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IMDbPro

The Westerner

  • 19401940
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
6K
YOUR RATING
Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, and Doris Davenport in The Westerner (1940)
  • Western
Judge Roy Bean, a self-appointed hanging judge in Vinegarroon, Texas, befriends saddle tramp Cole Harden, who opposes Bean's policy against homesteaders.Judge Roy Bean, a self-appointed hanging judge in Vinegarroon, Texas, befriends saddle tramp Cole Harden, who opposes Bean's policy against homesteaders.Judge Roy Bean, a self-appointed hanging judge in Vinegarroon, Texas, befriends saddle tramp Cole Harden, who opposes Bean's policy against homesteaders.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
6K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • William Wyler
  • Writers
    • Jo Swerling(screenplay)
    • Niven Busch(screenplay)
    • Stuart N. Lake(from the story by)
  • Stars
    • Gary Cooper
    • Walter Brennan
    • Doris Davenport
Top credits
  • Director
    • William Wyler
  • Writers
    • Jo Swerling(screenplay)
    • Niven Busch(screenplay)
    • Stuart N. Lake(from the story by)
  • Stars
    • Gary Cooper
    • Walter Brennan
    • Doris Davenport
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 70User reviews
    • 22Critic reviews
    • 78Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 2 wins & 2 nominations total

    Photos73

    Gary Cooper in The Westerner (1940)
    Gary Cooper in The Westerner (1940)
    Gary Cooper in The Westerner (1940)
    Gary Cooper in The Westerner (1940)
    Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, and Lilian Bond in The Westerner (1940)
    Gary Cooper in The Westerner (1940)
    Walter Brennan, Joe De La Cruz, Paul Hurst, Lupita Tovar, and Chill Wills in The Westerner (1940)
    Gary Cooper, Doris Davenport, Fred Stone, and Forrest Tucker in The Westerner (1940)
    Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Charles Halton, Paul Hurst, and Chill Wills in The Westerner (1940)
    Gary Cooper and Doris Davenport in The Westerner (1940)
    Walter Brennan in The Westerner (1940)
    Walter Brennan in The Westerner (1940)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Gary Cooper
    Gary Cooper
    • Cole Harden
    Walter Brennan
    Walter Brennan
    • Judge Roy Bean
    Doris Davenport
    Doris Davenport
    • Jane Ellen Mathews
    Fred Stone
    Fred Stone
    • Caliphet Mathews
    Forrest Tucker
    Forrest Tucker
    • Wade Harper
    Paul Hurst
    Paul Hurst
    • Chickenfoot
    Chill Wills
    Chill Wills
    • Southeast
    Lilian Bond
    Lilian Bond
    • Lily Langtry
    Dana Andrews
    Dana Andrews
    • Hod Johnson
    Charles Halton
    Charles Halton
    • Mort Borrow
    Trevor Bardette
    Trevor Bardette
    • Shad Wilkins
    Tom Tyler
    Tom Tyler
    • King Evans
    Lucien Littlefield
    Lucien Littlefield
    • The Stranger
    C.E. Anderson
    C.E. Anderson
    • Hezekiah Willever
    • (uncredited)
    Stanley Andrews
    Stanley Andrews
    • Sheriff
    • (uncredited)
    Arthur Aylesworth
    Arthur Aylesworth
    • Mr. Dixon - Homesteader
    • (uncredited)
    Bill Beauman
    • Man Getting Haircut
    • (uncredited)
    Hank Bell
    Hank Bell
    • Deputy
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • William Wyler
    • Writers
      • Jo Swerling(screenplay)
      • Niven Busch(screenplay)
      • Stuart N. Lake(from the story by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Gary Cooper never liked the film and said "You can't make a western without a gunfight" He walked off the film and refused to start work on it. It was only after long battles with Goldwyn that he started work on it but always said that he wished he'd never made it.
    • Goofs
      The town was named for George Langtry, an engineer and foreman who had supervised a Chinese work crew building the railroad, and not for the actress Lillie Langtry.
    • Quotes

      Cole Harden: [to Bean] When I was a kid, I had a pet rattlesnake. I was fond of it, but I wouldn't turn my back on it.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits: "After the Civil War, America, in the throes of rebirth, set its face West where the land was free. First came the cattlemen and with them "Judge" Roy Bean, who took the law into his own hands, administering justice according to his lights. That he left his impress on the history of Texas is tribute to his greatness. Then into his stronghold moved another army, the homesteaders, who ploughed the soil, fenced in fields, to bring security to their wives and children. War was inevitable, a war out of which grew the Texas of today."
    • Connections
      Featured in Hollywood: The Great Stars (1963)

    User reviews70

    Review
    Top review
    A Perfect Representation of the American Psyche in 1940
    "The Westerner" (1940): Directed by William Wyler, starring Gary Cooper and Walter Brennen. On one level, this is a classic tale of the Old West as it struggled through a transition of re-settlement. Depicted as such, it is a beautifully photographed, well acted, gritty, weird, funny, and emotional story. But, this film was also made in 1940. The Germans had begun their sweep across Europe, they were breaking treaties as fast as necessary, and non-militarized countries could not withstand the armed renegade country bent on following no rules but its own. To think that this was not on the minds of "The Westerner's" writers, directors, and audience, would be naïve. It's a perfect representation of current events in Europe, England, and America – as of 1940. (1941 would change that.) I found it fascinating from this perspective – watching it with something of the same gut level understanding that people in that time would have certainly felt. Cooper was the outsider who had no real attachments and wanted to remain isolated – keeping his freedom and avoiding entanglements. The town, run by despot Judge Roy Bean, made their own laws, convicted everyone in their way, and hung them without a second thought. The farmers were seen as an impediment to their expanding ideas which required more and more land and water. Cooper was drawn into the battle of ideologies, and attempted to become the ambassador aiming for peace, not war. He moved slowly, and lost the trust of everyone – until it was made very clear to him that the aggressors had no intention of honoring promises. It was time to take sides. It is PERFECT representation of that, and our (we, the Westerners), time.
    helpful•19
    5
    • futures-1
    • May 11, 2008

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 20, 1940 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Zakon divljeg zapada
    • Filming locations
      • Santa Rita Mountains, Arizona, USA
    • Production company
      • The Samuel Goldwyn Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $2,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, and Doris Davenport in The Westerner (1940)
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