MOVIES

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Mardecortesbaja: A Journal of Visual Culture

The late Lloyd Fonvielle was a producer, screenwriter, fiction and nonfiction writer who wrote eloquent essays about film at his website Mardescortesbaja: A Journal of Visual Culture. He especially admired Ben Johnson and the films of John Ford. Here are some pertinent links, but there is much more to be enjoyed at the site, which fortunately for us is still available. Lloyd met Ben during the production of Cherry 2000 and contributed some remarks regarding that film (not yet reposted on this site). Located in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, Ben Johnson's home town, the museum focuses on the western, ranching, rodeo and cultural heritage of Osage County. Exhibits include the bits, spurs and saddles made by cowboy craftsmen, and an art gallery featuring the award-winning artists as John D, Free, Jim Hamilton and many more.

The Last Picture Show

Rio Grande

Wagon Master

The Wild Bunch

The Wild Bunch Redux

 

50 Westerns of the 50s

"Riding the long, dusty trail through 50s Westerns."

Toby Roan's great blog about westerns of the 1950s. Use the search engine to find articles referring to Ben Johnson. Toby grew up in the movies -- his father, Cary Roan, was a pioneer in the early days of home video entertainment, releasing public domain films on VHS, laser disc and DVD. Toby's commentaries are available on numerous Blu-rays, especially Westerns titles, most recently The Mississippi Gambler. Toby has also published a book, A Million Feet of Film, about the making of One-Eyed Jacks and contributed a video essay to Criterion's Blu-ray release of the restored film.

 

Jeff Arnold's West

"The blog of a Western fan, for other Western fans."Jeff Arnold is a writer currently retired in Europe. His blog is a compilation of closely researched articles about Western films, the historical and mythic West, especially famous Westerners in fact and fiction, and Western essentials as stagecoaches, saloons, gunfights, hats, horses and more. Jeff is a great admirer of Ben Johnson, although he has not yet written an essay about him. Use the search engine to find articles referring to Ben.

 

The Frame: The Last Picture Hero

Warren Oates, ‘Bonanza,’ Ben Johnson, and more Wild West shenanigans with leading lady Lee Purcell

Westerns of the Sixties: One-Eyed Jacks
 

Warner Bros: The Wild Bunch Turns 50: Celebrating a Classic Through Pictures

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Texas Highways: "The Ghosts of Archer"

Fifty years ago, The Last Picture Show changed the way the world saw small-town Texas and, in turn, the way the small town saw itself.