The Rare Breed
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Movie Reviews of The Rare Breed
Movie Review: A different type of western
Summary: 5 Stars
A very different type of western but very good. Has a great cast, good story line, and not the usual kind of story.Movie Review: The Rare breed
Summary: 5 Stars
A great movie with a great story, fantastic acting. A fantastic story in the setting of the old westMovie Review: The Rare Breed
Summary: 5 Stars
Can't go wrong with Jimmie Stewart, Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith. Good Video - great dealerMovie Review: Rare Breed DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
I was very pleased with the condidtion of the DVD and the prompt service given.Movie Review: A Blend of John Ford and Disney-with a Great Performance by Juliet Mills
Summary: 4 Stars
Director Andrew V. McLaglen's "The Rare Breed" (1966) has a surprising amount of historical interest, both to students of the old west and western genre film buffs. It is actually a fairly accurate (if fictionalized) account of the displacement of Longhorn cattle on the Texas range by intentional interbreeding with more conventional bulls (in this case a Hereford named Vindicator).
Just as interesting is the film's position as one of the early intentional parodies of the western genre. While less obvious than in "Cat Ballou" (1965), the self-reflexive elements and parody are there if you look close. The most obvious are Brian Keith overplayed (almost expressionistic) Scotsman and McLaglen's juxtaposition of classic John Ford outdoor scenery with obvious sound stage shots-including matte paintings by Albert Whitlock. And McLaglen rounds out his cast with genre favorites Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., and Jack Elam.
But "The Rare Breed's" real claim to fame is as the first "chick flick" western. It is likely to appeal more to women than men viewers as the story is told from the point of view of its heroine Hilary Price (Juliet Mills), who set out with her parents to bring a small herd of cattle from Hertfordshire (England) to the American west. Unfortunately her father died on the ocean voyage and Hilary and her mother Martha (Maureen O'Hara) are faced with the daunting task of completing what had been her father's dream.
Mills is wonderful in this role and it really suits her. She is a placid observer of the strange land in which she finds herself while her mother is almost savagely reactive. Yet Mills gets all the really good lines as Hilary injects a lot of wit and wry humor into the story. McLaglen gives dimension to only two of the characters, Hilary and "Bulldog" Sam Burnett (Jimmy Stewart). Burnett is a cowhand who starts out to swindle the two women but ends up being completed by them; eventually becoming a father/husband replacement to Hilary and Martha respectively, as well as a complete believer in their mission to change the nature of the American cattle industry.
But Burnett has to come a long way to make this transition as he begins by calling the symbolically named Vindicator a muley bull (because it has no horns). His reaction does not get him off to a good start with the protective Hilary, who has raised Vindicator from a calf. The bull follows her around like a dog and is easily quieted with a verse from "God Save the Queen".
Entertaining but not riveting, this unique example of the genre is a nice change of pace although the scenes between Keith and O'Hara will make you think more of Disney's original "The Parent Trap" than the film that you thought you were watching.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.