Western Films

by Brian Garfield

Book Overview

From the Wild West Show the silent film developed a style that soon became an American art form. This guide to Western films from Abilene Town to Zanny Bride lists credits and ranks the great... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 030680333X
• ISBN13: 9780306803338
• Release Date: August 1988
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.1" x 9.9"

Customer Reviews

Terribly opinionated

I'm going to have to agree with the majority of the reviews here. Garfield's preferences are a bit dated to say the least. Not just in his dismissal of spaghetti westerns which so irks some of the other viewers but in his dismissal of so many worthy westerns as well. 'Man of the West,' 'El Dorado,' '40 Guns,' 'Gunfight at the OK Corral,'Man from Laramie,' etc. Pick fifty of your favorite westerns and look them up in Garfield's book and I'll bet he puts at least half of them down. He's the kind of writer who simply has to say something negative in almost any review he writes, sometimes even when he likes the film. Having said all that it is a fun read is you're in tune with the author's bitchy worldview.

Best book on Classic American "adult" Western films

If you are not a big fan of spaghetti westerns, of juvenile "b" westerns of the Roy Rogers/Hopalong Cassidy variety and westerns made after the seventies, but instead are a fan of American "Adult" Westerns made from the late thirties to the early seventies, then this is the best reference/critical guide book I have come across. I can not begin to count the number of times over the past twenty years I have picked up this book, I may not agree 100% with the authors comment's but I have never found a anyone else writing on film who comes closer to my own views, and I think the same would be true of most fans of the American "adult" western. The book may be almost 25 years old, but that is no problem. Because how many films have people like Ben Johnson, Randolph Scott, John Wayne, Glen Ford, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart, Slim Pickens, Lee Van Cleef,Fred MacMurray and Audie Murphy made in the years since?

Killer Writing!

WOW! This is a seriously smoking guide/critique of Western films.Mr. Garfield is an excellent writer; his choice of wording and sentence structure is outstanding. He lavishes praise where he thinks it's worthy and mercilessly belts out the criticism when he feels he honestly has no other choice. Check out his hilarious review of the infamous "Heaven's Gate." Mr. Garfield's not a big fan of the spaghetti Westerns, but so what. Hey, I kinda enjoy some aspects of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (like the music), but, let's face it, it is -- as Garfield rightly notes -- a bit of a slow-moving, overlong bore (ha, ha). Anyway, Mr. Garfield can't be too bad, he gives a halfway decent review of "The Outlaw Josey Wales" -- one of my personal faves; plus he's a fan of one of the funnest Westerns, "North to Alaska" (the scene with the love-stuck teen Fabian stuck in a wilderness cabin with the beauteous Capucine is hilarious!!)You folks that gave his book a bad rating need to chill out; let the man have his (brutally fun) opinion! Highly recommended for anyone who loves Westerns or anyone who desires to improve their vocabulary & writing skills.

Strong opinions on westerns

Though I did not agree with many of the reviews I found them enjoyable. I also share his views on spaghetti westerns. (They are hit on your face). Being an author himself he of course emphasizes the role of a writer. That is good. Garfield does not like B westerns. If you like them, do not read this. Enjoy and disagaree!