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Saturday, May 28, 2005
Last Stand at Saber River Now on DVD
Warner Brothers released Last Stand at Saber River on DVD.
Catch it on TNT: Last Stand at Saber River / 1997 - Jun 18 11:30 AM.
Chris Hicks in the Deseret Morning News reports on the DVD release:
Fans of Westerns have felt the drought. Although the Western film genre is beloved, with rabid followers out there, it’s been fading for a couple of decades now. But do not fret, buckaroos—the Western will never die. It doesn’t matter how many “spaghetti Westerns” are made in Spain. It doesn’t matter how many ways Westerns are spoofed or lampooned. And it doesn’t matter how many revivals fail at the box office. The Western is distinctly American, a reflection not only metaphorically of the times in which the movies are made, but also of our history. There will always be filmmakers who want to take another crack at it, hoping to bring Westerns back. Meanwhile, good Westerns are still being made—for television.
“Last Stand at Saber River” (1997, not rated). Selleck anchors this adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel about a Confederate soldier back from the Civil War. He’s been thought dead, and his wife (Suzy Amis) is startled to see him, and she has difficulty putting aside her anger to embrace his return, as does their son (played by a very young Haley Joel Osment). Selleck finds his ranch has been taken over by Yankees, and a misguided “friend” manipulates him.
Selleck is perfect, Amis is very good, and more great character actors help, including Keith Carradine, David Carradine, Harry Carey Jr., etc. (Filmed in New Mexico.) Extras: Full frame, chapters.
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Tom Selleck shows a harder side of his persona as a disillusioned Confederate who returns home in the waning days of the Civil War in this adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel. His wife, Suzy Amis, isn’t ready to forgive him for leaving his family behind for the “adventure” of war, and his children hardly remember him. Haunted by his actions in the war and caught in a power struggle in the Arizona territory, Selleck’s soul-scarred survivor makes a last stand to protect the only thing left that matters to him—his homestead and his family. The film has its share of gunfights, showdowns, conspiracies, and Civil War rivalries, and even a runaway stagecoach, but its power lies in the somber exploration of how misunderstandings and conflicts tear at a marriage during such a volatile time, when ideals are set against duty to family. Director Dick Lowry’s lean style makes the most of the gorgeous landscapes, and he creates a strong dramatic tension in the bubbling undercurrent between Selleck, who leaves behind the jovial character of his Louis L’Amour Westerns for a man hardened and embittered by war, and Amis, an excellent actress who brings to life a woman who shoots, speaks her mind, and harbors resentment just as well as any brooding male hero. Keith and David Carradine costar as Union wranglers who hold a grudge against the Confederate veteran. One of the most mature TV Westerns ever made.
