Customer Reviews

Vera Cruz (Widescreen Edition) [VHS]

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Robert Aldrich's VERA CRUZ is a movie I watch every two or three years from my childhood on. Dubbed in french, in pan & scan or even in black & white on my first TV set, no matter in what condition I've seen it, the film stayed as a favorite of mine. Now MGM presents it on DVD with a trailer and different dubbings and subtitles as bonus features. Meager. Furthermore, sound and images are in my opinion no more than average.

Coproduced by Burt Lancaster, VERA CRUZ gives to the actor the opportunity to present an extraordinary performance. Joe Erin is an outlaw with no morals, ready to cheat his friends. He is very fast with his gun and the two man-to-man duels of the movie are scenes worthy to stay in the annals of western movies.

Superb are also the scenes involving Burt Lancaster and Gary Cooper, specially the evening at the emperor's residence or the first encounter between both men. I still can hear Lancaster say " Guess ! " with his overwhite teeth to a Gary Cooper asking him which horse belongs to him.

All in all, VERA CRUZ is a must for any movie lover even if the DVD presentation is far from being perfect.

A DVD for your library.

Vera Cruz is an excellent western that was years ahead of its time, serving as a blueprint for plenty of westerns made years later. The story takes place during the Mexican Revolution after the conclusion of the Civil War. A prologue states that many Americans went south into the country hoping to become rich by prospering off of the revolution. One of these men is Ben Trane, an ex-Confederate officer hoping to earn some money to help out the war-torn south. He teams up with cocky gunfighter, Joe Erin, to help Emperor Maximilian transport a countess to the port of Vera Cruz. Joining them are Erin's gang, a bunch of adventurers, mercenaries, criminals, and hired guns, and a company of French lancers. Ben and Joe find more than they bargained for when they discover the countess wants out and they are also guarding $3 million in gold. This is a great western full of action with plenty of double and triple crosses. What makes it fun is that you never really know what the characters are going to do. Will Ben and Joe steal the gold? Filmed entirely in Mexico, Vera Cruz is beautifully shot and looks great in letterbox.

Gary Cooper stars as Benjamin Trane, the ex-Confederate officer who sees an opportunity to make a lot of money. He plays straight man to Burt Lancaster's Joe Erin, the amoral gunfighter who really only looks out for himself. Cooper and Lancaster are great together, with Burt stealing the show much of the time, but Cooper never lets him outshine him. Denise Darcel plays Countess Duvare while Sara Monteil plays pickpocket, Nina. Erin's gang includes Ernest Borgnine as Donegan, Charles Bronson as Pittsburgh, Jack Elam as Tex, James McCallion as Little-Bit, and Archie Savage as Ballad. The movie also stars Cesar Romero, Henry Brandon, George Macready, and Morris Ankrum. The DVD includes the widescreen presentation and a theatrical trailer. For a beautifully shot, underrated western with plenty of twists and turns and a great cast, check out Vera Cruz!

First I must confess that I've never been a fan of the Western genre... However "Vera Cruz" simply fascinated me... You see, the first thing I always require of any film is "entertainment". If a film does not hold my attention I consider it a waste even if all the critics in the world have proclaimed it "a masterpiece" and it has won all the industry awards... "Vera Cruz" delivers entertainment but at the same time it challenges you. The relationship of the two main characters, Cooper and Lancaster, keeps you on the edge... You'll love this incarnation of Cooper's silent straight-forward American but Lancaster's performance is mesmerizing...Boy, they don't make actors like these anymore... The rest of the cast is also in top form specially Cesar Romero. The legendary Sara "Sarita" Montiel looks beautiful and does a good job in this her Hollywood debut; unfortunatelly the part is small and the director failed to include a couple of good close-ups of her extraordinary face... As a curiosity you will also see Ernest Borgnine and Charles Bronson in the beginning of their careers... "Vera Cruz" has everything for everybody and I guess that's what makes it an enduring classic... Don't walk..run to the nearest video store and rent or buy this gem...

First, I want to say that I love this movie. Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster are two of my favorite actors. They don't make movies like this anymore. My beef, is that they call this presentation a Blue Ray quality movie. There is nothing Hi Def about it. Even the close ups are are not sharp. This is the second straight Blue Ray I have bought to be of poor Quality. From now on, I'll read the reviews. I just bought and watched the new True Grit movie. It was beautiful in Blue ray. I wish the people who do these transfers from standard def would take more time and do a good job. Shame on you.

Everyone wants the gold and the journey is full of double crosses as Lancaster and Cooper's characters travel through most of the film. I love Joe's(Lancaster)smile and antics as he declares "I'm a pig" and shows us he is out to get it all. His great gun play is fun to watch. The quick draw behind his back and cocky "anyone else stringing with Charlie" line is a classic.
Ben (Cooper) is a dignified southern gentleman treating people with respect. A perfect play on Lancaster's character.
A much overlooked movie that is worthy of a second look and belongs in any western collection.

When lists of the best westerns are drawn up, rarely is "Vera Cruz" included. This is most unfortunate, for this 1954 Robert Aldrich adventure features Hollywood legends Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster at their peaks and is rousing good fun. It is also able to tell a story in less than two hours.

The story is set in Mexico, following the end of the American Civil War. Two men, Joe Erin, a wanted criminal (Lancaster) and Benjamin Trane, a civil war veteran, (Cooper) decide to work for the Emperor Maximillian in a job that involves escorting a woman of the court, Countess Marie Duvarre, to the port of Vera Cruz along with other soldiers. But they are unknowingly escorting something else: A large cache of gold. Everyone involved seems to want that gold for themselves and the journey is full of double crosses and attempts at theft. Lancaster and Cooper's characters get along through most of the film, but it is clear that Joe wants all he can get (As he states, "I'm a pig"). His greediness and double crossing culminates in a climatic shoot-out.

Ben, on the other hand, is a southern gentleman. He is more to himself and is more dignified, treating people with respect by saying "sir" or "mam". Another good example is when Joe, Ben and Emperor Maximillian practice target shooting. All three have excellent aim, yet Joe shoots it seems without aiming, while Ben and the emperor take their time. Cooper's character also is not seemingly too social or outgoing and seems to take his time thinking, while Lancaster blurts things out.

If you have yet to see "Vera Cruz", you are in for a big treat at your local video store. Enjoy!

Back in the Sixties, when Sergio Leone revolutionized the Western genre, I watched Vera Cruz on TV and revelled in its modern, anti-hero style. Apparently, a dozen years earlier, someone else was impressed, as it is said that Mr. Leone was a fan of this movie. Just look at the scenery, sets, and locations and you see the influence on future Spaghetti Westerns. If you were to dub the voices and add an Ennio Morricone soundtrack, the mind reels! That the supporting cast includes Ernest(Wild Bunch)Borgnine and Charles(Once Upon a Time in the West)Bronson only adds to its ahead-of-its-time feel.

Gary Cooper is intriguing as the outcast with a conscience trying to control the near psychotic Joe Erin of Lancaster. When a movie has a tight story and perfect casting like this, watching it is like taking a magic carpet ride. Coop always excelled as the hero that the villain seems to be one-up on (see The Westerner). Unlike the superhero Eastwood characters, this is one superstar that makes you feel he's in serious jeopardy. Vera Cruz is one of those movies where the parts add up to create a much greater whole. It is definitely a milestone in the evolution of old-style to modern-style Westerns.

Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster deliver fine contrasting performances as unlikely allies in their quest for fortune. Top notch acting, good story, great character development -- fine entertainment.

"Vera Cruz" is presented on this DVD in its original theatrical format! The widescreen compositions deserve no less. Thank you MGM for preserving and presenting this film on widescreen anamorphic DVD. The image and mono sound of this 1954 are clean, crisp and clear. The color looks like it was shot yesterday.

I bought this DVD because I like both actors' work -- have a look at the Cooper in "High Noon", "Friendly Persuasion" and "The Westerner". And Lancaster in "The Professionals", "Run Silent, Run Deep" and "The Train". Also, well, because I haven't seen a really good contemporary western since "Silverado" and "Tombstone". This fills the box-office void very well.

The Amazon summaries and the other four reviews here are right on target. Leone and Peckinpah MUST have seen this film. Highly recommended!

BTW, western fans will rejoice that several John Wayne classics are slated for release in the next two months, including "Rio Bravo", "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", "Horse Soldiers" and "The Sons of Katie Elder". It's about time!

VERA CRUZ was a buddy movie long before the term came into vogue. Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster are wonderful as friends and adversaries, allies and enemies, in Mexico during Maximillian's rule. Far ahead of its time in combining humor and action and drama within the same framework, VERA CRUZ starts with a bang and rarely pauses to catch its breath. French director Francois Truffaut thought this one of the best films ever made in America. It is filled with double crosses, triple crosses, and enough twists and turns to have audiences guessing right up to the final bittersweet shootout. Highly, highly recommended. Without this, there'd never have been THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, THE PROFESSIONALS (also starring Lancaster) and THE WILD BUNCH. Final caution: Get it in letterbox, NOT in pan-and-scan.

Most reviewers have done an excellent job in extoling the virtues of this classic western so I will not repeat what has been so well covered here. However, I believe they have failed to give proper credit to the magnificent music by Hugo Friedhofer. The entire score enhances each scene in the film as it adds emotion, suspense, excitement and poignancy to the visuals but the main title theme is one of the best pieces ever composed for a movie. Simply awesome. It's a shame that the soundtrack album for Vera Cruz has long been unavailable when so much crap has found its way to CDs. I will end this diatribe with a question that has bothered me forever. Can somebody clarify why the writers or producers of Vera Cruz chose to spell the name of the Mexican city in two words instead of using the correct name Veracruz?? I know it looks great on posters and lobby cards but, come on, is like if I started spelling Washington as Wash Ington...