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Actors: Paul Newman, Victoria Principal, Ava Gardner, Anthony Perkins
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean |
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The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) is a farcical and revisionist Texas Western directed by John Huston, who also has a brief role in the film. Paul Newman plays the outlaw Roy Bean who arrives at an isolated tavern and brothel in 19th Century Texas. After being overwhelmed, robbed, and nearly killed by the uncivilized white inhabitants, Bean is saved by a young Mexican woman (Victoria Principal), who later becomes his common law wife. He returns to the place and kills his assailants in revenge, then decides to move into the house and become patron of the nearby Mexican village. Bean, who is an admirer of opera singer Lilly Langtry, finds an outdated law book and decides to establish his own brand of law in this otherwise uncivilized wilderness. A preacher (Anthony Perkins) who happens to pass through helps Bean bury the dead.
When a band of outlaws arrives, Bean allows them to settle down and hires them as his marshals who will capture other suspected outlaws and bring them to town to be convicted and hanged. Their confiscated loot keeps Bean's and his marshals business going. Life in Langtry is enjoyable for Bean and everyone else time is passed with poker and cactus whiskey. With time more people and a watch bear -- arrive to settle down and Langtry becomes a flourishing little town where Bean is an unquestioned moral and legal authority.
This does not last forever, though, and with the arrival of more people, conflicts over authority arise especially with Frank Gass, a lawyer who dared to claim that he inherited the land from its former owner. Finally, one day after Bean returns from the nearby city he discovers that in his absence the town has elected a mayor. Bean feels that he has been cheated by his own townspeople and leaves.
With Bean, the Old West is driven out of the town. 20 years go by, and in the meantime -- under the influence of Frank Grass -- Langtry is invaded by greedy oil magnates who no longer ride horses and who work to transform the entire town into an oil refinery. Frank Gass has finally managed to take over the land in the interest of the oil barons, and only the owner of the Jersey Lily bar, Judge Bean;s daughter Rose, resists to giving up her place and is set to defend it to the last bullet.
--dorothea lotter, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 50%
Time/Era of Movie:
- 1900-1920's
Western
Yes
Kind of western:
- hunting down outlaws
- fighting bad business/family
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- politician/elected ruler
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
- wild
Hair color?
- blonde
Hair style
- short/standard curly (man)
Body type
- muscular (man)
Events of movie makes character more...
- sensitive
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- a lawyer creature
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 20%
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- skinny (man)
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- healthy but a geeky weakling
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Texas
Small town?
Yes
Misc setting
- moving train
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately messy visuals of dead
Movie makes you feel...
- full of laughter
How many deaths in film?
- dozens
How much use of techno gadgets?
- 1 ()
Kind of violence:
- guns
Unusual forms of death
- hanging
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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