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ACTOR
Robert WagnerJeffrey HunterHope LangeAgnes Moorehead
DIRECTOR
Nicholas Ray
SYNOPSICS
The True Story of Jesse James (1957) is a English movie. Nicholas Ray has directed this movie. Robert Wagner,Jeffrey Hunter,Hope Lange,Agnes Moorehead are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1957. The True Story of Jesse James (1957) is considered one of the best Action,Biography,Crime,Western movie in India and around the world.
The last eighteen years in the life of Jesse James, showing his home life in Missouri, his experiences with Quantrill's raiders, his career of banditry with his brother Frank and the Younger brothers, and his attempt to lead a peaceful life after the disastrous attempt to rob the bank at Northfield, Minn.
Same Actors
The True Story of Jesse James (1957) Reviews
'As the rewards go higher, your friends grow fewer.'
As an actor, Robert Wagner has shown remarkable staying power, especially when one considers that his success in the cinema was effected almost entirely through his dark, boyish good looks In "The True Story of Jesse James", Robert Wagner (Jesse) is proud of his name His name means something, especially when those Yankee bankers hear it, they start shaking Jesse James was the shooting spokesman for everyone whose life was quietly desperate To ones, he was a thief To others he was already becoming a legend, one that kindles a fire in their hearts Jesse has planned the very last robbery perfectly to make enough money to retire on But in spite that he never struck a bank in Northfield, the Minnesota banks were anxiously waiting for him So something went wrong Mrs. Samuel (Agnes Moorehead) recalls the past The Yankees came riding down on her farm, and her neighbors dragged her out of the kitchen Her elder son Frank (Jeffrey Hunter) was fighting for the South The State of Missouri has taken sides with the North Any man from this state who joins the South was considered a traitor For Zee (Hope Lange), Jesse had a dream for the future But that night, his neighbors, who were Northern sympathizers, broke his reverie All begins when the war has sapped the two brothers and their friends bone-dry Every bank in the state of Missouri was owned by a Yankee man who hates their hide and wants them to get out Those banks have got a lot of Northern money rolling in Jesse wanted one or two robberies to get enough money to leave for his mother, for his sweetheart, for protecting the farm But then he becomes addicted to the exciting life of robbing banks and trains The filmwell paced by director Nicholas Raywas beautifully acted by all its stars
Good-looking but unconvincing
Not quite big enough to be an "A" movie, not quite small enough to qualify as a "B" movie, this version of the Jesse James story is too indecisive in its attitude toward its central character to have much impact. The Jesse depicted here is neither good nor bad, and the same thing could be said about the movie itself. It is a very good-looking movie, though it's completely out of touch with the times it's meant to portray. Every set, every costume, every hair-do says "Hollywood 1950s" rather than "Missouri 1870s." Robert Wagner seems too clean-cut to be a frontier outlaw but 20th Century-Fox was trying to push him toward stardom at the time, making use of his "hunk" appeal. He's thus given a few bare-chest scenes. Jeffrey Hunter, another would-be star, fits more easily into the western milieu as Jesse's brother, but his part has clearly been subordinated to keep the attention on the Jesse James character. One wonders how the movie might have been improved had these two actors exchanged roles. Agnes Moorehead and John Carradine lend interest to a better-than-average supporting cast.
The truest Jesse?
Nicholas Ray' s objective in this film was to tell the true story of Jesse James, since so many other films were made where facts and characters were changed. He achieved this objective, not only with the facts but with the characters. If I had to choose how to portray Jesse James more like I would imagine him to be in real life, it would be not like a hero but as a man looking for survival, glory and who did not think twice before killing. Robert Wagner is an excellent Jesse also Jeffrey Hunter as Frank and so is Alan Hale Jr. as Cole Younger. From photos I have seen Hale Jr. and Younger had the same physical type. The film starts at the turning point for the James gang, Northfield, Minnesota and there are many flashbacks to tell the story. There is a good comic moment when both Cole Younger and Jesse act like Robin Hood to an old woman. When Hope Lange(Zee) says that all Jesse wanted was to give a good life to his family, it inspires a lot of thinking. Nicholas Ray did not apply himself too much in making this film, he kind of neglected it, because he didn't really get his way with the producers. Even though, it came out OK, but it pales in comparison with "The Assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford".
Spectacular as well as colorful Western dealing with the last eighteen years in the life of Jesse and Frank James
This is a slight and plain biopic about Jesse James who ranks with Billy the Kid as the most famous of Western outlaws . Legend and folklore have cast him as a Robin Hood , a good boy forced by circumstances to follow a criminal life . The picture provides a simple portrait of Jesse and his band , as they move from Civil War to there territory becoming into semi-legends . As showing his home life in Missouri, his experiences with Quantrill's raiders and his career of banditry . As Jesse (Robert Wagner) and Frank (Jeffrey Hunter) joined the Confederate guerrillas of Quantrill and learned to kill in ruthless company . Jesse and Frank along with cousins Cole (Alan Hale Jr) , Bob and Jim Younger (Biff Elliot) return from War to find mommy (Agnes Moorehead) and family threatened by Northern people . As detective Barney Remington (Alan Baxter) was hired by the railroad company to hunt down Jesse and Frank . So James Brothers commence to robbin' banks and trains to help out the poor folks who been done wrong . In the course of their revenge , they will become the object of the biggest manhunt in the history of the Old West . Along the way , Jesse courts attractive young , filly Zee (Hope Lange) . As their fame grows, so will the legend of their leader, a young outlaw by the name of Jesse James. This is a sprawling and glamorous Western with acceptable performances from Rober Wagner and Jeffrey Hunter. The film gets spectacular shoot em'up , thrills , exciting horse pursuits ; it's entertaining , although nothing new but displays an ordinary pace and with no originality . A glimmer Western with a wild bunch look-alike that ends up into a fateful final . Packs colorful scenarios, moving pace and slick edition by means of flashbacks .Footage from the original 1939 production was used when Frank and Jesse go over a cliff on horseback into a river and when they crashed, on horseback, through a store window during the "Northfield Minnesota Raid." Features various passable acting by a popular group of today's known stars . This is a decent look about the known story of the West's greatest bandit , Jesse James , along with Frank , Cole Younger and brothers with acceptable performances and professional direction by Nicholas Ray who creates some good action scenes . As originally conceived by Walter Newman and Nicholas Ray, the film had a non-linear plot with flashbacks, but studio boss Buddy Adler couldn't understand it and forced Ray to recut it with the scenes in chronological order ; Bernstein said the recut rendered the film "pointless." Taut excitement throughout , beautifully photographed by Joseph MacDonald and with spectacular bloodletting but realized with some flaws . Atmospheric and evocative musical score by Leigh Harline . The motion picture was well realized by Nicholas Ray who displays enough off-beat touches to keep . Other films about this legendary outlaw are : The classic version (1939) titled ¨Jesse James(1939)¨ with Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda, ¨The return of Frank james(1950) by Fritz Lang with Henry Fonda ; ¨I shot Jesse James¨ by Samuel Fuller with John Ireland as Bob Ford ; and ¨Jesse James vs the Dalton(1954)¨ by William Castle with John Ireland . And contemporary-style Western such as ¨Frank and Jesse¨ by Robert Boris with Rob Lowe as Jesse James , Bill Paxton as Frank James and Randy Travis as Younger ; ¨American outlaws¨ by Les Mayfield with Colin Farrell , Gabriel Macht , Terry O'Quinn , Harris Yulin and Ali Larter ; and ¨The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford¨ (2007) by Andrew Dominik with Brad Pitt , Sam Shepard , Mary Louise Parker , Casey Affleck and Sam Rockwell. The picture was based on actual events , these are the following : At the war's end in 1865 , Jesse rode in to surrender and was shot and seriously wounded by a Union soldier . It is believed that Jesse took part in his first robbery in 1866 when a dozen men held up the bank in Liberty , Missouri . A bank cashier was killed in the raid and a reward was offered for each of the James brothers . In 1873 Jesse and his band derailed and robbed a train on the Rock Island line . Jesse married his cousin Zerelda , who bore him two children . Pinkerton detectives were contracted to chase Jesse and Frank , the agents surrounded the home , believing they to be there , tossed a bomb and the explosion killed Jesse's young half-brother . This outrage brought much sympathy for the brothers . On 1876 Jesse and Frank in company the three Younger Brothers , attempted a bank robbery at Northfield , Minnnesota , and walked in disaster . The alerted citizens opened fire on the raiders , of the eight bandits involved , three were killed and three Younger brothers were captured . On 3 April 1882 Bob Ford , a new member of the gang , treacherously shot Jesse dead in back of the head in his home at St Joseph , Missouri .
Poor Jesse.
Fox's "The True Story Of Jesse James" (1957) is a remarkably poor widescreen remake of their prestigious 1939 Tyrone Power/Henry Fonda classic "Jesse James". I'm not sure where the fault lies but the casting in this version of the two central characters, the uneven direction of Nicholas Ray and the ham-fisted screenplay must surely have something to do with it. In the late thirties and forties Tyrone Power was Fox's top leading man but in the fifties his star began to wane and studio head Darryl Zanuck started to groom newcomer Robert Wagner to take his place. This was a major error on Zanuck's part as Wagner proved to be a less than a suitable replacement. With the possible exceptions of "Broken Lance" (1954) and "Between Heaven & Hell" (1956) it is hard to think of Wagner distinguishing himself in anything! Also, Jeffrey Hunter was nothing more than a Fox contract player before being assigned to play Frank James to Wagner's Jesse in "The True Story Of Jesse James". Borrowed from the studio the previous year this actor's one distinguishing mark was his excellent and revealing performance in John Ford's classic "The Searchers". But his playing here, along with Wagner as the second half of the James Brothers, is nothing short of boring. Neither player bring any personality or colour to their respective roles. They totally miss the mark, lacking the charisma and appeal so vividly displayed by Power and Fonda in the original. The movie is also marred by too many flashbacks and with the all over the place screenplay Wagner, as the Robin Hood of the American west, comes across as a charmless introverted twit that you can feel no empathy for whatsoever. The supporting cast are hardly worth mentioning but it is a shame to see such a great actress as Agnes Moorhead barely getting a look in as Ma James. The best aspects of this uninvolving so-so western is the wonderful Cinemascope/Colour cinematography by the great Joe McDonald and the excellent music score by the underrated and little known composer Leigh Harline!