Cat Ballou (Special Edition)
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Movie Reviews of Cat Ballou (Special Edition)
Movie Review: An expression of the radical '60's?
Summary: 4 Stars
You might laugh outright at the suggestion that there was anything radical intended by this seemingly just-for-fun western spoof. I'm willing to consider the idea that maybe I'm trying to look too deeply into this material. But the date of release prompted me to start thinking about the various incidental messages embedded in the film.
I think I'm safe in thinking that up until about the time "Cat Ballou" came out, that this part of American heritage had been most successfully represented by the John Ford-Howard Hawks-John Wayne type of mythology. Probably not too many thinking people believed that mythos actually represented the real truth of the old west, but most people at least thought it represented the spirit of what was best about the frontier.
But times change and the need for new mythologies arise, and these new mythologies must supersede old ones in order to flourish. One of the most successful ways to discredit old values is to make fun of them. This is easier, more effective, and also more entertaining than debating the issues in a serious manner.
So, in "Cat Ballou" is seen the inversion of many of the old values, presented within an overall humorous and lighthearted context. The townspeople of Wolf City,Wyoming are a self-righteous, bigoted, vindictive lot. Jay C. Flippen portrays a sheriff who ranks right up at the top of the list as far as crooked weasels go. This town is the very embodiment of a corrupt "establishment" which won't let anything, even murder, stand in the way of its desire for material gain.
Opposed to this morally bankrupt establishment, Jane Fonda, radiating feminine innocence, integrity, and sex appeal, means to avenge the death of her father, for which the town is responsible. In the mind of Ms. Fonda's character, the moral issues involved trump the rules of the legal system. The train robbery pulled off by her and her helpers is justified because it is aimed specifically against the corrupt powers responsible for the oppression of her father. Even her killing of the wealthy financier behind her father's death is justified by this higher morality.
It seems to me these are rather serious challenges to conventional ethics, wrapped up in the trappings of farce. The lawbreakers who oppose the corrupt "system" are heroic, while those who sell out are evil(the hired killer Strawn) or contemptible(the washed up Butch Cassidy and cohorts of the over-the-hill Hole-in-the-Wall Gang). Other devices which undermine the traditional establishment are: Nat King Cole's performance as one of the minstrels who provide a running commentary on the events taking place, a role promotion for a black man in a traditionally all-white cast of settlers, with one of his appearances taking place as a piano player in a white brothel-surely a pioneering depiction for the times; the running joke about Cat's father believing that Native Americans are descended from the lost tribes of Israel, and his attempts to jog the racial memory of his Indian hired-hand by exposing him to the Hebrew language, which points out the misconceptions whites have about other ethnic groups; the depiction of the ladies of the town picketing Cat's cell where she is waiting to be hanged,showing their thinly disguised spite and jealous hatred under cover of conventional Christian rectitude; the sizable role and sympathetic portrayal of Jackson Two-Bears, the hired hand and one of Cat's supporters, was a departure from stereotyped Native American roles of the past; Lee Marvin as just an all-around rude gesture and emblem of defiance and disrespect to accepted ideas of propriety - a marvelous depiction, of its type; and finally, the fact that Cat, as a woman in charge, foreshadows the rise of feminism.
Cat and her followers launch upon a life of lawlessness, which is essentially guerilla warfare against a corrupt system. O.K, O.K., as I said, I'm willing to accept the possibility that this is all harmless fun. But if the makers of this movie were aiming to influence the ideology of America's youth, they disguised these aims in a very effective Trojan Horse. I remember traveling the 12 miles to the nearest movie theater in the small farming community where I grew up. This area of the country was not known for being receptive to new social trends, but the farm lads I was with all thought it was a wonderful movie, being so captivated by the charms of Ms. Fonda and the antics of Lee Marvin that any undermining of their traditional beliefs went unnoticed. For better or worse, or both, these incipient themes exploded onto American life with a much more serious impact in the late sixties. To some extent, American youth may have been programmed to accept them, due to entertainment media efforts such as "Cat Ballou".
Movie Review: "She has the smile of an angel (fights like the devil)."
Summary: 4 Stars
Before she got notorious for being all activist-y, it's worth noting that Jane Fonda sizzled on the big screen way back in the '60s. And CAT BALLOU is the film that ushered in her stardom... and established her sex symbol rep, which BARBARELLA then cemented. Almost five decades later, CAT BALLOU has managed to retain its goofy charm. How can a film be raucous and a bit bawdy and still come off as innocent? Except that that's how they used to do it back in the day.
You view the opening scene and hear the singing minstrels, and you see "Cat" Ballou behind bars in her virginal white gown and the gallows nearby. And you get the immediate sense that finishing school didn't do so thorough a job on this prim and proper aspiring school marm. On her train ride back home, Ms. Catherine Ballou is seen sneaking a peek at a western dime novel. And, not too long after, she abets the getaway of two train robbers. So, when she learns that her family ranch is in jeopardy and when her father is shot down cold-bloodedly, there's no surprise when she decides to take matters into her own hands.
If degenerate land speculators can hire an intimidating gunslinger, why can't Catherine Ballou? Aiming to hit back hard at the railroad company that railroaded her, she recruits her own posse of no-good-niks, consisting of two bank robbers, a westernized Injun, and the notorious Kid Shelleen. Except that Kid Shelleen turns out to be the drunkenest, most over-the-hill gun-for-hire in the West who, when he's cravin' that booze somethin' bad, literally cannot hit the side of the barn. Still, off they go on a rootin' tootin' robbery spree, the legend of "Cat" Ballou growing with each daring heist.
CAT BALLOU isn't the first send-up of the horse opera. Westerns like THE PALEFACE, ALONG CAME JONES and DESTRY RIDES AGAIN had already blazed that trail. It isn't even the best western satire, that falls to SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF. But CAT BALLOU rides on the sparkling performances and on several neat swerves. I think it's important to note that the story stays true to its internal narrative, instead of capsizing into all-out slapstick like BLAZING SADDLES (which, by the way, is fine if you're in the mood for that). But, by adhering to a certain level of gravity, the film encourages the viewer to invest even more into the story and the cast. Again, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF is the best example of a film that perfectly toes that balance of seriousness and spoof.
Jane Fonda has a thankless role, really. She plays it straight throughout the film, allowing others to get the laughs. But her performance is absolutely crucial, and I love her spunk here. Lee Marvin is the revelation. Everyone had been so used to seeing him play these tough guy roles that it was a friggin' startlement when Marvin exhibited his heretofore unsuspected comic talents. His interpretation of the tin-nosed Tim Strawn and the boozy Kid Shelleen won him the Oscar for Best Actor. Probably the most iconic image from this movie features Kid Shelleen slumped against a wall astride his equally inebriated horse. And I'll also mention that whenever Lee Marvin isn't on screen, the comedy suffers.
One of the joys of this film is Nat "King" Cole and Stubby Kaye serving as the story's Greek chorus. As the banjo-strumming troubadours invisible to the rest of the cast, they surface periodically to sing songs and advance the plot. This was such a tremendous plot device that, decades later, you can't much blame LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS and THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY for lifting it.
The DVD's bonus stuff: A genial Audio Commentary by actors Michael Callan and Dwayne Hickman; the informative and all too brief featurette "The Legend Of Cat Ballou" as director Elliot Silverstein reflects about the film (00:12:36 minutes long); a gallery of "Vintage Advertising" - 9 promotional photos, mostly in the form of lobby cards; Talent Files - which are filmographies of the director Elliot Silverstein and the six main actors; and Theatrical Trailers including one for CAT BALLOU.
Movie Review: Fonda and Marvin are Especially Good
Summary: 4 Stars
Although Jane Fonda was 27 years old when she played the title role in "Cat Ballou", she looks about 19, and that was about the intended age of her character. They gave her a very wholesome look, with her hair especially youthful looking. Pretty much all the guys in the baby boomer generation fell in love with her when they saw this film in 1965, whether they were five or 25. And pretty much all the characters in the film fall in love with her as well. This was her first film targeted at the boomer demographic and her young appearance and relative obscurity were deceptive to her new fans. Six years later when "Klute" was released folks were staggered by how used up she looked, generally because everyone had just assumed that she was younger.
In 1965 it was revolutionary to see a film with such a strong, determined, brave, and resourceful young woman, especially for a western. Although Joan Crawford, Shelley Winters, and Peggy Castle had previously played tough saloon owners, there had never been anyone quite like Fonda's character. "The times were a changin" or at least beginning to change and this film both reflected and contributed to these changes.
If you are thinking of watching "Cat Ballou" for the first time be aware that it has the standard 1960's western production design. Things are very studio back lot, very clean, and extremely orderly (insert not authentic here). And although classified as a comedy it is as much mild action/adventure as comedy. The humorous elements are mostly supplied by Lee Marvin doing a parody of the heavy roles he usually played.
Stubby Kaye and Nat "King" Cole bookend the film as banjo playing western minstrels and also function as musical narrators who pop up within scenes throughout the movie, singing the story as it unfolds. This really complicates the staging of these scenes and it is worth just paying attention to the clever ways they are worked into the scenes.
After an introduction the story flashes back and then proceeds linearly forward, by the end they are back to the time of the introduction. The flashback first finds Catherine (Cat) Ballou boarding a train after completing finishing school. She is returning to her father's Wyoming ranch. On the trip she is reading a pulp western about a gunfighter named Kid Shelleen (Marvin). She meets escaping rustler Clay Boone (Michael Callan) and his drunk Uncle Jed (Dwayne Hickman) who is dressed as a preacher. She arrives home to find her father's ranch in bad shape. Her father is being pressured to sell out to a British railroad baron.
"Cat Ballou" is a fun film with a nice soundtrack. Fonda and Marvin are especially good.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
Movie Review: Hilarious Western Spoof That Ages Very Well!
Summary: 4 Stars
This film is a strange one for me as I remember I actually hated it the first time I watched it years back but when I started looking seriously at old films and especially Westerns I began to appreciate "Cat Ballou" a lot more and now after seeing this a few times, I have to say that this is an excellent, hilarious spoof on Westerns and the jokes age very well even to today. As a big fan of all kinds of music myself, I really appreciated the role that Nat King Cole in one of his last performances ever before his death by lung cancer together with Stubby Kaye in the hilarious sung narrative that runs throughout the film. It's amazing what was accomplished on clearly a tiny budget and I thought the cast was very good and especially Lee Marvin was the alcoholic gunfighter.
The dvd is also good value for money as it has very good picture quality stemming from a very well-preserved master which ironically means that it wasn't as popular as other films as the more popular films have masters that are heavily used and hence require the most restoration although the sound quality in Mono could do with more surround sound options. Those with Dolby Pro Logic capabilities at home though can somewhat simulate the surround sound experience with this dvd version in any case.
An extremely funny and entertaining cowboy spoof that surprisingly ages very well; I found myself humming the Cat Ballou theme many hours after watching the film too.
Recommended.
Movie Review: A VERY FUNNY WESTERN.
Summary: 4 Stars
Definitely "Cat Ballou" is a very, very funny movie, with charismatic characters and original situations.Recently I found that some people hate Jane Fonda, I don't know why and I don't care (this movie was released 17 years before I was born). The only thing I can say about her in this particular movie, is that she looked stunning and beautiful in 1965, and her performance in this movie is one of the main reasons why "Cat Ballou" works so fine.
Also, in this movie Lee Marvin played two characters: Kid Shelleen and Tim Strawn, both of them very well portrayed, it is really hard to recognize Lee Marvin in the role of Tim Strawn.
One of the nicest details in "Cat Ballou" is the inclusion of the great Nat "King" Cole in the soundtrack of the film, and he also appears in some scenes, singing with Stubby Kaye, a very classy duo, I must say. It's really a pleasure to hear Nat "King" Cole's incredible voice in these country songs.
Bottom line, the reasons to see "Cat Ballou" are: it's a very amusing movie, with a nice performance by a very young and beautiful Jane Fonda (sorry people, I had a crush on her when I saw her in this amusing film), an excellent performance by Lee Marvin, and very good songs performed by the unforgettable Nat "King" Cole.