Introduction
Welcome to my corner! Last week, I shared by thoughts on the film Mr. Holland's Opus. This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the film Cat Ballou.
As I've said before, for the month of February, the TCM TV channel is playing homage to the Academy Awards, with their 31 Days of Oscar. All of the movies played from February 1 to March 3 will either be Oscar nominees or winners.
Enjoy!
Cat Ballou
Cat Ballou is a 1965 American western comedy film starring Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin, who won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual role. The story involves a woman who hires a notorious gunman to protect her father's ranch, and later to avenger his murder, only to find that the gunman is not what she expected. The supporting cast features Tom Nardini, Michael Callan, Dwayne Hickman, and Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye, who together perform the film's theme song and who appear throughout the film in the form of traveling minstrels or troubadours as a kind of musical Greek chorus and framing device.
The film was directed by Elliot Silverstein from a screenplay by Walter Newman and Frank Pierson adapted from the 1956 novel The Ballad of Cat Ballou by Roy Chanslor, who also wrote the novel filmed as Johnny Guitar. Chanslor's novel was a serious Western, and thought it was turned into a comedy for the film, the filmmakers retained some darker elements. The film references many classic Western films, notably Shane. The film was selected by the American Film Institute as the 10th greatest Western of all time in its AFT's 10 Top 10 list in 2008.
Plot: When hired gun Tim Strawn (Lee Marvin) kills her rancher father, Cat Ballou (Jane Fonda) becomes an outlaw set on vengeance. Enlisting the help of washed-up gunslinger Kid Shelleen (also Marvin) as well as the handsome bandit Clay Boone (Michael Callan), Cat strikes back at the land-development company that employed Strawn and eventually targets the assassin himself. Adding to the lively comedic mood of the film are narrative song performances by Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye.
Acting: Jane Fonda played the titular character of Catherine "Cat" Ballou. Other than Grace and Frankie, the Netflix TV show, I had never seen Jane Fonda in a somewhat comical role. I picture her in more serious, dramatic roles, but she proved that she could do more than that as well.
Lee Marvin played dual roles as Kid Shelleen, one of the heroes, and Tim Strawn, the villain. I wasn't sure how that would work for a film, one actor playing two opposite roles, but to Marvin's credit it worked spectacularly. He wont the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his efforts. I couldn't tell that the characters were both played by him. They did a nice job of disguising him. I wonder if there's a deeper reason why they cast him for both roles instead of two individual actors? I have a guess, but if I say it I'll spoil a secret in the story.
Tom Nardini played Jackson Two-Bears. Michael Callan played Clay Boone. Dwayne Hickman played Uncle Jed. John Marley played Frankie Ballou. These guys played supporting roles in the film. They were all very funny. I liked Nardini in his role.
Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye are credited as Shouter #1 and #2, but in the caption on the screen it seemed they had names. I don't remember what they were though. They were easily the best part of this movie for me. They're the first characters we're introduced to, and they actually introduce us to the story and characters. And they sing! They sing to tell the story and to help the story move forward. I didn't know such songs could be both comedic and sound so beautiful. It helps that I also love Nat King Cole. It makes me sad to know that this was his last film role. He died of lung cancer four months before this movie was released.
Technical Aspects: The film was shot on location in Colorado, including parts of Canon city and towns of Rosita and Buckskin Joe. It was also filmed around the Tunnel Drive Trail and the Wet Mountain Valley. Cat Ballou was also nominated for Academy Awards for Best Writing, Best Film editing and Best Music.
Themes: Gender roles, justice, revenge and transformation are the general themes of the movie. Cat Ballou subverts the western genre tropes by being a strong, capable woman who seeks revenge and justice. And, when no one is willing to help her, she's willing to do what needs to be done herself. It takes a long time for me to get her revenge/justice. not only does her character transform throughout the movie, but so does Marvin's character Kid Shelleen.
Cat Ballou enlists the help of Kid Shelleen to help get her revenge/justice. She's met with disappointment ad first, as he's a drunkard, instead of the sharpshooter she thought she hired. Again, it takes a long time; but eventually, he is able to change and evolve.
Final Thoughts: I do not generally like westerns, so I wasn't holding out much hope for liking this one, nor writing my column on it; but, as you can see, things change. I enjoyed this movie wholeheartedly. I knew I would love it as soon as I saw and heard Nat King Cole singing a funny song about the heroine of the story. That sealed the deal for me. The acting was great, too. Give me Lee Marvin all day; he was fantastic. He really stole the show.
If you like westerns, watch this movie. If you like comedies, watch this movie. All in all, you should really watch this movie because it is GOLD.
That's it this week! What were your thoughts? Feel free to share them with us! You can call us, email us, visit us at the office, leave us a comment or message on Facebook, or even mail us something. Keep the comments, questions, submissions, etc. coming our way! We'd love to hear from you!
