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Fox Western Classics (Rawhide / The Gunfighter / Garden of Evil)x$9.92
  (26 reviews)
Best Price: $9.92
Disc 1: Garden of Evil (1954) Feature Film Disc 2: The Gunfighter (1951) Feature Film Disc 3: Rawhide (1951) Feature Film One of these three new-to-DVD Westerns is a universally esteemed classic, well worth the price of the set. But in happy fact, the whole package delivers the goods: sturdy genre entertainment from the Western's peak decade, the 1950s; solid Fox studio craftsmanship in every department; and breathtakingly crisp restorations that make you feel you've been time-warped back to a loge seat in your Bijou of choice on opening day. Henry King's The Gunfighter (1950) is the crown jewel--the film that deserves the credit (often awarded to High Noon) for ushering in the "adult Western," the '50s subgenre that emphasized psychological intensity over action and spectacle. Gregory Peck (topping his acclaimed performance in King's WWII drama Twelve O'Clock High) is excellent as Jimmy Ringo, a notorious shootist grown middle-aged and mortally weary of having to defend his legend. His trail takes him to a frontier town where an old comrade (the great Millard Mitchell) now serves as marshal, and where Ringo's estranged wife and the son he has never seen also reside, under an assumed name. Over one night and one day, Ringo dares to dream of a normal life. But there are avengers not far behind, and other threats yet to be counted. Although hailed by critics, The Gunfighter lost money for Fox; studio head Darryl F. Zanuck blamed the soup-strainer mustache--a stroke of period realism--director King ordered Peck to grow for the role. Well, a little red ink is a small price to pay for a masterpiece. Incidentally, the impeccable black-and-white cinematography is by three-time Oscar-winner Arthur Miller, capping a career that reached back to The Perils of Pauline. The 1951 Rawhide (no relation to the later TV series) is a trim, satisfying Henry Hathaway picture that blends the leathery trappings of the Western with the claustrophobic atmosphere and intensity of a noir suspense film. At a remote swing station for the transcontinental stagecoach, several no-goods aim to help themselves to a gold shipment. But the next coach isn't carrying gold, so the intruders hold the stationmasters (Tyrone Power and Edgar Buchanan) and some stranded passengers captive while they wait. Power and Susan Hayward handle the heroics without larger-than-life posturing; Dean Jagger, Hugh Marlowe, and George Tobias relish the rare opportunity to play villainous or ambiguous types; and Jack Elam is, well, Jack Elam, reliably oozing viciousness from every pore. Screenwriter Dudley Nichols knew the territory, having scripted John Ford's Stagecoach thirteen years earlier. Hathaway also directed Garden of Evil (1954), Fox's first Western in the new CinemaScope process. (Very wiiiiide CinemaScope--the DVD preserves the 2.55:1 format, which was later modified to 2.35:1.) The story involves several fortune-seeking Americanos accidentally thrown together in Mexico and enlisted to help rescue a fellow countryman injured at his remote gold mine. Much of the film unreels as a journey Western exploring tensions among the strangers, especially those inspired by dreaming of gold and the man's redheaded wife (Susan Hayward). The dialogue reaches for profundity and comes up short, but Richard Widmark as a self-designated "poet" and Gary Cooper as a retired lawman give satisfaction as they one-up each other. The movie's distinction lies in Hathaway's no-sweat adaptation to the widescreen format, the awe-inspiring Mexican settings--a deserted village, a valley of black sand, a mountain town buried under volcanic ash--and the only music score ever composed for a feature Western by Bernard Herrmann. Herrmann is just about the only thing the four commentators on Garden of Evil talk about (there's also a separate "making of" featurette). Nobody does commentary on The Gunfighter or Rawhide, but the disc for the former includes a featurette on master cameraman Arthur Miller, while a Rawhide addendum highlights the oft-used movie location of Lone Pine, Calif., and another pays tribute to gutsy leading lady Susan Hayward. Talking heads include some half-dozen film historians (e.g., David Biographical Dictionary of Film Thomson) plus Henry Hathaway's son and Gary Cooper's daughter. --Richard T. Jameson
MPN: FOXD2251258D - UPC: 024543512585
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Customer Reviews
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Wonderful Western Classics
By A1RKL0S9R65O5K on 2008-02-28
Here's a terrific 3 western movie set from Fox Home Entertainment which
comprises THE GUNFIGHTER (1950), GARDEN OF EVIL (1954) and one that was becoming quite elusive the marvellous RAWHIDE (1951).
THE GUNFIGHTER available on Region 2 for the past two years or more is here making its belated debut on Region 1. Why the delay is anybody's guess! The movie is of course one we are all familier with and one of the most cherishable classic westerns ever. Gregory Peck is in fine form as the now world weary notorious and legendary gunfighter Jimmy Ringo who arrives back in town to see his estranged wife (Helen Westcott) and their small son. Hoping for a reconciliation, his presence causes a great stir among the town's people and attracts all sorts of young guns out to make a "reputation" for themselves, one of whom will be responsible alas for the protagonist's doom in the final reel. Crisply photographed in Black and White by Arthur Miller it is expertly directed by Henry King and fleshed out with an excellent supporting cast in Millard Mitchell as the reformed town Sheriff, Karl Malden as the amiable saloon owner, Jean Parker as an ex-girlfriend and Skip Homier as the errant young gun.
GARDEN OF EVIL is the second movie of the set and a very welcome inclusion it is. It too is making a belated debut on Region 1.
"If the earth was made of gold men would die for a handful of dirt"
So goes the theme of this somewhat unusual western directed by Henry Hathaway in 1954. With lovely locations in Mexico this was Fox's first western in the then new process of Cinemascope and Stereophonic Sound
and boasted a sterling cast in Gary Cooper, Richard Widmark and Susan
Hayward. Cooper, Widmark, Cameron Mitchell and Victor Manuel Mendoza
play four adventurers contracted by Leah Fuller (Hayward) to go back with her into the wilds of Mexico to rescue her husband (Hugh Marlowe)who lies
trapped and injured in a gold mine. They journey to the mine and perform the rescue but on their way back they are pursued by Apaches and must ward off a very well staged Indian attack on a hazardous cliff-face trail.
A good adventure yarn if a tad slow in parts but the widescreen picture
looks great and the cast are excellent - Cooper as Hooker is at his
laconic best, Hayward is as gorgeous as ever and Widmark shines as Fisk the droll and garrulous gambler who cuts for highest card to determine who goes and who stays.
Beautifully photographed in Cinemascope and colour by Milton Krasner it
is excitingly handled by Hathaway and has a splendid score by Bernard Herrmann. The only real western he ever scored if you discount some
obscure episodes of TV's "The Virginian" he worked on in the sixties.
RAWHIDE is the final film in the set and the most anticipated one. This
movie has been quite elusive over the years, available only on a VHS tape
it is great to see it at last on DVD.
Tyrone Power - making one of his rare forays into a western - and again the lovely Susan Hayward head the excellent cast in what is essentially a Film Noir with a western setting. The story set in an isolated Stagecoach Relay Station has its occupants being held hostage by a gang of outlaws intent on robbing the gold bullion when the morning stage arrives and recounts the efforts of Power and Hayward to escape their captors and thwart their plans.
From a splendidly written screenplay by Dudley Nichols the film has a palpable dramatic thrust which it maintains throughout. Sharply photographed in Monochrome by Milton Krasner this is edge of seat stuff thanks to Henry Hathaway's seamless direction, the atmospheric music by Sol Kaplan and the excellent performances of the individual cast members. Outstanding is Hugh Marlowe as Zimmermann the educated gang leader, the wonderful gravelly voiced Edgar Buccanan as Sam the ill-fated station boss, Dean Jagger as Yancy the harmless "one horse horse thief" and making his debut the quintessential baddie Jack Elam as the unscrupulous and violent gunman Tevis ( to emphasize his wickedness he even takes pot-shots at a year old baby girl). Listen out too for Gary Merill (uncredited) doing the narration over the film's opening and closing scenes.
The following year Fox took the picture's basic premise and turned it into
a movie called "Outcasts Of Poker Flat" starring Dale Robertson and Anne Baxter but it had little success. Pity Fox didn't include it in this package to allow for comparison.
However, as it stands this is an excellent package of three superlative westerns and are excellent examples of the genre and how westerns should be made. Producers of modern westerns take note and learn something from these kind of movies that are exciting to watch, beautifully shot and written, have charismatic players and above all - entertain!
Classic line from "Rawhide":
Ty Power asking Susan Hayward why she is locking the door of her room and is it because of Coyotes, Hayward wryly replies "Yeh, the kind with boots on!"
The three discs are heaped with superb extras ............
THE GUNFIGHTER -
Arthur Miller Painter with Light Featurette.
The Western Grows Up Featurette.
Restoration Comparison.
Original Theatrical Trailer.
Advertising and Still Gallery.
GARDEN OF EVIL -
Audio Commentary by film and music historian John Morgan,
Nick Redman, Steven Smith and William Stromberg.
Isolated Music Track.
Travels Of A Gunfighter:Making Of Garden Of Evil Featurette.
Henry Hathaway: When The Going Gets Tough Featurette.
Restoration Comparison. Original Theatrical Trailer.
Interactive Pressbook. Advertising & Still Gallery.
RAWHIDE -
Susan Hayward: Hollywood's Straight Shooter Featurette.
Shoot It In Lone Pine! Featurette.
Restoration Comparison. Original Theatrical Trailer.
Interactive Pressbook. Advertising & Still Gallery.
Wow! The extras are worth another five stars!
"FOX WESTERN CLASSICS"- 3 DVD BOX SET
By A1RQE7WXWF9VTB on 2008-03-02
At long last "The Garden of Evil"(Color 1954) even if it is included in a trilogy with two other great western movies "Rawhide" and "The Gunfighter", in a collection called "Fox Western Classics". These are great western films, but to me the crown jewel is "Garden of Evil". An extraordinary western with a star studded cast that includes, Gary Cooper, Susan Hayward, Richard Widmark, Cameron Mitchell, Victor Manuel Mendoza and Rita Moreno. This one alone "is worth the ticket". You will not be sorry in purchasing the unique box set. If you like westerns, do not miss this one. I highly recommend it.
Three Awesome Westerns In One Great Collection
By A3BMRSE8N1858V on 2008-03-16
Three long overdue for DVD Westerns are together in one collection. Each of these movies are great individually, but together, makes this a must-have Western film. Here are the three films -
Rawhide - Rawhide deserves not only a DVD release, but recognition as one of the greatest Westerns ever. Taut, masterful direction by the great Henry Hathaway, and excellent perfomances by everyone makes this a must have film for anyone who loves the Western genre.
Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward are trapped at a stage way station by a gang of desperate criminals. Surprises and tragedy unfold as Power, Hayward, and Hayward's baby try to survive and outwit the criminals.
There are scenes in this film that are so tense that even today's hardened, jaded moviegoers will appreciate. This was not a film with larger than life heroes or cardboard cutout villains, but real people well portrayed with great lines from a magnificent script.
The Gunfighter - Gregory Peck, with his natural, spare acting style, and his folksy, plain demeanor, was a natural for Westerns, and his greatness in this genre was never more evident in this 1950 film, which was one of the earlier psychological Westerns.
Peck plays Jimmie Ringo, the most notorious gunfighter in the West, is running from the brothers of a man he killed. He shows up in a town where his ex-wife lives with their young son. Ringo holds up in the town saloon as a favor to the town marshal, who an old friend, while he waits for an opportunity to see his wife.
Meanwhile, the town is taken over with the nervous enthusiasm of people wanting to see a celebrity, a shootout, or a dead celebrity. At the same time, a young punk, would-be gunfighter has heard that Ringo is in town, and is itching to make his reputation off of killing Ringo.
Everyone delivers excellent performances, and the movie has a lot to say about voyeurism, celebrity, longing, and regret. This is a fantastic movie, and without question, one of the best Westerns ever made.
Garden of Evil - This great Western was never even released on VHS, much less video, which is a shame since it had great performance from two great Western actors, Gary Cooper and Richard Widmark. Cooper, Widmark, and two other soldiers of fortune, played by Cameron Mitchell and Victor Manuel Mendoza, arrive in Mexico having responded to an add to make lots of money. They are greeted by Susan Hayward, who takes them on a perilous journey to rescue her husband, who has been injured in a mining accident. If the journey and the rescue weren't hard enough, the location of the mine in in Indian territory. Soon, alliances are made, broken, and remade, and emotions, greed, and violence ensues.
This film may be regarded as the least of the three by some, but it has terrific acting by all, and is a wonderful showcase of Cooper beginning the twilight phase of his magnificent career, where he tended to play veteran loners who find that they still have lots to live for, and who usually finds love and renewed courage along the way.
All three films are excellent, and should have merited individual releases, making this release combining all three is even more special.
GARDEN OF EVIL highlights Forgotten Classic Westerns
By A7Y6AVS576M03 on 2008-04-02
1954's GARDEN OF EVIL is a Western rich with characterization that seems stereotypical on the surface, but on analysis, runs much deeper. Susan Hayward (an enigmatic heroine) hires a group of stranded travelers in a Mexican waterfront town to follow her to a remote mine where her husband is trapped. The adventurous group is comprised of Gary Cooper (the upright, moralistic hero), Richard Widmark (a cynical witticism spouting gambler), Victor Manuel Mendoza (the good-natured Mexican guide) and Cameron Mitchell (the back-shooting kid gunslinger). They must traverse perilous and dangerous Indian territory to get to the mine, but their motives are unclear. Is it the trapped man, the lure of gold or the subdued sexual attraction that Hayward exudes that drives them? The narrative is a study of personalities in conflict, their motivations, loyalties, cowardice and heroism. Richard Widmark's character comes off as the most interesting. He lingers in the viewer's mind long after the film is over and the question is raised - which is the more honorable: the moralistic hero or the dubiously elegant yet noble rogue? Henry Hathaway is a director known for atmosphere, character and authentic locations. He combines mood and action. This film has all those elements. It is beautifully photographed, yet the picturesque landscapes are juxtaposed with disturbingly photographed death scenes, menacing ever-lurking Indians (always photographed from a distance) and even mysterious looking set designs. The church bell tower sprouting up from the dried lava is all that remains of the town outside the mine and is symbolically ominous in appearance. Frank Fenton's screenplay is filled with vague dialog and only adds to the total feeling of uneasiness that permeates this film. Bernard Herrmann's score accentuates the moodiness of this haunting adventure tale, itself also vague and non-specific. It is very untypical of the Hollywood Western. He achieved a recurrent sense of ominous fate throughout this entire film without the score ever entering into the psychological realm. This is by no means a minor score by Herrmann and I rank this as one of his great scores. GARDEN OF EVIL under Henry Hathaway's direction intelligently yet emotionally integrates the psychological aspects of his characters and even the threatening locale into the action elements found in the standard Western genre to create an unnerving and very thought provoking experience.
1950's THE GUNFIGHTER directed by Henry King is a great character study of the larger than life notion of the hired gunman. Gregory Peck's performance breaks down the mythology of the Western gunman and makes him a real a man who had hopes and aspirations and saw those dreams slip through his fingers and blow away like tumbleweed. The script by William Bowers, William Sellers, André De Toth and Nunnally Johnson develop a familiar theme that is so central to many Westerns since. The focus is on the one way of life that has been outlived by time, the collapse of open space and the indistinct progress of civilization. And if that way of life has been characterized by human failures and transgressions, is redemption through a return to a conventional life possible? Alfred Newman's score is very thought provoking and subtle and is a important enhancement to this central theme. THE GUNFIGHTER also has a strong cast that strengthens the narrative with the likes of Karl Malden, Skip Homeier, Richard Jaeckel, Kenneth Tobey, Ellen Corby, Helen Westcott and Alan Hale Jr.
1951's RAWHIDE also directed by Henry Hathaway is a solid entry in the Western genre strong on character motivations and building suspense as outlaws hold citizens captive in a stagecoach station. It has a superlative cast including Tyrone Power, Susan Hayward, Dean Jagger, Jack Elam, Edgar Buchanan, Hugh Marlowe, Kenneth Tobey and George Tobias. Thomas Little and Stuart A. Reiss designed the primary sets with art designs by Lyle Wheeler and George W. Davis and great camera work by cinematographer Milton Krasner all essential to the central story. Composers Sol Kaplan and Lionel Newman turned in an interesting score.
A fantastic bargain for three great westerns!
By A35LWA8VY66G8F on 2008-04-08
All three of these westerns are superb. The Gunfighter is perhaps one of Gregory Peck's best films, before he became maudlin and uninteresting, before To Kill A Mockingbird. But compare this Gunfighter film with The Bravados, e.g.)
The Garden of Evil has sweep and color and a use of CinemaScope never seen in westerns, until The Tall Men. The Bernard Hermann score is riveting, and Susan Hayward..tremendous, as are Richard Widmark and Gary Cooper.Widmark is always great, and underrated. He was the glory of westerns.
Rawhide has Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward trapped by killers at a stagecoach station. The insanity of both Hugh Marlowe (underrated) and Jack Elam makes it look as though the whole world is in chaos, light years away from unity or peace. Tyrone Power, always stupendous, and Susan Hayward, adjetives cannot describe, respond to this wave of evil with fear and trembling, and finally...
Get this set and play it for years.
- Susan Hayward steals the whole show!
By A2Q7BQ43WQWU4C on 2008-06-04
3 good westerns in one package...and yet after having watched the 3 movies, it's the performances of the great late Susan Hayward that mesmorizes me the most...
In "Rawhide"(1951) as much as in "Garden of Evil" (1954) she is fascinating in her timing,agressivity yet always extremely feminine and sexy...
What a star she was...Studios (especially 20 century fox) should threat her superb legacy much better by releasing one or two Susan Hayward DVD boxsets featuring the big hits she was in from the second half of the fourties up to the late sixties....She remained a front rank super star for 20 years..not a small feat for a female star of her generation!
In "Garden of evil" she is spectacular in technicolor! Watch her...
- a top rate collection presented with top rate features etc...
By A81P47EIXM8HA on 2008-05-27
These are three terrific 50's Westerns starring and directed by some of the greats of all time! The restorations are fabulous and the bonus featurettes are also absolutely tasty and informative...this is a ridiculous bargain at this price...for any ONE of the movies much less all three. If you are a fan of westerns or these actors..buy with confidence the prints are stunning and as I said...these are good movies to boot!
- TRIPLE FEATURE.........
By A1ORZ2ZH5MIZCG on 2008-06-07
Triple feature of 3 enjoyable movies from the long ago days when Hollywood knew how to make a decent western, which today is pretty much a lost art.
Received my copy from Amazon a short while ago, noticed our local library also has their copy. Not a bad movie in the bunch, however, I believe my favorite is RAWHIDE. And it has been a movie very difficult to find.
Won't waste many more words: I watch westerns and read western books, so if you have any interest in the fictional west, do not, I stress, DO NOT pass up these 3 movies at this bargain price.
Best in watching, pards.
Semper Fi.
- "Fox Western Classics" delivers a real bargain
By A2B24W9ZTLXOSR on 2008-06-28
Fox Western Classics offer three major, but rarely televised, westerns from the early 1950s. A real treat, and the best of the three in my opinion, is the "Garden of Evil". This is a really fun adventure/western that has Gary Cooper offering lines like "let's ride!" and this retort to Susan Hayward's comment about Richard Widmark staying behind to take on the Indians alone; "Somebody always stays and get's it done." I am not a Cooper fan but after seeing him in this film, I better understand his appeal. The source material for the disc is excellent and the widescreen color presentation of some very exotic Mexican locales is worth the price of the dvd. This film also has a musical score by Bernard Herrmann.
"Rawhide", directed by Henry Hathaway (as was Garden of Evil)features Tyrone Power and, again, Susan Hayward in a black and white western that is also quite well done. The dvd presentation is excellent.
Gregory Peck "stretches" as an actor by playing a semi-bad guy (complete with a villian's mustache) in "The Gunfighter". Another good western character study and another excellent dvd presentation.
All three films are major "A" budget projects from the 50s that are not often seen anywhere, not at revivals, not on television, and, not to my recollection on VHS tape.
A real bargain for anyone looking for a quality western dvd package.
- Fox Western Classics
By A1GHUN5HXMHZ89 on 2008-07-24
I am not going to go into the details on these movies as they have already been well reviewed by Joe Doherty. I just wanted to say all three movies are good with some of the best actors of this period. Having enjoyed Westerns for some time, growing up in the 50's and 60s it was a Smorgasbord at the movies and on TV. Today the Westerns are few and far between and even on cable TV there are only a couple of networks that televise them. Any fan of this genre should definitely add this three movie set to their Western collection. This set can't be found just anywhere, and not even Netflix rents these movies. This set would be a good deal at $19.99 and it was a bargain at $14.99. I highly recommend this set at Amazon for the amazing steal of $10.99, and you won't find it cheaper if you can even find it. If you have Prime Shipping you get them in a couple days and you're in for some great entertainment. Great quaility DVDS with good replayability. If you enjoyed these catch "Stalking Moon" and "Cimarron". - C. Luster
- Great Westerns
By A1PPIFR51T81IK on 2008-06-09
At first, I wasn't sure how I felt after watching "Garden of Evil." At first, it didn't do much for me, but by the next day, I started to think about it and realized what a terrific film it is. It's character driven and everyone is first rate. The scenery is a significant factor in the film's enjoyment. Even Susan Hayward, whom I always thought was a poor actress, rises to the occassion. "Garden of Evil" is slow going in some areas but, when the drama kicks in, it is compelling. "Gunfighter" and "Rawhide" are very apparent when addressing their stature as classics. I highly recommend this collectoin of 20th Century Fox western classics.
- Classic West
By A2LQIDHWXCXVXF on 2008-06-28
Three great westerns in one pack. For $14.99 this is a great deal. Each DVD has its own slim keep case, rather then a clumsy 'cardboard custom case', which actually is a great relief.
All three movies are digitally remastered, the picture and sound are good. 'Garden of Evil' comes in widescreen and color. The rest are B&W and presented in full screen. All three movies are equally entertaining with great acting. The Special Features included along with each movie is great. Another neat stuff from 20th Century Fox.
If you are a classic western fan, then go grab this one right away.
- 3 great Twentieth Century Fox western classics in one nice 3 DVD set!!!
By A22VNXHU6IZ5MT on 2008-08-24
What a great set,this great set includes 3 Fox western classics Rawhide,The Gunfighter and Garden of Evil,all three films are restored beautifully and there great extras on each and every DVD in the set!!!WOW!!! A great deal for the $!!! Recommended for western fans!!! A+
- Fox Western Classics
By A276M3NSIY9B82 on 2008-08-31
Anyone who is a fan of the serious/adult western needs to check this set out. They're not your typical chase 'em down, shoot 'em up westerns, they're much more character driven than action driven. This set also has an excellent price which makes it more than a bargain; three quality westerns for much less than $20! The discs are all in the slim-case format.
The Gunfighter was released in 1950 & probably the most critically acclaimed of the three in this set. It's in black & white, directed by Henry King. It's presented in the full screen format (1.33:1). It stars Gregory Peck with a great supporting cast that includes: Helen Westcott, Millard Mitchell, Jean Parker, Karl Malden, Skip Homeier, Richard Jaeckel & Alan Hale, Jr. (Gilligan's Island) in a small role. The Gunfighter is much like a stage play in the way that it's presented.
Jimmy Ringo (Gregory Peck) is a gunfighter in his mid-thirties who's ready to give up the way he lives. Ringo, after killing a young gunny wanting to make a name for himself, is forced to go on the run. His destination is the small town where his wife & son live though no one knows who they are except for Sheriff Mark Strett (Millard Mitchell) who at one time was in Ringo's gang. Ringo wants to settle down, he wants to reunite with his wife & family. She initially refuses to meet with him but is finally convinced to meet with him. They talk & finally agree if Ringo can stay out of trouble for a year then she will reconsider the situation. The problem with this is that the town has its own young gunny, Hunt Bromley (Skip Homeier), looking to make a reputation. The final scene is one of Hollywood's most heart touching ever.
Bonus features include "Arthur Miller: Painter With Light", "The Western Genre Grows Up" among others.
Rawhide was released in 1951. It's in black & white, directed by Henry Hathaway. Rawhide is remake, of sorts, of the 1936 crime drama, Show Them No Mercy. It's also presented in the full screen format (1.33:1). It stars Tyrone Power & Susan Hayward; the supporting cast includes: Hugh Marlowe, Dean Jagger, Edgar Buchanan (Petticoat Junction) & Jack Elam. Elam's role was one of his biggest in the early part of his career.
Rawhide takes place almost entirely at a stagecoach station.
Sam Todd (Edgar Buchanan) is the stationmaster & Tom Owens (Tyrone Power) is his young assistant. Vinnie Holt (Susan Hayward) arrives on the stage with her baby niece. Because there's an outlaw gang on the loose Holt & the baby are forced off the stage remaining at the station. Zimmerman (Hugh Marlowe) arrives posing as a sheriff on the prowl for the gang. In truth, he's the leader of the outlaw gang; they take over the station, killing Todd, to wait for the next stage that has a large gold shipment. Zimmerman thinks that Owens & Holt are married so he spares them & the child. The scenes are tense, in particular the ones where Tevis (Jack Elam) is constantly being out of control & blood thirsty.
Bonus features include "Susan Hayward: Hollywood's Straight Shooter" & "Shoot It in Lone Pine!" among others.
Garden of Evil was released in 1954. It's in color, directed by Henry Hathaway. It's presented in the widescreen format (2.55:1). It stars Gary Cooper & Susan Hayward; the supporting cast includes Richard Widmark, Hugh Marlowe, Cameron Mitchell, Rita Moreno & Victor Manuel Mendoza. Garden of Evil is the most action packed of the three movies & is the widest in scope in the amount of territory it covers. Much of the dialog is ambiguous: It's more in what they don't say or hint at.
Hooker (Gary Cooper), Fiske (Richard Widmark) & Daly (Cameron Mitchell) are three cowboys who get stranded in Mexico because the steamship they were on needs repairs. They get hired by Leah Fuller (Susan Hayward) at $2,000 apiece to rescue her husband who's trapped in a gold mine. Vicente (Victor Manuel Mendoza), a Mexican, also gets hired to accompany them. She leads them to a remote location where her husband, John Fuller (Hugh Marlowe), has been. Along the way the band of men realize that they are going to have to deal with the Apache before they can return to Puerto Miguel. There is much distrust between the characters; Daly, in particular, is troublesome & headstrong. Though Garden of Evil is a good western, it's the weakest of the three.
Bonus features include "Travels of a Gunslinger: The Making of the Garden of Evil", "Henry Hathaway: When the Going Gets Tough..." among others.
- A trio of terrific westerns
By A2F3M93RRLFQNJ on 2008-11-23
Nowadays, the Western is almost a dead genre, a far cry from the days in which it dominated the movies. Of course, even in its heyday, it had various stages. Earlier Westerns tended to focus on adventure, with cowboys and Indians and bank robbers. Around the 1950s, a new subgenre began to appear, the so-called Adult Western. These Westerns tended to focus more on character and less on action. The Fox Western Classics features three such movies.
The Gunfighter is considered to be one of the first Adult Westerns, with Gregory Peck has the title character. He is a man considered the best gunfighter of his era, a title that he is forced to defend. He takes refuge in the town of Cayenne, where an old friend is marshal and his estranged wife is living under another name with their son. Even here, however, danger lurk.
Rawhide is perhaps the least "adult" of the three movies. Tyrone Power is working at an isolated stagecoach station and is taken hostage by a band of robbers planning on robbing an incoming, gold-laden stage. Complicating matters is Susan Hayward and her infant niece who are trapped at the station also. Hugh Marlowe leads the band of robbers, but it's Jack Elam who provides the real danger.
Hayward and Marlowe are also in Garden of Evil, also directed by Rawhide director Henry Hathaway. This is the epic of the three, with Gary Cooper and Richard Widmark leading the cast and a young Rita Moreno in one of her first (brief) roles. It is shot in Cinescope and scored by the great Bernard Hermann. Cooper and Widmark are a couple passengers on a California-bound steamer that is stranded in Mexico with engine problems. Stuck in port for weeks, they let themselves be hired by Hayward, who needs them to rescue her husband (Marlowe) who's stuck in a mine. Getting there is an arduous enough trip, but getting back may be more perilous, with Apaches dogging their every move.
In quality terms, these are all four-to-five star movies, and there are enough extras - including commentaries and featurettes - to make this a top notch set. If you enjoy Westerns, this is a trio of near classics that is worth viewing.
- All are good but none are great
By A29CCFM0VF0H56 on 2008-06-05
I pick this up at the same time as The Westerner and that single movie has more talent than all three of these combined. The Garden of Evil has some beautiful cinematography but its fault is a plot that is awkwardly cobbled together from various sources.
- Garden Of Evil is in 4 channel sound!!
By A3436BWMMFP4VY on 2008-06-13
Garden Of Evil a nice surprise if you have a Dolby Digital surround sound system in your home theater. 3 channels across the front with one surround channel in back. That mixed with the widescrren picture in Technicolor makes for an excellent presentation. The other 2 movies are only in mono in their original full screen format. Still they are prestine transfers.
I'll be playing all 3 of these from the DVD's in the next couple of days. So how did I know that Garden of Ecil was in 4 channel stereo? Simple, I played the beginning of the movie after the trailer....
- Great classic westerns
By AARREEW0831Y4 on 2008-06-21
Often when you purchase a set of DVD s you get one good movie. Here in this three box set you get three great classics. If you like old westerns you will love this set. Plus, I have been looking for Garden of Evil for years but could never find it. Enjoy|
- Excellent Choice
By AG2HZ82H9F5LZ on 2008-08-16
These three western films are three of the best. Highly recommended for a first exposure to the western genre. Quality is excellent. You won't be disappointed.
- I've waited for the Gunfighter for a long time and I'm well pleased!
By A47X7HAQ8SEB9 on 2008-08-31
As the title stated, I've been waiting for the Gunfighter for a long time (on DVD) and I'm well pleased!
Actually the other two films were "A" class as well, especially "Rawhide". I'm a big western fan and I have many westerns on DVD but I just know there are other gems out there waiting for me to obtain.
Enjoy y'all.
- A fine western collection
By A3373SHNCTMLUY on 2008-09-18
An excellent price/value combination, with three rare titles of good, solid westerns, never before published in America on DVD and with such high video technical quality.
The extras are relatively abundant and very interesting.
A must have for every serious classic westerns collector.
- A must see package
By A1D9T3K1UA6VJD on 2008-09-23
Fox has done a good job with this package of Westerns. Too bad they have to be purchased to see as they are not leasing these titiles to Netflix or Blockbuster for rentals. Price was right so I went ahead and bought them thru Amazon. Each movie has much to recomend. GUNFIGHTER is the best with Greg Peck at is best. Short run time, nice and tight, with a neat ending. RAWHIDE is a better than average suspense type of western. Not your usual cowboys and Indians. Small cast with Tyrone Power a little old for his role. Susan Hayward does her usual Susan Hayward. GARDEN OF EVIL is wonderfully filmed and the only color one in the lot. Nice locations with interesting plot. Characters are almost by the numbers. You know from the start who will survive and who gets who. One illogical plot device is that Susan Hayward, again doing her Susan Hayward, rides to a nearby town to get the help of men to help her husband who has been wounded in a gold mine. This is Indian territory. No Indians bothered her when she rode to the town, no attack when the team of men and her ride back to the mine. No attack at the mine itself, but on the way back...there are the Indians attacking like nobody's business. How is it they didn't attack when she went for help or on to the mine, just on the way back. Doesn't make sense. Other than that, good film and music score.
- 2-1/2 Great Westerns
By A17LEYMZI8OYOQ on 2008-09-30
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: From the Secret Files of Harry Pennypacker
Cheyenne Warrior: The Original Screenplay with Author Commentary
Shadow Watcher
Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake
Fox has released a terrific 3-disc box set, THE WESTERN CLASSICS, in which we're finally getting a DVD version of one of the most revered westerns ever produced, THE GUNFIGHTER (1950) starring Gregory Peck.
Directed by Henry King in glorious black-and-white, THE GUNFIGHTER is almost a Shakespearean tragedy, and is considered to be the first adult western, predating better known films like HIGH NOON and SHANE.
Peck plays Jimmy Ringo, a notorious gunfighter who would like to bury his reputation, but is forced to keep on the run because young punks keep forcing him to draw.
Currently, he's being pursued by the three brothers of a braggart he killed in self defense, but he stops off in the small town where his estranged wife (Helen Wescott) lives, hoping for a reconciliation. The sheriff of the town happens to be Millard Mitchell, an old friend and former gunslinger.
Mitchell wants Peck to leave town, but he won't go until Westcott agrees to meet him. In the meantime, the three brothers are getting closer and, if that's not bad enough, there's a young hothead in town (Skip Homeier) who thinks he's a faster draw than the legendary Jimmy Ringo.
THE GUNFIGHTER may not contain a lot of shoot-'em-up action, but it's filled with a HIGH NOON-like suspense and colorful, multi-dimensional characters. Karl Malden and Jean Parker co-star.
DVD extras include a featurette on cinematographer Arthur Miller, an artist with black-and-white, and a retrospective "Making of" mini-documentary.
Almost as good as THE GUNFIGHTER is RAWHIDE (1951), another beautifully-photographed black-and-white western, directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Tyrone Power, Susan Hayward and Hugh Marlowe.
Marlowe and his band of ruthless outlaws (Jack Elam, Dean Jagger, George Tobias), all escaped convicts, take control of a desert stagecoach station, run by Edgar Buchanan and his tenderfoot assistant (Power). They kill Buchanan, then hold Power and stage passenger Hayward (and her baby niece) hostage, waiting for a gold shipment to arrive by coach the next day.
Power knows that, once the outlaws have the gold, they will kill their captives, so he and Hayward desperately devise a plan to thwart their intentions.
RAWHIDE is another suspense-filled western, containing a fair share of surprise plot twists.
DVD extras include featurettes on Ms. Hayward and on Lone Pine, where RAWHIDE, THE GUNFIGHTER and many other classic westerns were shot.
Hathaway, Hayward and Marlowe are also involved in GARDEN OF EVIL (1954), the one disappointing film in this box set.
Shot in CinemaScope and color, the movie features some gorgeous and interesting Mexican scenery and boasts a cast that also includes Gary Cooper, Richard Widmark, Cameron Mitchell and (briefly) Rita Moreno.
The problem with GARDEN OF EVIL is the very talky script, which has its characters doing things that make little or no sense.
Cooper, Widmark and Mitchell play three Americans on their way to the California Gold Rush by ship, who get stranded in a small Mexican coastal town and are hired by Hayward to help free her husband (Marlowe) from a mine cave-in. The problem is that the mine is located deep in the mountains in Apache territory.
DVD extras include a retrospective "Making of" featurette and a mini-documentary on director Hathaway.
© Michael B. Druxman, author of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
- 3 worthwhile movies; package could be better
By A2ZDC8RD8VPOI8 on 2008-10-20
This set includes two terrific movies, Henry King's THE GUNFIGHTER with Gregory Peck and Henry Hathaway's RAWHIDE with Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward. The third film, Hathaway's GARDEN OF EVIL with Hayward and Gary Cooper, is much the least of the lot, but at least it has beautiful CinemaScope cinematography that the disc captures very well. It's also regrettable that GARDEN is the only one of the three with a commentary track, doubly so in that the three commentators discuss nothing but Bernard Herrmann's musical score -- a subject in which fans of westerns, Cooper, Hayward or Hathaway will have no interest whatsoever.
On the plus side, as noted, the other two films are terrific, with one of Peck's best-ever performances in THE GUNFIGHTER. Also, the package includes several extras to compensate for the snooze-fest Herrmann commentary: featurettes on Lone Pine, CA, a popular location where over 400 movies were made, on GUNFIGHTER cinematographer Arthur Miller, and on Henry Hathaway, a director whose career and work are decades overdue for the respect they deserve.
- Among the Best in Black And White.
By A2SHYR0FSGMDAR on 2008-11-05
If you've never seen "The Gunfighter," you've never seen the best western ever. I believe it to be a really good movie to show to young men, just so they know. These movies are more than simple westerns.
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