Legend and mythmaking are the backbone of the Western genre.
In the context of the Western genre’s vast history,The Cowboysisperhaps the most prominent late-period Wayne picture.
Their journey is hindered by a rough drive full of dangers, notably a gang of rustlers trailing them.
Image via RKO Pictures
Starring alongside Wayne isRoscoe Lee Browne,Bruce Dern, andSlim Pickens.
Based on a novel byWilliam Dale Jennings,The Cowboysreceived mixed reviews upon release in 1972.
Naysayers will argue that he lacked any flair as a performer and was limited in his expressiveness.
John Ford’s ‘Fort Apache’ broke new ground and started the Western off to a better future.
BeforeStagecoach, the breakout film for Wayne and Ford, Westerns were widely marginalized as trivial, cheap entertainment.
Grauer praises the verisimilitude ofThe Cowboys.
Image via Warner Bros.
“The things they encounter along the way are pretty accurate,” Grauer says.
As Michael Grauer outlines in theInsidervideo, the Western genre has a complicated history regarding historical accuracy.
During Western expansion in the latter half of the 19th century, most towns forbade civilians from possessing firearms.
On what occurred at the gunfight at O.K.
Grauer praised Costners film for its understanding of free grazing, a widespread practice during Western expansion.
Cattle drives are inherently more truthful to the Western experience.
The director once suggested that the torch-passing sentiment drew Wayne to the story.
The Cowboysis currently available to rent or buy on Prime Video in the U.S.
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