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Reviews
The Overlanders (1946)
Nice cattle drive drama
I haven't seen this film for many years, but I still fondly remember it. I probably saw it last on television around 1990 or so, but the film was good enough to leave a fond recollection of it.
POTENTIAL PLOT SPOILER FOLLOWS? In theme, it's very much like American cattle drive movies, in that a large heard of cattle must be driven across a long distance against adversity, but its set against a WWII backdrop. The cast, containing some familiar Australian actors, interacts well. The Australian bush makes for an interesting character, in a way, all of its own, although the movie is filmed in black and white, so the dynamic of color is not at work here. A female character adds an element not generally present, at least in the drover characters, in an American cattle drive movie.
A good, entertaining, movie. I wish I could find it on DVD.
Charge of the Boer Cavalry (1900)
Early recreated action
This film is an interesting short, but it is not actually of Boer troops in the field in southern Africa. It's an early Edison short depicting a group of horsemen in the US northeast depicting Boers for the film. The background makes that quite plain, as the wooded hilly areas are quite obviously not of the Veldt or anywhere in southern Africa.
Still, it is an interesting example of an early effort at depicting a news item of a then topical subject. It can almost be viewed as a type of newsreel for that reason. The actual action is very short, but it is fairly nicely done. The film itself can be viewed for free at the Library of Congress' "American Memory" website, where it can be downloaded.
The Professionals (1966)
Interesting film anticipating later films, and recalling early ones. A classic of sorts.
The Professionals features an excellent cast for the most part, and an engaging story. However, it's a bit odd for viewers to watch now, at first, if they're familiar with other Westerns. In terms of plot the film resembles those of the 1950s, but is a little quicker paced, and a little edgier. However, viewers familiar with Sam Peckinpah's westerns, which would follow this one very quickly, will find the plot here somewhat slow and surprisingly mild in tone. This film, in the hands of someone like Peckinpah, would have come out like The Wild Bunch.
The temptation, therefore, is to compare this film to the Western classics of the 50s, or the more violent Westerns of the late 60s. It really shouldn't be, however, as it's a classic of its own era. If viewed without expectations or comparisons, it's a good film, with a good, and nicely paced, plot, that isn't subject to the distractions of excessive violence or exploitation.
Lee Marvin is very good in his role, and turns in an excellent performance. It recalls his performance of The Dirty Dozen, in that he plays a typical Marvin character, but in a somewhat understated way, making the character believable. Burt Lancaster's performance is also understated. Woody Strode is given a good, somewhat minor, role, but one that is more of a fully interacting character than some other roles he was given.
Probably the weakest character in the entire film is Claudia Cardinale, which isn't surprising. Cardinale comes alive in Italian films, but in English speaking films her lack of command of the English language translates in to some fairly stilted acting. Having said that, she turns in a better performance her than in The Pink Panther, or in Once Upon A Time In The West. However, she's not up to the same level that Sandia Berger was in Major Dundee. She's clearly in the film mostly for window dressing, and in an era when it would not be regarded as excessively odd that a Mexican woman would be portrayed by somebody with a heavy Italian accent.
All in all, it's a good film, and worth seeing.