically entertaining.

At least, that's the rumor behind the making of THE WESTERNER--and it certainly looks as though it could be true, since WALTER BRENNAN is in full throttle as Judge Roy Bean--the sort of role he'd already been playing in numerous pictures and inexplicably won a third Supporting Role Oscar for it.

For me, the surprise of the film was DORIS DAVENPORT as the homesteader gal that GARY COOPER shares a tender romance with, refreshingly natural and charming as the film's romantic lead. Unfortunately, she retired from the screen shortly after making this film but she certainly showed promise as an actress.

As for GARY COOPER, he's at home in a role he could have played blind-folded by now and under William Wyler's direction gives another one of his warm and affable portrayals as a man who finds himself in the unusual predicament of having to justify himself before the very biased judge who has no sympathy for ranchers or homesteaders--and only reaches some kind of kinship with Cooper when they share a mutual admiration for actress Lily Langtry (a forgettable LILIAN BOND), about whom the judge is obsessed.

Has some interesting action scenes in western tradition, but enjoyment of this one depends on how much of Walter Brennan you can take, since he monopolizes the screen most of the time with a bigger than life demonstration of his acting technique.

Trivia note: DANA ANDREWS (whom Wyler would later entrust with a big role in THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES) has a one-line bit part and FORREST TUCKER makes his screen debut as a man who fights Cooper.

Judge Roy Bean was a real historical figure, but the colourful myths that have sprung up out of what is know of his undoubtedly colourful life have made him a ripe subject for a number of largely fictional movies. There was a TV series in the 50s and a bizarre yet brilliant Paul Newman picture in 1973, but Bean could just as easily appear as a stock supporting character in somebody else's story. In The Westerner, he is the antagonist for one of Gary Cooper's upstanding Western heroes, in what is purportedly a tale of conflict between the cowboys and the farmers in old Texas. But whose story is this really?

The judge is played by that superb character actor Walter Brennan, in the third and most well-earned of his three Oscar-winning appearances. Brennan was often a cheerfully silly comedy player but here his performance is wonderfully subdued. He barely seems to move, but his hypnotic presence and moody drawl seem to draw you into the screen. Cooper is similarly subtle, and some of the best moments in the picture are just the two of them silently staring each other down. There's a lot of work with props here, such as the ubiquitous shot glasses or the lock of hair, and it really helps to build up character and atmosphere. There is also a strong emotional turn from female lead Doris Davenport, whose career would probably have taken off had she not shortly afterwards been severely injured in a car crash.

Director William Wyler was known for overseeing competent and smartly understated acting performances, and while I have written extensively about this in my reviews of his other pictures, this time I'm going to talk about his view of the West. Wyler cut his teeth making Western shorts in the silent era, and once quipped that he used to lie awake thinking of new ways for someone to get on or off a horse. The way he does things here however is very different to the approaches John Ford or Raoul Walsh. For the first half of The Westerner, the Western landscape is barely seen. Most of the scenes take place indoors, and not even a reminder of what lies beyond can be glimpsed through the window. During Cooper's "trial", the judge's pals press around the frame like a human wall, enclosing things further. Of course, there are outdoor shots, but these seem inconsequential, and are certainly not there to show off the beauty or grandeur of the landscape, which appears spiky and full of dry brush and stones. Then, about fifty or so minutes in, as Cooper's moral stance in defending the homesteaders and his romance with Davenport begin to unfold, so too does the glory of the plains, Wyler treating us to aesthetic pastoral scenes to reflect the change in tone. It doesn't last however, and for the tense finale we are back to closeted interiors.

In part because of this late and brief blossoming of the scenery, and despite all the guns, dust and whiskey, The Westerner ironically doesn't really feel like a Western. It is more in the way of an Old West drama. Yes, it does feature Judge Roy Bean, iconic figure of the West, and it does star Gary Cooper, iconic actor of the Western, and it is even packaged as a "progress" Western about the settling of the land. But the performances are so intense, the relationship between Cooper and Brennan so fully-fleshed, that the context disappears, and the opening spiel about range wars and homesteaders is soon forgotten. What remains is a compelling tale of the battle of wits between two men, one old and experienced but blinded by obsession, the other young and sharp-witted. The legend of Roy Bean and his young nemesis takes on a grand stature here, and either one could be the Westerner of the title.

Released in 1940 - The Westerner is a really excellent tale concerning the land disputes in Texas (between the cattlemen and the homesteaders) getting way out of hand.

At the heart of this classic Western yarn rests the complex relationship that unexpectedly transpires between Judge Roy Bean and a lanky stranger named Cole Harden (who's a suspected horse-thief).

Walter Brennan, as Judge Roy Bean, is a fascinating character who's burdened with a strange sense of morality and a fanatical obsession for the international stage actress, Lily Langtry.

Brennan won a well-deserved Oscar for his wonderful portrayal of Bean.

As a classic cowboy flick, you really need to see The Westerner to fully appreciate all of its subtle charm and rugged appeal.

William Wyler directs a fictionalised account of the story of Judge Roy Bean (Walter Brennan), a small town saloon public official with a penchant for hanging and corrupt as well as he sides with the cattlemen against the homesteaders.

Cole Harden (Gary Cooper) is sentenced by the Judge to hang after he is falsely accused of horse stealing. Cole noticing that the Judge is infatuated by the English actress Lily Langtry claims to have met her and even having a lock of her hair.

The Judge suspends his sentence and both become unusual friends, Cole even rescues the Judge from some irate homesteaders. However the aggression by the cattlemen leads to one local homesteader Jane Ellen Mathews (Doris Davenport) farms being burned down and her father being killed. She had a tentative romance with Cole and he goes looking for the Judge who does little to protect the homesteaders in the lawless frontier.

The film is nicely photographed by the legendary Gregg Toland, it is also overlong, too episodic with too many lulls in the story. It is an offbeat movie but vacillates too often between being a comedy, romance and a drama.