Customer Reviews

Bronco Billy [VHS]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Between two Harry Callahan movies, Warner Brothers used to let Clint Eastwood direct more personal movies. Everybody knew that these films wouldn't be hits, they were little presents offered to the successful actor. Thanks to these minor movies, Clint Eastwood is now considered, at least in Europe, as one of the major american film directors.

BRONCO BILLY, shot in 1980, is a good surprise for the Eastwood fan. Starring Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis Scatman Crothers, Sam Bottoms and Clint, the movie has all the ingredients of a good comedy. Witty and heartful. The show presented by Clint and his friends is hilarious and the relations between Bronco and the children very well developed. In Bronco Billy's world, everybody can become what he wants to be ; a shoemaker can become a cowboy, a desertor a master in throwing lassoes and so on. Come join this pathetic world described with tenderness by Clint Eastwood. The director.

Widescreen and standard copies, english and french subtitles and an incomplete filmography of Clint Eastwood as bonus features. Rather meager.

A DVD zone curious ones.

This review refers to the DVD edition(Warner Bros) of "Bronco Billy".....

Watching this wonderful film you will come to realize that this was a labor of love for Clint Eastwood, who directs as well as stars. He had something to say and said it with this story.It is many things. It is entertaining, amusing, inspiring and poignant. The message is clear. You can do what you want to do, be what you want to be.

Eastwood gathers all the usual suspects together and casts them as a group a misfits who all have a special role as part of "Bronco's Billy's Wild West Show", a modern day attempt to bring the wild west back into the hearts of all the "young partners out there". Of course Eastwood is "Bronco Billy", the rootin tootin sharpshooter who runs the show. His problem (besides never having any money to pay the crew) is holding on to a good assistant. Enter one Miss Antoinette Lilly(Sondra Locke). A snobby, wealthy heiress that has just been deserted by her new husband, in the middle of nowhere and she is presumed dead. She reluctantly becomes Bronco Billy's new assistant and learns the hard way, that there is more to life than money.

It a great story and an inspiring one also.It makes you want to follow your dreams. Most of the actors are recognizably some of Clint's favorites. They have been in many of his other films like "Outlaw Josey Wales","The Gauntlet", and "Pink Cadillac" to name a few, often working together and they do this well. The cast includes Geoffrey Lewis,Bill McKinney, Sam Bottoms, Scatman Crothers and William Prince. It has a great soundtrack and score, with music by Steve Dorff. Also watch for a cameo performance by Merle Haggard as our bar room buddies brawl in the neighborhood saloon.

The DVD is not the best transfer I have seen. This film from 1980 appeared a little washed out, and the colors seemed somewhat dated.(Nothing to take away from the enjoyment of the film though.)It may be viewed in widescreen or the standard format. The sound was good in Dolby Dig Surround Stereo(but could be really great in 5.1). There are subtitles in English and French. Warner brothers...this one is really in need of a remastered Special Edition. (Of course, I always feel that Eastwood films should be given special treatment)

Rated PG, it's one for the family but there are some adult situations that border on PG13.

also available in a clint 6 pack(but compare prices)The Clint Eastwood Collection (In the Line of Fire/Unforgiven/Bronco Billy/Dirty Harry/The Outlaw Josey Wales/The Beguiled)

So saddle up partners and enjoy this ride. It's rootin tootin fun....Happy trails....Laurie

more western fun with Clint:Paint Your Wagon

Bronco Billy is a character in the tradition of classic westerns of the 20th century. Billy is fair and honest, and he watches out for children. Except for some of the things he does, Bronco Billy bears some resemblance to Roy Rogers. However, when Billy does not get his way, which seems to happen a lot, he can be manipulative.

One of Bronco Billy's biggest problems is getting a young woman to be an assistant. Being an assistant for Billy involves being a target for knives, holding up plates so Billy can shoot them, and jumping on the back of a horse ridden by Billy. Billy's latest assistant just quit at the same time that obnoxious Antoinette Lilly's husband abandons her in the same town Bronco Billy's wild west show is playing. Antoinette needs help, since all her husband left her was a nightgown, and
Billy needs an assistant.

Antoinette turns out to be a huge pain in the behind. She is smart-mouthed, cynical, obnoxious and arrogant (I may have missed a few adjectives, but you can fill those in yourself). On the other hand, Antoinette can shoot and other than being a snob, she can handle the assistant part.

Even though I am not a big fan of Sondra Locke, part of what makes this movie work is how Antoinette's observations of Billy slowly change her attitude toward the world. She sees that Billy is honest and caring. She also sees how selfless Billy and his team are. Between the jokes, the changes in Antoinette as the movie progresses are important to the end of the movie.

Whenever I look at my DVD collection for a movie to watch, I somehow seem to always pass over this movie. Yet, when I finely get around to watching it, I am always glad I did. I am unable to explain exactly why that is the case. Regardless, this movie is a charmer and one of my favorite Clint Eastwood comedies. If you have enjoyed Clint Eastwood's other comedies, I believe you will like this one.

Enjoy!

Enjoyable yarn about a ageing rodeo star.Clint dosen't let down.If you like this you will enjoy Junior Bonner.

Bronco Billy, in my opinion, is Clint's best and most unappreciated film. It lays bare the real irony and comedic/tragic essence of the American dream. Only America could BE this story, and only Clint Eastwood could tell it, and did! See it! Thanks for the great service. wrotironjohn@yahoo.com (wheelwright and blacksmith)

The best part of this movie is without a doubt Clint Eastwood. He brings style and power to the role of an ex-con roving the countryside with his merry band of misfit rodeo clowns. I'll tell you right now that I can't stand Sandra Loche, but she does play an excellent .... I think this film owes a lot to George Romero's Knighriders. The real life toils of traveling carnivals is at the core of this film. Bronco Billy beleives in bringing joy to his "liddle pardners" that come out to see the show. His affection for the children is very contageous and is the reason his friends stay with him despite being completely broke. Heart is the key to this film and nobody plays tough guys with heart better than Clint. The only reason I'm only giving this film 4 stars is because Loch's character is the only one that changes at all throughout the film. It would have been nice to see Billy look at life a little differently because of this trail, but he is exactly the same man at the end that he is in the beginning. Maybe that's the message, but I would have liked to see some growth.

I love this movie. It's about Bronco Billy (as portrayed by Eastwood), being the boss, or "ramrod", in a modern day, "Wild West Show". Bronco Billy has a team of performers, that are in his traveling show. Billy has a hidden past, but he really loves this traveling "Wild West Show" stuff. The performers in Billy's show, trust him and are loyal to him. He loves being a role model to kids, in these traveling shows. Somehow, Bronco Billy crosses paths with a rich, New York, Socialite, heiress to a rich inheritance. She is caught up in a conspirosy, of her own. Anyway, she joins the show, and that really shakes things up, but everything ends with a happy ending. This is a great movie that will give you, that "good feeling", at the end. Clint Eastwood, himself, has stated, that this is one of his all time favorite movies. Buy it, watch it, you'll love it!!! Thanks!!!

..you're never gonna get very far."

This is a funny movie with a hokey style, a lot of charm, and a heart of gold - like Bronco Billy! The chemistry between him and Miss Lily is pretty good. Miss Lily's first husband kind of cracked me up too - I haven't seen that guy in ages. It's not a laugh a minute, though there are more than a few, esp in terms of acting and situation, plus it just carries steam and plugs along throwing out nuggets of wisdom here and there that just kind of make you feel like they might know what they're talking about! Clint is in great form here and I think it's so cool that the baddest-@ssed cowboy this side of Hollywood and the River Pecos could set aside time for a no-nonsense charmer like this one. Livin' the dream! I like most Clint Eastwood movies though outside "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" and "Dirty Harry", I like his more obscure stuff too, like "Paint Your Wagon", "Two Mules for Sister Sarah", and "The Beguiled". Bronco Billy is kind of a return to the time when Clint smiled on screen. A very original 70s gem (actually 1980), well worth catching. Don't go in expecting too much and you'll probably come out pleased and feeling a little brighter.

I've always enjoyed this Clint Eastwood film. Simple, but with a interesting message that no matter where you find yourself in life, with a little work you can choose who you want to be, and live life on your terms.

All the actors did a fine job and it was beautifully photographed. I would recommend this film for those who enjoy a humorous, mildly campy look at a life full of possibilities.

I was happy to discover that one side of the disc had a widescreen version, while the other side had a standard screen version.

I've always liked this film a great deal and I can't honestly say why. It's hardly a memorable achievement in terms of filmmaking. However, there is something so true and honest about Clint's Bronco Billy that has never failed to grab me. He plays the everyday man dragging along his childhood dream and wanting to be, at the very least, someone with something to offer, regardless of how silly it may be. There's this open sincerity in both his performance and direction, that though the latter sometimes slips into corny territory, manages to elevate the film into more than respectable territory; the cheesy elements never overwhelm the film as much as they punctuate it. Frankly, I like Sondra Locke and don't really understand what all the negative comments are about. She plays the ultimate New York socialite snob to perfection: Bored, bitter, with the uncanny ability to dismiss anyone and everyone with equal indifference. The rest of the rag-tag crew is uniformly adept at communicating their disparate, yet somehow common, pasts.