Product Details

• Actors: Gary Cooper, Merle Oberon, David Niven, Burt Lancaster, Patsy Kelly
• Directors: H.C. Potter, Henry Hathaway, Henry King, Robert Aldrich, Stuart Heisler
• Writers: Alan Campbell, Anita Loos
• Format: Box set, Color, NTSC
• Language: English, French, Latin, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• DVD Release Date: May 22, 2007
• Run Time: 371 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000Q6774A
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,191 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Gary Cooper MGM Movie Legends Collection (The Cowboy and the Lady / The Real Glory / Vera Cruz / The Winning of Barbara Worth)" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It actually underscores the power and distinctiveness of Gary Cooper's movie stardom that this isn't so much a true collection as gleanings from the odds-and-ends table. That's not a knock; three of the four films are solid entertainments and would be well worth recommending on their own. But the only thing unifying them is the beauty and enigma Cooper brought to them, and the professionalism with which he addressed these wide-ranging assignments.

Three of them date from the '20s and '30s and were produced by Samuel Goldwyn. The 1926 silent The Winning of Barbara Worth gave Western stunt man and bit player Cooper his first featured role (by accident--the actor originally cast didn't report for work!). A cowboy whose visionary surveyor father aims to "redeem the desert and make it one fine garden," Cooper's character is the third corner of a romantic triangle, ordained by the Hollywood caste system to lose lifelong sweetheart Vilma Banky to engineer Ronald Colman. Colman has lots more screen time than Cooper and bears the moral-ethical brunt of the eco-conscious drama; he's also surprisingly persuasive wearing a sweat-stained Stetson and trading gunshots with the bad guys (if this were a sound film, Colman could never have gotten away with it). But the camera and the audience are locked onto Cooper whenever he's on screen. In longshot or vulnerable closeup, he's already one of the gods of the cinema. As for the movie, the quality of the print is excellent, its clarity intensified by bronze, yellow, and moonlit-blue tinting that often seems on the verge of resolving into full color. Director Henry King shows a good eye for action and bold vistas, and a visual adventurousness mostly absent from his later work.

Next up chronologically is The Cowboy and the Lady (1938), and the best thing about this misbegotten movie is Garson Kanin's description, in one of his Hollywood memoirs, of how Leo McCarey sold the idea for it to Sam Goldwyn. McCarey was, of course, a comedic master (recently Oscared for directing The Awful Truth), and his exuberant pitch convinced Goldwyn and his staffers that audiences would "piss" themselves laughing at this romantic comedy about a daughter of privilege (Merle Oberon) who falls for a rodeo rider (Cooper) and learns homespun values. Goldwyn paid McCarey off, assigned some writers to the script, then realized there was no real story--"no there there," as Gertrude Stein might have put it. The resultant unfunny and unromantic endeavor oozes bad faith from every pore, with neck-snapping life changes foisted on the hapless Cooper and Oberon from reel to reel, and excruciating scenes (jitterbugging in a drawing room, playing house back on Cooper's ranch) that strain charmlessly for McCarey's patented brand of fey. H.C. Potter directed, understandably without conviction.

We and Cooper are back on track with The Real Glory (1939). The reliable Henry Hathaway helmed this second cousin to his and Cooper's The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, with Cooper as an Army doctor assigned to the Philippine Constabulary on Mindanao in 1906. The movie was well-received when it came out; encountered in the shadow of the Iraq War, its tale of U.S. occupiers trying to help the local populace "stand up" against a fanatical and murderous insurgency takes on new fascination. There are some amazing passages--two horrendous murders by bolo knife--and the final battle sequence puts the CGI-riddled action films of the present day to shame. But the most impressive element is Cooper, and we can't improve on the verdict of that astute film critic Graham Greene: "Mr. Cooper ... has never acted better.... Watch him inoculate [Andrea King] against cholera--the casual jab of the needle, and the dressing slapped on while he talks, as though a thousand arms had taught him where to stab and he doesn't have to think any more."

For the final film in the set we jump into the '50s--the century's and Cooper's. Vera Cruz (1954) casts him as a former Confederate officer who's ridden into Emperor Maximilian's Mexico, hoping to make a fortune in the new civil war south of the border so that he can rebuild his own devastated homeland. Costar Burt Lancaster (whose company Hecht-Lancaster was producing) plays another mercenary, a real sociopath, and it's fascinating to watch these two stellar icons of very different Hollywood eras make common cause--Lancaster at the height of his grinning-predator mode, Cooper an aging knight whose aim is still true. Director Robert Aldrich keeps finding dynamic uses for the SuperScope format and flavorfully fills it with sublime uglies like Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam, Charles Horvath, Jack Lambert, and Charles Buchinsky-about-to-become-Bronson. Pieces of this movie found their way into the dreams of Sam Peckinpah and Sergio Leone. --Richard T. Jameson

Product Description

GARY COOPER GIFTSET - DVD Movie

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An Entertaining 'Look' at Legendary Gary Cooper! June 15, 2007

By Benjamin J Burgraff VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

It's a shame that Gary Cooper, today, is largely remembered for only "High Noon", his Hawks and Capra films ("Sergeant York" and "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town"), and as Lou Gehrig in "The Pride of the Yankees"; in his day, he was as sexy and popular as Clark Gable, and more esteemed as a cowboy star than John Wayne!

"Gary Cooper MGM Movie Legends Collection" offers a selection of titles that will, hopefully, spark renewed interest in this most charismatic American 'Original'. While, sadly, the collection offers little in bonus features, and, with the exception of "Barbara Worth", appears to be unremastered (which is why I only give it 4 stars), each film is very entertaining!

"The Winning of Barbara Worth" (1926), was, of course, Coop's breakthrough role, after three years of stunt work and bit parts, and is a bona fide classic. As 'Abe Lee', the young cowboy/surveyor suitor of Vilma Banky, his sexy, natural style would steal the film from star Ronald Colman (in Colman's defense, his role was more restrained, and less interesting). The film, based on a best-selling novel about harnessing the Colorado River to irrigate the desert, garnered great reviews and box office, and gave Coop a spectacular 'start'... (5 stars out of 5)

"The Cowboy and the Lady" (1938), a 'modern-day' Western comedy/romance, presented Coop the way 1930s' audiences loved him best, as a slow-talking, incorruptible cowboy irresistible to women, but a 'gentleman', in the best sense of the word! Falling for the daughter of a Presidential hopeful, posing as a maid (Merle Oberon), he marries her, discovers the charade, then storms into a posh political dinner and speaks so much 'common sense' that her family moves to his ranch! With life-long friend Walter Brennan as his sidekick, this is a real charmer! (5 stars out of 5)

"The Real Glory" (1939), released shortly after his classic version of "Beau Geste", another 'action-oriented' adventure, though lacking the "Geste" polish and style. Coop is a military doctor in the 1906 Philippines, who, with friends David Niven and Broderick Crawford, attempts to help the Filipinos fight off an army of insurgents. Action was never producer Sam Goldwyn's forte, and the film lacks the warmth of a "Gunga Din", although it does offer a rousing climax... (2 1/2 stars out of 5)

"Vera Cruz" (1954), produced by Burt Lancaster and Harold Hecht, is a spectacular, large-scale western, filmed in Mexico. Ex-Confederate Cooper and bandit Lancaster are uneasy partners guarding Denise Darcel and millions in gold, during the Mexican Revolution. While the aging Coop wasn't well during production, he still gives a solid performance, although overshadowed by Burt's flashy portrayal; the film offers a
fabulous supporting cast, including Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Cesar Romero, and Jack Elam. "Vera Cruz" was a major influence on Sergio Leone, and has achieved legendary status, among fans of the genre! (5 stars out of 5)

There is a LOT to enjoy, in this Gary Cooper collection!

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great collection of films by Coop May 17, 2007

By A. Stout

Format:DVD

Gary Cooper is my favorite actor and this is an excellent collection to showcase his diversity as an actor.

The Winning of Barbara Worth is a silent film made in 1926 and was his first credited screen appearance. The story revolves around a young woman named Barbara Worth, her family and other members of the town they live in out in the Nevada desert where they are trying to reroute the Colorado river in order to irrigate the town and make it more habitable. After a year of appearing in movies as a stunt rider, a 25 year old Gary lobbied to win the supporting role of Abe Lee, the son of the surveyor who is working on the irrigation project and a childhood friend of Barbara who he is also in love with. He had already been hired to be a stunt man but he wanted to try his hand at actual acting. They had already cast that part but the actor who was to play it was still finishing another movie. As it became clear he would not be able to make it they gave Gary the part. The irrigation project is successful and the river is diverted but unfortunately after a short time the system is in danger of failing and flooding the town. Gary's character must endure a 24-hour horse ride into town from the dam site to warn them. He is supposed to arrive at Barbara's house and knock on the door. When it is opened he is to say the dam is about to break and then fall flat on his face worn out from his long, arduous journey. He absolutely nailed the scene and indeed he was so good that the studio was afraid he would end up being the star of the picture and not Ronald Colman who plays the lead and is the son of the man in charge of the dam construction project. They were instructed to either cut that scene or reshoot it with Colman making the journey instead, they opted to cut it so unfortunately it does not appear in the film. However this scene as well as his others gave everyone a glimpse of the wonderul, natural acting ability Gary had even that early in his career. This movie was a huge hit when it was originally released and it has an interesting story and incredible special effects as seen when the dam does break and the town floods.

The Real Glory was made in 1939 and is set in the Phillipines during the early 1900s. Gary plays an army doctor named Bill Canavan and his outfit is part of a small group of soldiers that are left on the island to try and help the natives defend themselves from other warring tribes. It is a very good adventure story with lots of scenes shot in the jungles and also in raging rivers. There's a nice love story mixed in and the characters are well developed and very likeable.

Vera Cruz was made in 1954 by Burt Lancaster's production company and he costars with Gary in this very entertaining western set in and filmed in Mexico. Gary and Burt play two men who sell their services as soldiers of fortune to the highest bidder during the Mexican revolution of 1866. They end up on the side of the emperor and are charged with protecting a lady friend of the emperor on her journey to Vera Cruz. However it gets complicated when the two men realize that along with the beautiful woman they are also transporting a large chest of gold that is going to be used to buy weapons. They along with the woman played by Denise Darcel hatch a plan to make off with the gold themselves. Burt and Denise for selfish reasons but Gary intends to give it to the people who are fighting to oust the emperor. There are many wonderful scenes including displays of fancy sharp shooting at the emperor's palace and also of a festival in a small Mexican town with brightly colored costumes and decorations. Wonderful acting performances all around and a very entertaining film.

The Cowboy and the Lady was released in 1938 and is a very funny, charming story about a wealthy young woman played by Merle Oberon whose father is running for president. She has a very boring life and is not allowed to have much fun so one night she rebels and goes to a night club to dance but unbeknownst to her it's also a gambling den which is raided by the police. In order to keep her out of any more trouble her father sends her to his house in Palm Springs. Here she meets a cowboy played by Gary who is in town for the rodeo. He's from Montana (in real life he was from Montana) and he's making the rodeo circuit looking for a wife. She pretends to be a ladies maid so no one will discover her real identity of a presidential candidates daughter and she and Gary fall in love. He proposes to her but she brushes him off because she knows her father wouldn't approve of her marrying a cowboy. Her heart gets the better of her however and she catches the boat he's sailing to Galveston on just as it's leaving. While on the trip they get married and she decides to head back home to Palm Springs while he finishes up his tour with the rodeo then they will meet back up at his Montana ranch. However before that can happen he discovers that she lied to him about who she was. But don't worry, it has a happy ending and is just a joy to watch. My favorite scene is of Gary on his ranch pretending to play house in the new home he's building. It's just a frame so all the workers on the ranch can see him pretending to seat his wife at the dinner table and then also pretending to eat. When he's caught he invites them all inside and serves them imaginary drinks!!!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not one of Cannon's better offerings. May 26, 2004

By SGECKO67

Format:DVD

Then again we must remember that " Cannon Films Group " didnt really make a-list films tobegin with, these guys were b-movie specialists of the Eighties. Most of their Golan & Globus produced films were strict heroic/action types, ie: The Delta Force. This as far as I know was one the few forays into intrigue/suspense.
The story has Robert Mitchum in the title role leading an old but distinguished cast. His adultress wife is played very wonderfully by Ellen Burstyn, and let me say she is the reason this tape hit the VCR so many times back in the eighties. Ellen has a surprise topless scene that is worth the price of admission. The ambssadors loyal friend/security chief is played by Rock Hudson in his last film. He does a good job as they all do with an ok script.
The Ambassador to Israel is trying to bring peace to the Middle East, but his wife has an affair with one of the PLO chiefs, and the affair ends up on film. Rock races against the clock to get the film back and save his friends peace "process" (I hate that word).
Not bad for some late night viewing. I will get a DVD copy when ever it comes out just for the historical value, ya know, Ellens topless scene!!