IMDb RATING
7.2/10
7.3K
YOUR RATING
Judge Roy Bean, a self-appointed hanging judge in Vinegarroon, Texas, befriends saddle tramp Cole Harden, who opposes Bean's policy against homesteaders.Judge Roy Bean, a self-appointed hanging judge in Vinegarroon, Texas, befriends saddle tramp Cole Harden, who opposes Bean's policy against homesteaders.Judge Roy Bean, a self-appointed hanging judge in Vinegarroon, Texas, befriends saddle tramp Cole Harden, who opposes Bean's policy against homesteaders.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 5 wins & 2 nominations total
C.E. Anderson
- Hezekiah Willever
- (uncredited)
Stanley Andrews
- Sheriff
- (uncredited)
Arthur Aylesworth
- Mr. Dixon
- (uncredited)
Bill Beauman
- Man Getting Haircut
- (uncredited)
Featured reviews
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.
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
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
Walter Brennan stars as Judge Roy Bean, the legendary self appointed law west of the Pecos in Texas. He uses whoever happens to be in his saloon as a jury, and the penalty of death is often dispensed for killing or stealing the animals of others.
At this time Cole Harden (Gary Cooper) is brought to the judge for stealing a horse. Cole claims he bought this horse, although he admits the person he bought it from may have stolen it from the original owner. The judge is not impressed, and he can tell neither is the jury. So while the jury deliberates, Cole makes conversation with the judge, figures out he is obsessed with British actress Lillie Langtry, and talks about the time he met her, and about the lock of her hair that he has back in El Paso. Then the jury comes back with the expected guilty verdict. The judge defers Cole's sentence until he can look into matters more, since he says that no friend of Lillie Langtry could be a horse thief. Plus Bean really wants to hear more of Cole's tales of meeting Lillie Langry, and he really wants to see that lock of hair. Later, luck would have it that the actual horse thief wanders into Judge Bean's bar. When Cole shows that he still has the sixty dollars that he paid for the horse on him, there is a shootout and Bean shoots the actual thief dead, freeing Cole.
What I just described is the best part of the film. And I really haven't spoiled anything by telling you this since the art of it is in Brennan's and Cooper's delivery and the chemistry that they had together. But because an entire feature film is needed, there is a significant subplot about the judge being pro cattleman and thus backing people who sabotage the farming homesteaders nearby. This subplot is not that compelling and neither is the romance between Cooper's Cole and one of the daughters of the homesteaders, played by Doris Davenport. Davenport wasn't a very interesting actress, and she had only one other credited role the same year this film came out before leaving acting entirely.
I'd say watch it for probably the best thing Walter Brennan ever did and the great chemistry he had with Gary Cooper, but that the rest of the film, when Cooper and Brennan are not interacting, can be a bit of a bore.
At this time Cole Harden (Gary Cooper) is brought to the judge for stealing a horse. Cole claims he bought this horse, although he admits the person he bought it from may have stolen it from the original owner. The judge is not impressed, and he can tell neither is the jury. So while the jury deliberates, Cole makes conversation with the judge, figures out he is obsessed with British actress Lillie Langtry, and talks about the time he met her, and about the lock of her hair that he has back in El Paso. Then the jury comes back with the expected guilty verdict. The judge defers Cole's sentence until he can look into matters more, since he says that no friend of Lillie Langtry could be a horse thief. Plus Bean really wants to hear more of Cole's tales of meeting Lillie Langry, and he really wants to see that lock of hair. Later, luck would have it that the actual horse thief wanders into Judge Bean's bar. When Cole shows that he still has the sixty dollars that he paid for the horse on him, there is a shootout and Bean shoots the actual thief dead, freeing Cole.
What I just described is the best part of the film. And I really haven't spoiled anything by telling you this since the art of it is in Brennan's and Cooper's delivery and the chemistry that they had together. But because an entire feature film is needed, there is a significant subplot about the judge being pro cattleman and thus backing people who sabotage the farming homesteaders nearby. This subplot is not that compelling and neither is the romance between Cooper's Cole and one of the daughters of the homesteaders, played by Doris Davenport. Davenport wasn't a very interesting actress, and she had only one other credited role the same year this film came out before leaving acting entirely.
I'd say watch it for probably the best thing Walter Brennan ever did and the great chemistry he had with Gary Cooper, but that the rest of the film, when Cooper and Brennan are not interacting, can be a bit of a bore.
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.
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!
Did you know
- TriviaGary Cooper never liked the film and said, "You can't make a western without a gunfight." He walked off the film and refused to start work on it. It was only after long battles with Samuel Goldwyn that he started work on it but always said that he wished he'd never made it.
- GoofsThe town was named for George Langtry, an engineer and foreman who had supervised a Chinese work crew building the railroad, and not for the actress Lillie Langtry.
- Quotes
Judge Roy Bean: Mr. Harden, it's my duty to inform you that the larceny of an equine is a capital offense punishable by death, but you can rest assured that in this court, a horse thief always gets a fair trial before he's hung.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits: "After the Civil War, America, in the throes of rebirth, set its face West where the land was free. First came the cattlemen and with them "Judge" Roy Bean, who took the law into his own hands, administering justice according to his lights. That he left his impress on the history of Texas is tribute to his greatness. Then into his stronghold moved another army, the homesteaders, who ploughed the soil, fenced in fields, to bring security to their wives and children. War was inevitable, a war out of which grew the Texas of today."
- ConnectionsFeatured in Hollywood: The Great Stars (1963)
- How long is The Westerner?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $2,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime
- 1h 40m(100 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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