Sunday, June 8, 2014

June 8 - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

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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