SEVEN MEN FROM NOW
Starring Randolph Scott, directed by Budd Boetticher

Think of the great director/star pairings in the Western genre and you will probably come up with three: John Ford and John Wayne; Anthony Mann and James Stewart; and Budd Boetticher and Randolph Scott.

Boetticher and Scott made seven Westerns together, six of which they regarded as career high points. SEVEN MEN FROM NOW was so good, John Wayne said he should have kept the script for himself (Wayne produced SEVEN MEN FROM NOW through his company, Batjac).

True to preferred formula, Scott is once again the classic loner, a widower in this case, whose wife has been killed in a freight robbery. Guilt-ridden and morose, Scott’s ex-sheriff is typically dour but somehow compelling; a man of moral fortitude and courage with an ever-present aura of decency.

He is well matched by Lee Marvin as the villain. Marvin was a masterful actor and his ‘50s villains-- before he found superstardom-- were opportunities to give every film he was in added quality and depth.

Gail Russell is the female lead, still raven-haired and beautiful despite the alcoholism that eventually killed her. Remember how radiant she was one decade earlier in ANGEL AND THE BAD MAN and WAKE OF THE RED WITCH? (Incidentally, the name of John Wayne’s boat in RED WITCH is ‘Batjak’, from which he got his company name—with a ‘c’ replacing the ‘k’).

Boetticher directs using a classic Western landscape of mountain and desert, showing the savage beauty and the every day harsh existence endured by the pioneers.

There is nothing quite like a good Western for fans of the genre; just like there is nothing quite like a hot cup of tea on a cold day. It hits the spot and warms the soul.

There are an awful lot of good Westerns that have never been commercially released on video. Comet Video is a gold mine of Western classics for the serious collector. You’ll want to check out their catalogue online and stock up on a number of their rare gems.

As mentioned, the transfers are very good and one can appreciate the obvious affection for oaters that the folks at Comet Video lavish on their business. This dedicated group of Western aficionados, while making available these classics from their private collections, have created a courteous, reasonably priced and efficient mail-order business in the process.

Jon Ted Wynne