Today’s movie is a biographical drama with a scene that happens on June
8. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
In 1881 the James brothers, Jesse
and Frank recruit a gang of petty thieves to assist them in robbing a train,
which turns out to have much less money than supposed. Frank leaves for
Baltimore. Wood Hite and Dick Liddil go to Kentucky to see Hite’s father. While
there, Liddil becomes involved with Hite’s step-mother, angering Hite. Bob Ford stays with Jesse for a time then
returns to stay at his sister, Martha Bolton’s farm with his brother Charley, Hite
and Liddil. Liddil tells Bob that he and Jim Cummins, another gang member are going
to capture Jesse for the large reward.
Jesse goes to see Ed Miller, another gang member, who unintentionally
hints that Cummins is plotting against Jesse. Jesse kills Miller, then he and Liddil
go out to find Cummins and Jesse even beats up a young cousin of Bob Ford’s to
try and get info out of him. Liddil returns to the Bolton’s farmhouse and gets
into a confrontation in which an angry Hite ends up being killed by Bob Ford
and his body is hidden in the woods. Bob approaches the police and after
suggesting Liddil’s arrest makes a deal with Missouri governor Crittenden in
which he has ten days to kill or capture Jesse. Charley Ford persuades Jesse to
take Bob into the gang and they start planning a crime spree. Bob shoots and kills Jesse, for which he gets
$10,000.00 [the equivalent of $12.8 million today] The Ford brothers for a time
become celebrities, re-enacting the death of Jesse on the New York stage. Bob
later experiences regret and writes letters of apology to Jesse’s widow that he
never mails. On June 8, 1902 [2:29:55 to 2:32:06] Robert Ford is murdered in
the saloon he owned by Ed O’Kelly, who was later pardoned.
A low key, but effective movie.
More of a character study than and action film. Both Bob Ford and Jesse James
are examined to try and determine what makes them tick.
Encyclopedia of World Crime: Criminal Justice,
Criminology and Law Enforcement Vol. II by Jay Robert Nash (Crime
Books, Inc., Wilmette, Ill, 1990) at page1197 gives the date of the murder
Awards – The film was nominated for the Best Supporting
Actor(Affleck) and the Best
Cinematography Oscars at the 80th Academy Awards.
Producer - Ridley Scott, Jules Daly, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner
and David Valdes
Director - Andrew Dominik
Screenplay - Andrew Dominik
Narrator - Hugh Ross
Runtime - 2 hours 40
minutes
Released – September 21, 2007
Starring –
Brad Pitt as Jesse James
Casey Affleck as "Bob" Ford
Sam Shepard as Frank James
Jeremy Renner as Wood Hite
Sam Rockwell as Charley Ford
Mary-Louise Parker as "Zee" James
Zooey Deschanel as Dorothy Evans
Paul Schneider as
Dick Liddle
James Carville as Gov.Thomas Crittenden
Michael Parks as Henry Craig
Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.
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