Customer Reviews

The Life & Times of Judge Roy Bean [VHS]

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is not only my favorite western, but it is also one of my favorite films. I don't buy a lot of videos to own, but I had to have this one in my permanent library. When the DVD comes out I'll be sure to get it, too.

When I first saw this in the theaters in '72 I was attracted by the action, the humor, and the sentimentality ( I still can't keep a dry eye when I watch the final scene with the watch bear....) As I got older I realised that there is a lot more to this movie. There is a consistent theme about Law and Justice, and the distinction between them.

When we first see Roy Bean he is a petty outlaw, less than a man. He has total contempt for law and justice, which he doesn't distinguish between. Then, when he first becomes a "Judge", it is in dubious title only- to fill his own pockets. As time goes on he intuitively dispenses true Justice in the name of the Law. By the final climactic scene, when asked who he is , he replies simply, "Justice." He has gone full cycle, from a scoff-law and less than a man, to the embodyment of Justice itself, to more than a man.

You'll notice that his chief adversary is a Lawyer Gass, a man that knows everything about the Law and nothing about Justice. A "man" that steals more with legal trickery than the old outlaws ever dreamed of stealing. It was this movie that made me see that Law is the creation of men, while Justice is an ideal that emanates directly from God.

I don't know if this is the theme that John Huston had in mind, but it is what I get out of it.

This ace of a flick really catches the spirit of the old judge who made his own law west of the Pecos. They don't make small colorful eccentric little films like this much these days. Everybody in the movie is right on the money too. A beautiful Jaqueline Bisset stars as the judge's tough assertive daughter. This must have been one of her earliest roles, and she turns in a fine endearing performance. And of course there are too many great names in this movie, Ned Beatty, Roddy McDowell, Stacey Keach, Tony Perkins, and of course Paul Newman as the judge himself. Do yourself a treat and pick this one up! You'll be glad you did.

The 60's and early 70's produced several great comedic westerns i.e. Cheyenne Social Club, Dirty Dingus Magee, McClintock, Great Scout, The Rounders, Evil Roy Slade, Support Your Local, etc. The list goes on and on. Those movies were all great, but pretty much one dimensional and set the tone for some collective disappointment over the content of Judge Roy Bean.

There are some great hilarious moments in this film but I never really got it until recently. It's actually a love story above all else, and a comedy, as well as John Huston's own statement about the retreating old west. If you view it in that context you'll be very impressed. If you're looking for pure comedy you may find that it drags in moments. However, this is the last time you'll get to see Paul Newman with that devilish Eddie Felson/Ben Quick light in his eyes, he was made for the part as a self-appointed and self-styled Judge/philosopher that dispenses justice to just about everyone that wanders through his town whether they deserve it or not. This film also showcases IMO the best villian of all time in Bad Bob, a murderous long haired psychotic albino come to lay ole' Beano to rest. Victoria Principal is so cute you just want to, well you'll see. Anyway, it's very funny but it is a love story. I found that rather distraction 30 years ago but I didn't get it. Well worth a watch.

Solidly entertaining, whimsical biography of the hangin' judge west of the Pecos. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN stars a growly and bearded Paul Newman in the title role, guide to the life of a legend of the Old West and host to a revolving series of guest stars.

`Whimsical' seems kind of an odd word now that I think about it. After all, it connotes a lightness of spirit, and that's a hard choice of words to use for a movie that features an on-screen hanging or five. `Whimsy' is defined as `an odd or fanciful or capricious idea,' and `whimsy' begets `whimsical', which is made of sturdier stuff that its pappy - `Whimsical: adj. Erratic in behavior or degree of unpredictability.' I'll let the word stand. John Huston's JUDGE ROY BEAN is erratic and unpredictable enough. John Milius wrote the original screenplay. With movies like `Jeremiah Johnson' and `Geronimo: An American Legend' among his credits, Milius has given ample evidence that he's a `print-the-legend' type of writer. And he takes his heroes seriously. Underneath everything - and everything piles high in this movie - there's a script that wants to make a legendary hero out of its title character.

That serious intent is subverted by Newman, whose charm is unsuccessfully buried beneath a beard and gruff exterior, and Huston, who peppers the whole thing with darkly humorous vignettes. In fact, JUDGE ROY BEAN is more or less a series of disconnected incidents, from Bean's massacre of a bar full of desperados who rolled him for his (stolen) cash and left him for dead to his circa 1920 explosive showdown with an unscrupulous eastern lawyer played by Roddy McDowell. In the interim he appoints himself judge, the law west of the Pecos, peppers the bar with posters of the beloved Lily Langtry (Ava Gardner,) adopts a black b'ar dropped off by Grizzly Adams (John Huston,) takes up with pretty young Marie Elena (Victoria Principal,) and witnesses an assortment of quirky cutthroats pass under the shadow of his well-worn noose.

If Milius wanted to plant Bean next to Geronimo and Jeremiah Johnson in the pantheon of American legends he must have cringed when Stacy Keach appeared for his twenty-minute segment. Gigged out in white pancake make-up and an Edgar Winters' fright wig, Keach plays the albino outlaw Bad Bob, who's so tough he drinks boiling coffee directly out of the pot. Bad Bob has come to call Judge Bean out, and hurls a series of insults about Lily Langtry in the attempt. I liked the darkly, surreally, humorous Bad Bob character, but he doesn't belong in a movie that's trying to keep things real. Worse, much, much worse, is the `Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' like musical interlude, also known as `Picnic with the B'ar.' Newman, Principal, and their 300-pound black bear co-star cavort along the Pecos River, accompanied by Andy Williams singing the saccharine "Marmalade, Molasses and Honey." I don't know for a fact, but I believe "Marmalade, etc." effectively killed the use of cheesy musical interludes in the middle of westerns. If it didn't, it should have.

This film is a true original. If one were to nutshell it you could call it a surreal dark comic western. It's rare that you get such individualistic talents as director John Huston, writer John Milius, and actor Paul Newman together for one project. It's rarer that the result produces gold. Huston, with some exception, was something of a cynic in his work. Milius, considered something of a bad boy in Hollywood, was known for his conservative political bent. As noted in a recent obituary for Newman he betrayed his matinee idol looks and pursued rebel roles and offbeat projects. As a previous reviewer stated Huston and Milius take liberties with Judge Bean's life. Though some of the elements are true for the most part this is a fanciful work. But it's an artistic triumph. If one needs to pursue the "truth" go to the library. This film is completely mesmerizing with witty dialogue that crackles. This is definitely one of Newman's more underrated performances. It's an understated performance that barely conceals his off-kilter character. Stacy Keach has a great cameo as Bad Bob an adversary of Bean's who has the audacity to denigrate the Judge's feminine ideal, Lillie Langtry. This isn't just a great western, if one could call it that, but a great film, period.

It has been at least ten years since I last watched "Roy Bean". It is a fun movie and a pleasure to watch. Paul Newman is quite good as "The Law West of the Pecos".

Had been wanting to see this again for years. What a beloved little film. Evokes a special feeling about how communities and cities flux and change and people migrate away but hope is never ending. Film was a decent transfer but considering the age of the film and graininess of film of the era, was understandable.

I never understood why this film did not succeed when it was released at the box office. I have always considered it to be Paul Newman's finest work. It must be seen to be appreciated, and there are so many detailed reviews on the web that I will not reproduce them here. Suffice it to say that everyone probably has a Lilly Langtry in their life, a longing for a place like The Eagle's Nest, and a cloaked desire to re-invent their life as Paul Newman did as Judge Roy Bean. This film is one of my 5 lifelong favorites, along with 2001, A Space Odyssey!

This is one of my all time favorite western movies. I recommend it to Paul Newman fans and western fans. Notable for first appearance of Victoria Principal.

It was good to see Victoria Principal in her movie debut, and Newmann is certainly at his best as Judge Roy Bean. But I was disappointed that there was some content edited out for "political correctness" such as the Judge's famous death sentence speech. It was a letdown to those who remember the original masterpiece.