Š-DR- DE SI JOLIS CHEVAUX de Billy Bob Thornton (2000) fin

02/11/2013 03:52 par tellurikwaves

TRIVIA
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-The Columbia Pictures logo at the start of the film is not the modern one, but the one in use in 1949, which is when the film is set.
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-Brad Pitt was offered the lead role but turned down.
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-The movie's title comes from the lyrics of a traditional American folk song.
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-At one time, director Mike Nichols was attached to the project.
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-Amongst those able to view Billy Bob Thornton's original cut, which ran for 3 hours 40 minutes, opinions were divided. Ben Affleck remarked that it was "brilliant, a masterpiece". Former Miramax marketing head Dennis Rice had this to say: "It was the most self-indulgent director's cut I'd ever seen. It was like torture to watch that movie."
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-Although Robert Patrick plays Matt Damon's father, he is only 12 years older than his 'son'.
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-Leonardo DiCaprio was considered for the role of John Grady Cole.

Š- DR- DE SI JOLIS CHEVAUX p27

02/11/2013 03:45 par tellurikwaves

Š-DR- DE SI JOLIS CHEVAUX de Billy Bob Thornton (2000) p26

02/11/2013 03:39 par tellurikwaves

Simplistic and dull.

Author: Val68 from Binghamton, NY
26 January 2001

Though interestingly acted, the movie is ultimately disappointing. Billy Bob played up the romance--the least interesting part of the novel--and left out the more complex ideas that make McCarthy worth reading. (Biggest crime: cutting the Duena Alfonsa almost entirely out of the story.) I had high hopes, but found the movie simplistic and dull.

Š-DR- DE SI JOLIS CHEVAUX de Billy Bob Thornton (2000) p25

02/11/2013 03:33 par tellurikwaves

Better Late Than Never

Author: peters159-1 from United States
16 June 2006

After seeing Matt Damon carrying "The Rainmaker" I sat up and became a real fan of the actor. In that movie he impressed me greatly. I decided to see what was he doing next. I read where he was slated to star in All the Pretty Hourses so I got a copy of the book to see what it was all about. I liked what I read and was looking forward to see Matt Damon in the effort. When I read where Billy Bob Thornton was to direct I became ecstatic, I remembered his acting and directing in Sling Blade. Later, I read where there was trouble with the length of All The Pretty Horses at the producer threatened to cut the movie. Mr Thornton's version ran almost 4 hours, the released version to theaters was 117 minutes. Of course I went to see the movie and could see that it should have been longer. Any movie buff could see that.

What perplexes me is how studios and produces can contract certain directors and then butcher their completed work. Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time in America suffered a humiliation when the studio decided to cut his film drastically; it lost it's meaning, and money.

Later, the DVD restored version, 225 minutes, came out and was instantly received by customers. Thank God David O. Selznick stuck to his guns with Gone With The Wind. And look at how much money that! made. Like some others I hope that some one one day will be able to assemble the 4 hour version of All The Pretty Horses so that those of us who love movies can at least see what we've missed. I think we deserve to judge the movie for ourselves. Who knows, we might be missing a masterpiece.

Š-DR- DE SI JOLIS CHEVAUX de Billy Bob Thornton (2000) p24

02/11/2013 03:26 par tellurikwaves

Torn.

Author: Peach-2 from Netherlands
12 May 2001

I really wanted to love this film and from the opening scenes to the last third I really did like this film. I love surreal films as much as the next guy, but this film seems like it was made by Oliver Stone on Valium.(ah ah ah!) The film is really slow, now that can be a good thing, but in this case the pace just keeps getting slower and slower. I heard that Thornton's original cut ran almost four hours, it seems that the film has a whole other film missing from it. I didn't read the novel and I'm guessing that I should have read the novel because I couldn't figure this film out for the life of me.

When it was all over I felt empty. The performances are all great, I especially liked Lucas Black in the role of Blevins. Matt Damon and Henry Thomas are both very good in their roles and this is first movie Penelope Cruz has appeared in where I could see that she has real talent and isn't just another pretty face. I loved the cinematography, the outdoor landscapes were beautiful. The film has all the flavor and no real substance. I am torn with this film, I wanted to love it so bad. Even great film makers slip every now and then.

Š-DR- DE SI JOLIS CHEVAUX de Billy Bob Thornton (2000) p23

02/11/2013 03:18 par tellurikwaves

Newcomers trying for old-style Hollywood feel, and failing

Author: moonspinner55 from las vegas, nv
15 February 2002

From Cormac McCarthy's novel about young man in 1949 Texas leaving the family ranch for a life in Mexico,and winding up in hot water.Despite mystical undermining(which presumably is what director co-producer Billy Bob Thornton brought to the table)film has a distracting 'formula' feel: two-parts western, one-part forbidden romance, and one-part prison picture.None of it gels,simply because the screenwriter(Ted Tally of all people)and Thornton are trying for the kind of heavy,romantic movie-western style popular 40 years ago, and yet they do not possess the subtle qualities to make this genre successful for them. Matt Damon frequently flashes his shy/self-conscious movie-star smile, but he's so clean and bland and laid-back, he's practically non-existent on the screen. Penelope Cruz, as his forbidden flame, is better, but the other performers are less charismatic, and the story has no center--it just rambles around.

*1/2 from ****

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02/11/2013 03:13 par tellurikwaves

Passionate drama of life and death.

Author: Michael O'Keefe from Muskogee OK
3 March 2002

Director Billy Bob Thornton fills the screen with awesome scenery and a hard hitting drama about two young cowboys from San Angelo, Texas meeting up with another young horseman and coming face to face with life altering situations in and out of a Mexican prison. Friendship stays strong to the bitter end. And love proves to be stronger than life itself. Matt Damon, Henry Thomas and Lucas Black are the hard luck cowpokes. Damon falls in love with Penelope Cruz and provides some steamy love scenes. There is more drama than action in this western, but you should find it very entertaining. Damon and Black are the most impressive characters in this well-made movie.(ben non justement...mais attendons la fin de ce dossier...)

Š-DR- DE SI JOLIS CHEVAUX de Billy Bob Thornton (2000) p21

01/11/2013 18:37 par tellurikwaves

Excellent Storytelling, Beautifully Filmed

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from United States
25 October 2006

This is an excellent, epic western saga about two Texans who wind up in Mexico and all the trials and tribulations they go through, most of which are fascinating. I've watched this film several times and it gets better and better with each viewing. The acting, storytelling and magnificent photography all made it a treasure of a film....and a very underrated movie. It's easy to get very involved in this haunting tale.

Those two lead guys are played by Matt Damon ("John Grady Cole") and Henry Thomas ("Lacey Rawlins.") Along the way they are joined by the most interesting character of all of them: "Jimmy Blevins," played by Lucas Black. Jimmy is a nice kid but he's big-time trouble. His haunting face in his last scene is memorable.

Penelope Cruz is the attractive love interest, surrounded by a protective Mexican family. That family, mainly a father and aunt, were really enjoyable to watch, too, and I wish they had bigger roles in here. Not only is the acting good and photography stunning, the soundtrack with Spanish music is outstanding. I've read they actually filmed this for a four- hour movie. Man, I'd love to see that.

The only things I didn't care for were Thomas' blasphemous mouth and a couple of unpleasant scenes where the innocent lead characters are accused of things they didn't do and suffer because of it. This really isn't an action movie, but much more of a drama and it's excellent storytelling. It also has narration from Damon, who is good at that sort of thing.It's just a powerful movie with a lot of good things to offer. If you like good stories, don't pass this up.

Š- DR -DE SI JOLIS CHEVAUX page 20

01/11/2013 18:21 par tellurikwaves

HCrafted like a fine-tooled saddle

Author: John Williams from San Diego
8 February 2003

This is a hard film to pin down...given the spoon-fed plots we've all been conditioned to follow. It's sold as a love story, but that's one small bend in the film's long, dusty road. If I had to classify it in conventional terms, I'd put it somewhere between "coming of age" and an "american odyssey." It's spread out and slowly told--that's the nature of the subject. But to hell with all that.

I love this film. It's haunting. It's like putting on your favorite old pair of dusty old boots with their third soles and fifth heels, and kicking your feet up onto a hitching rail while you're waiting for the day to cool off. This is the story of John Grady Cole's serious loss of innocence. He is a stoic, simple, gentle, moral, responsible, sensible, well-mannered young Texan dropped into some extreme circumstances where his character is tested and proven.

The crafting of the film appears to be a direct extension of his character. From Barry Markowitz' big-sky, muted-color, wide-open, slowly-moving cinematography, Clark Hunter's simple yet brilliant production design, to Sally Menke's minimalist editing, all elements of this film combine to reflect the purity, simplicity and grace of it's protagonist. The create a purely american western MOOD, and I love the way this film feels when I watch it.

I love Matt Damon's Texas drawl. Hell, I love EVERYONE'S Texas drawl in this film. I love the unspoken, little-expressed love between his character and Henry Thomas' character, Lacy Rawlins. I love Lucas Black's rough-edged teenager in big trouble, and how he desperately reverts to his recently-lost childhood when he's being dragged off to certain death. I love how Billy Bob Thornton takes his time telling this tale...that's the way his main characters approach everything...patiently.

I love seeing two friends riding together toward who-knows-what in the middle of a vast wilderness. I love how even when John Grady Cole is enraged, he's still polite and rational. I just love the RICHNESS of this film--you can TASTE the cider when these guys pull over to buy a drink. You can TASTE the beans they eat in prison. You can SMELL the dust and the sage everywhere. You can FEEL how sore they are after 4 days of breaking horses. I even love the way "John Grady Cole" sounds when they say it. I'm trying to put my finger on it, but I can't...this film's like a glass of wonderful wine you weren't expecting.

But I saved the best for last: the most magnificent thing about "All the Pretty Horses," the force that binds all the rich, disparate pleasures of watching this film together, and expresses the subdued, pure emotions of it's protagonist, is Marty Stuart's exquisite score. It's warm like old wood and worn leather...it's part mariachi, part spanish, part classic western film score, part bluegrass, but it is PERFECT FOR THIS FILM. It's constructed entirely around a simple, graceful phrase on a spanish guitar (obviously a representation of the contents of John Grady Cole's pure Texas heart) I'm not even going to try to express any more about how great I think it is...I'll just get more frustrated than I already am. Needless to say, I listen to it again and again and again.

I just happen to love this movie. I'm more surprised than anyone else. I guess you could say, "I'm plum stuck on it--and I don't give too hoots in a holler what the rest of y'all might think about it neither."

Š-DR- DE SI JOLIS CHEVAUX de Billy Bob Thornton (2000) p19

01/11/2013 18:19 par tellurikwaves

Unreleased Potential

Author: Jonathan Ley from Edinburgh, Scotland
3 November 2004

Cormac McCarthy's novel, All The Pretty Horses, the first part of his breath-taking Border Trilogy, is one of the most perfect source materials ever written. Add to this the impressive line-up of talent (Ted Tally adapting, Thornton directing, Matt Damon, back when he was a hot property the first time around, starring) assembled for the film version and it's fair to say my expectations were raised sky high. When the film came out it was buried by the distributor. I managed to catch it in the one week it played at a single cinema in Edinburgh and I would be lying if I didn't admit that the whole experience was a crushing disappointment. It wasn't that the film makers had ballsed the whole thing up, no it was much more frustrating than that. You could tell that somewhere in that film there was a masterpiece straining to get out. Individual sequences impressed but the whole thing moved at such a frenzied pace that the main characters' journey, a true rite of passage in the novel, had become damagingly truncated.

The result was underwhelming but at the same time as been annoyed at the film I could tell it wasn't the film makers' fault. It was all too apparent that this was a great film that had had it's guts, it's heart, it's very essence, chopped out of it by a greedy distributor trying to market the film as some kind of Titanic / Young Guns cross over. Guess what, this movie was never going to appeal to the teeny boppers. If only the studio could have realized that and been true to the property they acquired in the first place. My suspicions were confirmed recently when I read an article wherein Matt Damon, a fine actor despite the criticism, claimed that Billy Bob Thornton's integral cut of the movie is the best he's ever been involved in. I don't know about you but that makes me want to see it. Apparently the studio are willing to release this extended cut on DVD (all revenue streams reach the ocean eventually) but Thornton won't settle for anything less than a full cinematic re-release. I can't say I blame him, I get the impression his film deserves at least that much. So for now I can't recommend this film, check out the novel instead and then the rest of Cormac McCarthy's back catalogue. But let's hope that in the not too distant future this film finally gets the treatment I suspect it deserves.