Friendly Persuasion

The story of a family of Quakers in Indiana in 1862. Their religous sect is strongly opposed to violence and war. It's not easy for them to meet the rules of their religion in everyday life but when Southern troops pass the area they are in real trouble. Should they fight, despite their peaceful attitide? Written by Olaf Mertens {olafbahg@w210zrz.zrz.tu-berlin.de}

Cast of Friendly Persuasion

	Gary Cooper	...	Jess Birdwell
	Dorothy McGuire	...	Eliza Birdwell
	Anthony Perkins	...	Josh Birdwell
	Richard Eyer	...	Little Jess
	Robert Middleton	...	Sam Jordan
	Phyllis Love	...	Martha 'Mattie' True Birdwell
	Peter Mark Richman	...	Gardner 'Gard' Jordan (as Mark Richman)
	Walter Catlett	...	Prof. Waldo Quigley
	Richard Hale	...	Purdy (violent Quaker)
	Joel Fluellen	...	Enoch (black hired hand)
	Theodore Newton	...	Maj. Harvey (recruiter in meetinig)
	John Smith	...	Caleb Cope (wrestling Quaker)
	Edna Skinner	...	Opal Hudspeth
	Marjorie Durant	...	Pearl Hudspeth (pipe-smoking woodcutter in braids)
	Frances Farwell	...	Ruby Hudspeth

The Proposition

Rural Australia in the late nineteenth century: Capt. Stanley and his men capture two of the four Burns brothers, Charlie and Mike. Their gang is held responsible for attacking the Hopkins farm, raping pregnant Mrs. Hopkins and murdering the whole family. Arthur Burns, the eldest brother and the gang's mastermind, remains at large has and has retreated to a mountain hideout. Capt. Stanley's proposition to Charlie is to gain pardon and - more importantly - save his beloved younger brother Mike from the gallows by finding and killing Arthur within nine days. Written by Armin Ortmann {armin@sfb288.math.tu-berlin.de}

Cast of The Proposition

	Richard Wilson	...	Mike Burns
	Noah Taylor	...	Brian O'Leary
	Jeremy Madrona	...	Asian Prostitute
	Jae Mamuyac	...	Asian Prostitute
	Guy Pearce	...	Charlie Burns
	Mick Roughan	...	Mad Jack Bradshaw
	Shane Watt	...	John Gordon
	Ray Winstone	...	Captain Stanley
	Robert Morgan	...	Sergeant Lawrence
	David Gulpilil	...	Jacko
	Bryan Probets	...	Officer Dunn
	Oliver Ackland	...	Patrick Hopkins
	Danny Huston	...	Arthur Burns
	David Vallon	...	Tom Cox
	Daniel Parker	...	Henry Clark

Open Range

Boss Spearman, Charley Waite, Mose Harrison and Button freegraze their cattle across the vast prairies of the West, sharing a friendship forged by a steadfast code of honor and living a life unencumbered by civilization. When their wayward herd forces them near the small town of Harmonville, the cowboys encounter a corrupt sheriff and kingpin rancher who govern the territory through fear, tyranny and violence. Boss and Charley find themselves inextricably drawn towards an inevitable showdown, as they are forced to defend the freedom and values of a lifestyle that is all too quickly vanishing. Amidst the turmoil, life suddenly takes an unexpected turn for the loner Charley when he meets the beautiful and warm spirited Sue Barlow, a woman who embraces both his heart and his soul. Written by Sujit R. Varma

This tale of the Old West (let's avoid the term western) works on many fronts. It blends the expected violence with pathos, romance, and even comedy. The film opens with four cow hands (Robert Duvall as Boss; Kevin Costner as Charlie Waite; Abraham Benrubi as Mose, the gentle, boy-like cook; and Diego Luna, as Buttons, a 16 year old Spanish kid that has been taken in by the older cowboys) pushing a cattle herd. After a hard rain, Boss determines that Mose needs to go back to a town they passed and get extra supplies. When he fails to return, the two older men go after him. They find he has been beaten by a local rancher's men and then arrested for starting the fight. Going to the jail, they confront the corrupt town marshall (James Russo) and the rancher (Michael Gambon), who has a stranglehold on the town and a dislike for open range cattlemen. Mose is released and taken to a doctor (Dean McDermott), where the men also meet the doc's sister (Annette Bening), whom they initially mistake for his wife. Romance blooms! The men head back to the range, but are confronted by hooded riders and disaster that sends them on a path of revenge. Charlie's history as a former gunfighter slowly surfaces as he plans out the impending shootout. Written by John Sacksteder {jsackste@bellsouth.net}

Cast of Open Range

	Robert Duvall	...	Boss Spearman
	Kevin Costner	...	Charley Waite
	Annette Bening	...	Sue Barlow
	Michael Gambon	...	Denton Baxter
	Michael Jeter	...	Percy
	Diego Luna	...	Button
	James Russo	...	Sheriff Poole
	Abraham Benrubi	...	Mose
	Dean McDermott	...	Doc Barlow
	Kim Coates	...	Butler
	Herb Kohler	...	Cafe Man
	Peter MacNeill	...	Mack
	Cliff Saunders	...	Ralph
	Patricia Stutz	...	Ralph's Wife (as Pat Stutz)
	Julian Richings	...	Wylie

Johnny Guitar

Plot summary

Vienna has built a saloon oustide of town, and she hopes to build her own town once the railroad is put through, but the townsfolk want her gone. When four men hold up a stagecoach and kill a man the town officials, led by Emma Small, come to the saloon to grab four of Vienna's friends, the Dancin' Kid and his men. Vienna stands strong against them, and is aided by the presence of an old acquaintance of hers, Johnny Guitar, who is not what he seems. Written by Ed Sutton {esutton@mindspring.com}

Cast of Johnny Guitar

	Joan Crawford	...	Vienna
	Sterling Hayden	...	Johnny 'Guitar' Logan
	Mercedes McCambridge	...	Emma Small
	Scott Brady	...	Dancin' Kid
	Ward Bond	...	John McIvers
	Ben Cooper	...	Turkey Ralston
	Ernest Borgnine	...	Bart Lonergan
	John Carradine	...	Old Tom
	Royal Dano	...	Corey
	Frank Ferguson	...	Marshal Williams
	Paul Fix	...	Eddie
	Rhys Williams	...	Mr. Andrews
	Ian MacDonald	...	Pete