The Trail of Broken Men

 COWBOY (1958)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

I sort of ran into this film by pure accident. I am lover of westerns and have enjoyed many from the 1950's and beyond so a western starring Glenn Ford and Jack Lemmon gave me goosebumps. It is a solidly fine western, a more realistic look at what it was really like being part of a cattle drive. "Cowboy" has got much to recommend though some of the characters are shopworn  - you may not mind it because a specific look and feel of the life of a cowboy is still splendidly told. 

When the name Reece is announced at a Chicago hotel, all the hotel employees do what they can to accommodate the cattle rustler (this includes changing rooms for the guests who have already settled in). The hotel desk clerk Frank (Jack Lemmon, in a curiously understated performance) is miffed that guests have to be relocated especially the highly regarded cattle baron Señor Vidal, and his daughter Maria (Anna Kashfi, severely underused) whom Frank is in love with. Naturally El Señor Vidal disapproves. But what about this Reece (Glenn Ford, in a typically forceful performance) and why all the fussiness over this man and his cattle hands? I can't say except he is a regular visitor though apparently he is not a very good poker player - he loses his winnings which he needs for the next cattle drive. Guess who wants to finance his next cattle drive and come along! Why none other than Frank himself who might know how to mount a horse but has no skills against handling horned cattle.

"Cowboy" shows the arduousness of the frontier west and the dangers one encounters like poisonous rattlesnakes. It also deals with the tough decisions to bury those who die on the trail due to snake bites or other factors and to move on because a job needs to be done. When Reece shows a coldness and remove from the death of a cattle hand, Frank is taken aback. Later we learn through Glenn Ford's extraordinarily subtle performance that his actions and emotional reserve need to change when Frank is slowly becoming as indifferent as Reece. 

Based on Frank Harris's semi-autobiographical novel "My Reminiscences as a Cowboy," "Cowboy" is often stirring and surefooted in its style, not excluding how beautifully shot it is from what looks like mostly outdoor shots (very few rear screen projection shots). One amazingly tantalizing shot in particular is when Frank meets Maria at a Guadalupe church shown in silhouette near dawn - John Ford would've killed for shots like that. Less successful is the inclusion of Reece trying to place a ring on a bull's horn as he rides his horse - this sequence goes on forever. Jack Lemmon would also not have been my first choice to play Frank - he is too modern an actor to play that role. A very fine western overall and watching Ford and Lemmon go at each other's necks is often riveting entertainment.

Clap your hands if you believe in fairies

 PETER PAN (1924)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Though I have not seen the 1953 adaptation of J.M. Barrie's fantastical creation in quite some time, "Peter Pan" that is, this 1924 version that was thought to be lost for years can stand on its own two flying feet as a lively, sometimes astonishing version with moments that soar and rekindle the innocence of being a child.

At first, I was a little thrown off course by "Peter Pan." In the opening sequence, we see someone obviously dressed as an oversized sheep dog giving a bath to the Darling children in the house (the dog is played by George Ali). The other kids, including the older Wendy (Mary Brian), are genuinely turned off by this dog who looks like a nightmarish canine with immobile scary eyes. Nevertheless, we do get to the good stuff when we meet the flying Peter Pan (played by a 17-year-old girl named Betty Bronson) who is trying to find his shadow. Wendy helps him stitch his shadow back on and accompanies him along with the two other Darling boys to Never Never Land. Yep, the land of high adventure that features nasty pirates, the dastardly Captain Hook, alligators, a Native American tribe (yes, the Redskins - don't forget this was 1924), mermaids on the beach, fairies and of course the one and only Tinkerbell who looks just like a firefly. She bares some jealousy towards Wendy and her interest in kissing Peter. Peter of course discovers kissing has more to do than sharing a thimble and shows his love by building Wendy a house complete with a chimney created from a hat (!), with the hopes that she will be mother to him and the Lost Boys. Wendy has a more romantic inclination in mind with the naive Peter.

For a silent film of that era (and there were many magical films during this period, the favorite fantasy of mine was "The Thief Of Bagdad" with Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.), "Peter Pan" is slow-going at first but it builds into a wondrous, marvelous film full of astonishing flying scenes (not sure how they did it) and an essential childlike sense of innocence - you kind of want to be a boy forever after meeting this joyful Pan. It is Betty Bronson who gives the most animated performance of the whole cast - the exuberance is felt every time she appears on screen. She stands proud when she has to, fights like a true swordsman, has poise and remarkable chemistry with Mary's Wendy. She encompasses everything we love about Peter Pan. "Peter Pan" is a treat for all ages.