The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
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Movie Reviews of The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
Movie Review: The Law West of the Pecos
Summary: 4 Stars
Solidly entertaining, whimsical biography of the hangin' judge west of the Pecos. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN stars a growly and bearded Paul Newman in the title role, guide to the life of a legend of the Old West and host to a revolving series of guest stars.
`Whimsical' seems kind of an odd word now that I think about it. After all, it connotes a lightness of spirit, and that's a hard choice of words to use for a movie that features an on-screen hanging or five. `Whimsy' is defined as `an odd or fanciful or capricious idea,' and `whimsy' begets `whimsical', which is made of sturdier stuff that its pappy - `Whimsical: adj. Erratic in behavior or degree of unpredictability.' I'll let the word stand. John Huston's JUDGE ROY BEAN is erratic and unpredictable enough. John Milius wrote the original screenplay. With movies like `Jeremiah Johnson' and `Geronimo: An American Legend' among his credits, Milius has given ample evidence that he's a `print-the-legend' type of writer. And he takes his heroes seriously. Underneath everything - and everything piles high in this movie - there's a script that wants to make a legendary hero out of its title character.
That serious intent is subverted by Newman, whose charm is unsuccessfully buried beneath a beard and gruff exterior, and Huston, who peppers the whole thing with darkly humorous vignettes. In fact, JUDGE ROY BEAN is more or less a series of disconnected incidents, from Bean's massacre of a bar full of desperados who rolled him for his (stolen) cash and left him for dead to his circa 1920 explosive showdown with an unscrupulous eastern lawyer played by Roddy McDowell. In the interim he appoints himself judge, the law west of the Pecos, peppers the bar with posters of the beloved Lily Langtry (Ava Gardner,) adopts a black b'ar dropped off by Grizzly Adams (John Huston,) takes up with pretty young Marie Elena (Victoria Principal,) and witnesses an assortment of quirky cutthroats pass under the shadow of his well-worn noose.
If Milius wanted to plant Bean next to Geronimo and Jeremiah Johnson in the pantheon of American legends he must have cringed when Stacy Keach appeared for his twenty-minute segment. Gigged out in white pancake make-up and an Edgar Winters' fright wig, Keach plays the albino outlaw Bad Bob, who's so tough he drinks boiling coffee directly out of the pot. Bad Bob has come to call Judge Bean out, and hurls a series of insults about Lily Langtry in the attempt. I liked the darkly, surreally, humorous Bad Bob character, but he doesn't belong in a movie that's trying to keep things real. Worse, much, much worse, is the `Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' like musical interlude, also known as `Picnic with the B'ar.' Newman, Principal, and their 300-pound black bear co-star cavort along the Pecos River, accompanied by Andy Williams singing the saccharine "Marmalade, Molasses and Honey." I don't know for a fact, but I believe "Marmalade, etc." effectively killed the use of cheesy musical interludes in the middle of westerns. If it didn't, it should have.
Movie Review: The most surrealist film of John Huston!
Summary: 5 Stars
Once upon a time in Texas a roguish Judge :Roy Bean magnificent acted by Paul Newman . And also a weird preacher : Anthony Perkins and an albino gunman named Stacy Keach .
Blend this cocktail and you will obtain a clever, ironic and unencumbered film winking to Luis Bu?uel.
Watch this hidden and treasured movie .
Movie Review: A timeless treasure by one of Hollywood's greatest directors
Summary: 4 Stars
The 60's and early 70's produced several great comedic westerns i.e. Cheyenne Social Club, Dirty Dingus Magee, McClintock, Great Scout, The Rounders, Evil Roy Slade, Support Your Local, etc. The list goes on and on. Those movies were all great, but pretty much one dimensional and set the tone for some collective disappointment over the content of Judge Roy Bean. There are some great hilarious moments in this film but I never really got it until recently. It's actually a love story above all else, and a comedy, as well as John Huston's own statement about the retreating old west. If you view it in that context you'll be very impressed. If you're looking for pure comedy you may find that it drags in moments. However, this is the last time you'll get to see Paul Newman with that devilish Eddie Felson/Ben Quick light in his eyes, he was made for the part as a self-appointed and self-styled Judge/philosopher that dispenses justice to just about everyone that wanders through his town whether they deserve it or not. This film also showcases IMO the best villian of all time in Bad Bob, a murderous long haired psychotic albino come to lay ole' Beano to rest. Victoria Principal is so cute you just want to, well you'll see. Anyway, it's very funny but it is a love story. I found that rather distraction 30 years ago but I didn't get it. Well worth a watch.
Movie Review: "Law is the handmaiden of Justice."
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not only my favorite western, but it is also one of my favorite films. I don't buy a lot of videos to own, but I had to have this one in my permanent library. When the DVD comes out I'll be sure to get it, too.
When I first saw this in the theaters in '72 I was attracted by the action, the humor, and the sentimentality ( I still can't keep a dry eye when I watch the final scene with the watch bear....) As I got older I realised that there is a lot more to this movie. There is a consistent theme about Law and Justice, and the distinction between them.
When we first see Roy Bean he is a petty outlaw, less than a man. He has total contempt for law and justice, which he doesn't distinguish between. Then, when he first becomes a "Judge", it is in dubious title only- to fill his own pockets. As time goes on he intuitively dispenses true Justice in the name of the Law. By the final climactic scene, when asked who he is , he replies simply, "Justice." He has gone full cycle, from a scoff-law and less than a man, to the embodyment of Justice itself, to more than a man.
You'll notice that his chief adversary is a Lawyer Gass, a man that knows everything about the Law and nothing about Justice. A "man" that steals more with legal trickery than the old outlaws ever dreamed of stealing. It was this movie that made me see that Law is the creation of men, while Justice is an ideal that emanates directly from God.
I don't know if this is the theme that John Huston had in mind, but it is what I get out of it.
Movie Review: A Texan Reviews John Huston's Judge Roy Bean
Summary: 5 Stars
This ace of a flick really catches the spirit of the old judge who made his own law west of the Pecos. They don't make small colorful eccentric little films like this much these days. Everybody in the movie is right on the money too. A beautiful Jaqueline Bisset stars as the judge's tough assertive daughter. This must have been one of her earliest roles, and she turns in a fine endearing performance. And of course there are too many great names in this movie, Ned Beatty, Roddy McDowell, Stacey Keach, Tony Perkins, and of course Paul Newman as the judge himself. Do yourself a treat and pick this one up! You'll be glad you did.