All the Pretty Horses

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Director Billy Bob Thornton explores coming of age in this Western based on Cormac McCarthy's prize-winning novel of the same name. John Grady Cole (Matt Damon) and Lacey Rawlins (Henry Thomas) are young Texan men who seek a more fulfilling life as cowboys in the slowly fading Old West, circa 1949. One night, the duo head for Mexico in hope of finding some adventure and employment, and along the way run into Blevins (Lucas Black), an even younger drifter who has supposedly stolen a horse from private property. Begrudgingly, Cole and Rawlins take him under their wing before they eventually find themselves in Mexico, working for a wealthy landowner (Ruben Blades). His stalwart and beautiful daughter Alejandra (Penelope Cruz) develops a romantic interest in Cole, which threatens the friendship between him and Rawlins, not to mention their living quarters, where Alejandra's watchful aunt (Miriam Colon) warns Cole that she has professed allegiance to her. Cole and Rawlins' thrill-seeking adventures with Blevins and the stolen horse catch up to them, however, and they are held prisoners in a brutal penitentiary, where their cowboy instincts are put to the ultimate test. Cole, meanwhile, wants nothing more than to get back to Alejandra and resume their love affair. The film also features Bruce Dern in a small role as a judge who eventually gives much-desired guidance to Cole. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: English, French
• Features:
  • • Digitally mastered audio and anamorphic video
    • Widescreen presentation
    • Audio: English 5.1 [Dolby Digital] and 2-channel [Dolby Surround]
    • Subtitles: English, French
    • Theatrical trailers
    • Filmographies
    • Animated menus
    • Production notes
    • Scene selections

AWARDS

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Nominated Best Original Score - 2000 (Marty Stuart, Larry Paxton, K. Alexander Wilkinson)

• National Board of Review

•     Won Best Screenplay - 2000 (Ted Tally)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Billy Bob Thornton

• Producer:

  Billy Bob Thornton, Robert Salerno

• Screenwriter:

  Ted Tally

• Book Author:

  Cormac McCarthy

• Cinematographer:

  Barry Markowitz

• Composer (Music Score):

  Marty Stuart, K. Alexander Wilkinson, Larry Paxton

• Editor:

  Sally Menke

• Production Designer:

  Clark Hunter

• Art Director:

  Max Biscoe, Richard Johnson

• Co-producer:

  Bruce Heller, Mary Ann Madden

• Executive Producer:

  Jonathan Gordon, Sally Menke

• Set Designer:

  Thomas Minton

• Costume Designer:

  Doug Hall

• Set Decorator:

  Traci Kirshbaum

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Stephen Flick, Peter A. Brown

• First Assistant Director:

  Jim Hensz

• Casting:

  Mary Vernieu

• Sound Mixer:

  Paul Ledford

• Casting:

  Anne McCarthy

• Second Unit Director:

  Fred Murphy

• Second Unit Director Of Photogra:

  Fred Murphy

• Additional Cinematography:

  Fred Murphy

• Stunts Coordinator:

  Buddy Van Horn

• Sound Director:

  Stephen Flick

• Second Unit Assistant Director:

  Lisa Satriano

• Sound Director:

  Peter A. Brown

REVIEW:

• The mythology of the Western is given a solid treatment by director Billy Bob Thornton in his first film since 1996's Sling Blade, proving he is a filmmaker with strong instincts. Still, Pretty Horses' brevity in some moments hints there was a richer, more shaded picture before its heavy re-editing, and as a result, the work is sometimes a bit unsteady. That said, the script is extremely well-adapted by Ted Tally (who skillfully transferred The Silence of the Lambs to the screen), capturing the rugged beauty of the West with complete authenticity. The leads are believable and well cast (though Penelope Cruz still struggles with her American characterizations), and despite its shortcomings, the movie remains an admirable and reverential poem to a much-forgotten time. Remarkably, Pretty Horses' tumultuous production history isn't apparent in the final version, although a reported two hours of footage was cut from it; the battle over final cut eventually led Miramax Films to take over domestic distribution from partner Columbia Pictures. Additionally, Damon ended up taking the lead role after Leonardo DiCaprio passed on it, a redux of Damon's casting in The Talented Mr. Ripley, another DiCaprio pass. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi