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The Bargain Nexus - Budd Boetticher Box Set (Tall T, Decision at Sundown, Buchanan Rides Alone, Ride Lonesome, Comanche Station)
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List Price: $59.95
Our Price: $44.13
Your Save: $ 15.82 ( 26% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Starring: Randolph Scott, Richard Boone, Nancy Gates, Claude Akins, Skip Homeier
Directed By: Budd Boetticher
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Sony
EAN: 0043396228856
Format: Box set
Label: Sony Pictures
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Number Of Items: 5
Publisher: Sony Pictures
Region Code: 99
Release Date: 2008-11-04
Running Time: 380
Studio: Sony Pictures
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Director Budd Boetticher has Western star Randolph Scott riding tall in THE TALL T through to COMANCHE STATION.
Comment: In the mid 1950's Director Budd Boetticher came together with ageing star Randolph Scott to make a remarkable group of B-Westerns under the banner of RANOWN Productions, the name was made up from the names of Randolph Scott and producer Harry Joe Brown. The first of these was SEVEN MEN FROM NOW (1956) a Batjac (John Wayne) Production. This film was painstakingly restored and released as a Special Collector's Edition in 2005.
This five-film Budd Boetticher Collection in production order is: THE TALL T (1957) DECISION AT SUNDOWN (1957) BUCHANHAN RIDES ALONE (1958) RIDE LONESOME (1959) and COMANCHE STATION (1960) Of this group the first and last two films stand out above the rest not least because they all have a cracking script by Burt Kennedy as did the aforementioned SEVEN MEN FROM NOW. These four films have gained a cult following over the years and can be regarded as mini-masterpieces!
Boetticher's characters in these films are not the usual B-Western hero / villains stereotypes, in most cases his heroes are flawed and the villains not all bad which is helped by a strong cast of supporting actors including the likes of Richard Boone, John Carroll, Craig Stevens, James Coburn and Claude Akins. Of the leading ladies Karen Steele (Mrs Budd Boetticher) appeared in two of the above Westerns others included Valerie French, Maureen O'Sullivan and Nancy Gates.
Randolph Scott is the obsessive stoic hero in these little seventy-odd minute dramas. On the release of the marvellous COMANCHE STATION in early 1960, Scott decided to rest on his laurels and retire. He was persuaded two years later to climb back in the saddle once more for Sam Pekinpah's wonderful RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY (1962) along with fellow veteran westerner Joel McCrea.
All five films here from Sony Pictures and the Film Foundation have been digitally re-mastered and special features include a Budd Boetticher Documentary, The original theatrical released trailers and commentaries by Taylor Hackford, Martin Scorsese and last but not least Clint Eastwood. This Budd Boetticher Collection is a must have for any serious Western fan and is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not your everyday Westerns
Comment: This box set of is a must for lovers of Westerns and for all film buffs. Randolp Scott stars in and co-produces these movies. Scott made scores of B Westerns but it wasn't until he hooked up with director Budd Boetticher that he created a handful of the greatest Westerns ever made. With a B picture budget and an average shooting schedule of two weeks Beotticher transcended these limitations to create great entertainment and movie art. His characters, especially his bad guys, are complex and often likeable, Scott is gritty and determined - usually bent of revenge, and the landscapes which Boetticher's camera adores are breathtaking.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Five by Budd Boetticher
Comment: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: From the Secret Files of Harry Pennypacker
Cheyenne Warrior
Shadow Watcher
Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake
Western fans will rejoice over the long awaited release of THE FILMS OF BUDD BOETTICHER, a 5-disc set from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The films are five of the seven legendary westerns that director Boetticher made with Randolph Scott.
Back in the days when I was a Hollywood publicist, Budd Boetticher was one of my clients.
Budd was a very interesting man who told me many stories about his years in Hollywood. He was also very open about his self-destructive nature.
At the time we were working together, he was talking about suing Universal Pictures over TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA, the 1970 Clint Eastwood/Shirley MacLaine western that was directed by Don Siegel. According to Budd. he'd sold the original story of that film to the studio with the proviso that he would also direct and Universal had reneged on that part of the deal. [I don't recall how the matter was resolved.]
Budd also told me how he came to direct WESTBOUND (1959), a Warner Brothers film and the only one of the Boetticher/Scott movies that is not yet available on DVD.
"I offered to direct the movie for nothing," Budd said. "I wanted to protect my star."
The last time I saw Budd was a couple of months before his death. I'd acquired a lobby card from THE TALL T, already signed by Scott, and I wanted Budd's signature on it also. The framed piece now hangs prominently on my living room wall.
The TALL T (1957) is one of the films in this new set from Sony. Arguably, it is the best of the director's collaborations with Scott, who plays a down-on-his-luck rancher, taken hostage with Maureen O'Sullivan by Richard Boone and his gang. The outlaws had planned to hold up the stagecoach, but have instead decided to ransom the lady back to her wealthy father.
Henry Silva co-stars in the Burt Kennedy-written film.
Like THE TALL T, both RIDE LONESOME (1959) and COMANCHE STATION (1960) were both written by Kennedy and were filmed in the scenic Lone Pine area.
Scott plays a much darker character in these films, as he did in DECISION AT SUNDOWN (1957).
In RIDE LONESOME, co-starring Karen Steele, Pernell Roberts and (in his film debut) James Coburn, Scott plays a bounty hunter, bringing killer James Best in to be hung. However, before he can do that, he has to deal with marauding Indians, outlaws led by Best's brother and Roberts, an outlaw himself who by bringing in Best can get amnesty.
COMANCHE STATION finds Scott rescuing Indian captive Nancy Gates and bringing her back to her husband, who has offered a reward. Again, in order to do this, he must fight even more Indians, plus baddie Claude Akins and his buddies, who want the reward for themselves.
Both DECISION AT SUNDOWN and BUCHANAN RIDES ALONE (1958) are primarily set in a town. SUNDOWN has Scott in what is perhaps his most complex role. He rides into town to kill John Carroll, the man he hold's responsible for the death of his wife. But, Carroll "owns" the town and Randy soon finds himself holed up in the livery stable.
Karen Steele, Valerie French and Andrew Duggan co-star in this one.
In the light-hearted BUCHANAN RIDES ALONE, Scott arrives in a corrupt border town and finds himself in the middle of a blood feud. Craig Stevens co-stars.
Frankly, neither SUNDOWN or BUCHANAN are in the same league with the other three pictures or the first Boetticher/Scott collaboration, SEVEN MEN FROM NOW. The problem in both films is not Scott or Boetticher, but the scripts.
Both screenplays have Randy's character doing some pretty stupid things in their confrontations with the bad guys. Essentially, the characters' actions seem more writer-motivated than character-motivated and they don't ring true.
Nevertheless, if you love westerns you will want to own this set.
© Michael B. Druxman,, author of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
Customer Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding collection
Comment:
Budd Boetticher was a remarkable director. Sony Pictures, in their Collectors Choice set, "The Films of Budd Boettcher", presents five remarkable films that are still powerful today.
Including "The Tall T", "Decision at Sundown", "Buchanan Rides Alone", "Ride Lonesome", and "Commanche Station", this set is visually stunning, highlighting the natural beauty of the Lone Pine area. "Ride Lonesome" and "Comanche Station" resonate a theme central to his films, the lone hero seeking revenge and redemption. Randolph Scott stars in all five films, portraying to perfection the strong, silent hero.
In "Ride Lonesome", Barricade (Scott), goes after a man with a bounty on his head. Behind his apparent cold blooded nature, his real motive of finding the man who hung his wife is exposed in the end, and what was once a case of pure bounty, becomes an act of grace and forgiveness.
Future director Burt Kennedy penned the bulk of these films, honing his craft with a director with an eye for sparse storytelling, and a cast that understood what Boetticher was creating. Scott was essential to the films, adding his reputation and experience to roles that screamed "Randolph scott!". Images of Scott atop his animals, or silhouetted against the desert sky are vintage western iconic symbols. Co-stars James Coburn, Maureen Sullivan, Lee Van Cleef, Pernell Roberts, and Richard Boone contribute good performances to great films.
Watching these films is a pilgrimage experience. The Lone Pine settings, used in hundreds of films since the early 1920's, has been transformed into a more urban setting. When Randolph Scott rides by the familiar rocks of the geological formations, images of other films flood by. Randolph Scott appearing onscreen beckons me to a time when legendary actors rode the silver screen range, and westerns rode tall and proud in cinemas around the country. Principles were fought for and died on. Men of moral standing became outstanding community builders.
This is a collection for the collector of great films, though not all are of equal quality. The prints have been restored to brilliant color and sound. Watch these films, but if you have access to a big screen, I mean really big screen, go for the gusto. There is nothing like Randolph Scott riding tall on any screen!
Tim Lasiuta
Customer Rating:
Summary: "This is indeed wondrous!" - Ilya Morometz
Comment: 5 Boetticher classic Ranown westerns in one set? Cleaned up & widescreen? WE'RE NOT WORTHY....WE'RE NOT WORTHY!
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Editorial Reviews:
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Few hauteur directors are more revered and beloved than Oscar "Budd" Boetticher, Jr., who lived a life more amazing than any movie. And few films have been more eagerly-awaited on DVD than the spare, adult westerns he made at Columbia in the late 1950s, all starring Randolph Scott, most written by future director Burt Kennedy, and co-starring such outstanding actors as James Coburn (in his film debut), Richard Boone, Maureen O'Sullivan, Pernell Roberts, Lee Van Cleef, and Craig Stevens. Now, at last, you hold them in your hand: The Tall T, Decision at Sundown, Buchanan Rides Alone, Ride Lonesome and Comanche Station. Rounding out the set is Bruce Ricker's acclaimed feature-length documentary, A Man Can do That, executive produced Budd's friend Clint Eastwood. Sony Pictures and The Film Foundation are honored to present one of the absolutely essential collections of this or any year.
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