Robin short the ballad of jesse james i shot jesse. Terrific tension in an intimate scene as the bathing jesse reed hadley gives a gift to bob ford john ireland, who considers murder for bounty, in writerdirector sam fullers i shot jesse james, 1949. This film is not currently playing on mubi but 30 other great films are. The assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford.
I shot jesse james 1949 1h 21min drama, history, romance 26 february 1949 usa bob ford murders his best friend jesse james in order to obtain a pardon that will free him to marry his girlfriend but is plagued by guilt and selfdisgust. Winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. I shot jesse james is a film directed by samuel fuller with preston foster, barbara britton, john ireland, reed hadley, year. The real frank and jesse james were murderous thugs, light years away from the robin hood image imposed on them by revisionist dime novelists. At once modest and intense, i shot jesse james is an engrossing pocket. Photo may show jesse james with killer robert ford cnn. The guiltstricken ford soon finds himself greeted with derision and open mockery throughout town. I shot jesse james internet movie firearms database. I shot jesse james artistic license history tv tropes. The best jesse james movie is 2000s ride with the devil, which isnt about jesse james. I shot jesse james, fullers directorial debut, is so good because virtually every scenemany of which play out like a series of slowboil confrontationsis packed with clever ideas that makes the film s psychological realism consistently gratifying. I shot jesse james is a 1949 american western film directed by samuel fuller about the murder of jesse james by robert ford and robert fords life.
Lastly, casting director, yolanda molinaris, name was misspelled yolondo in the films opening credits, making many believe that she was a man. After years of crime reporting, screenwriting, and authoring pulp novels, samuel fuller made his directorial debut with the lonesome ballad of robert ford played by red river s john ireland, who fatally betrayed his friend, the notorious jesse james. Yet fuller cut his teeth originally in the western genre, with his first feature. The outlaw jesse james, left, was fatally shot in 1882 by robert ford, a member of his gang.
Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing i shot jesse james near you. Our goal is to watch them all and report back to you. Here, he simply plants the idea in bobs head, then runs off after the killing to avoid frank jamess wrath. A look at the history of outlaw jesse james who was either shot down in 1882, or lived to over 100 under the name j. Samuel fuller cut his teeth in the directors chair with i shot jesse james, an average gunfighter western from 1949.
The film is filled with complete characters, especially john ireland as bob ford who practically. Other articles where i shot jesse james is discussed. Charles ford had a much bigger role in the killing of jesse james than the film shows. Directed by samuel fuller 1949 united states after years of crime reporting, screenwriting, and authoring pulp novels, samuel fuller made his directorial. February 26th, 1949 not yet rated 1 hr 21 min plot summary. Perhaps the best performance as jesse james was given by brad pitt in the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford 2007, a beautifully shot but slowmoving film.
The story is built around a fictional rivalry between ford and his eventual killer edward kelley called john in the film over a woman. The idea for samuel fullers i shot jesse james arose from the fledgling writerdirectors interest in cassius murderous betrayal of julius caesar in 44 b. Thats okay because the best george custer movie is fort apache, which isnt about the boy general if you want to get down to real jesse movies, the sad state of affairs is that for one of the most successful outlaws in old west history, jesses film career has been a mixed bag. I shot jesse james 1949 originally published on the news hub when we think of director samuel fuller we tend to think of films noir about displaced men, damaged women, criminals searching for redemption, and tabloid stories expanded to the level of mythology. I shot jesse james isnt the story of some great gunfight where the infamous outlaw got his comeuppance, but the tale of robert ford, a member of the james gang who shot their leader in the back in. The blunt title is just the kind of fabulous headline an intrepid newshound would pick for his directorial debut. Movie bob ford murders his best friend jesse james in order to obtain a pardon that will free him to marry his girlfriend cynthy. The film focuses on robert ford john ireland, the man who was a part of jesse james.
Looking to watch the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford. Death of a wild west outlaw outlaw jesse james was murdered in his missouri home by fellow gang member robert ford on this day in. Teenaged robert ford casey affleck idolized jesse, sought his friendship, rode with him. The film is filled with complete characters, especially john ireland as bob ford who practically steals the film. I shot jesse james premiered on february 26, 1949, and quickly rose out of the slums of the bwestern. Each of these professions influenced his writing and directing, as evidenced by the three scruffy but ambitious lowbudget dramas included in criterions the first films of samuel fuller box set. Read the full synopsis of i shot jesse james, 1949, directed by samuel fuller, with preston foster, barbara britton, john ireland, at turner classic movies skip navigation tcm. His first film as director, i shot jesse james 1949, is more restrained than his later works. After years of crime reporting, screenwriting, and authoring pulp novels, samuel fuller made his directorial debut with the lonesome ballad of robert ford played by red rivers john ireland, who fatally betrayed his friend, the notorious jesse james. I shot jesse james 1949 was the first motion picture written and directed by samuel fuller the steel helmet, merrills marauders, the big red one. As the legendary samuel fullers debut film, i shot jesse james is a western with fullers trademark closeup shots and psychological aspects as well as the use of newspaper pages displaying. The story concerns that of robert ford, the infamous killer of famous outlaw jesse james, and the personal aftereffects that the killing had on ford.
Luck went against bob ford after his cowardly shooting of the famous outlaw. Gunfighter film, psychological western release date feb 26, 1949 usa. At once modest and intense, i shot jesse james is an engrossing pocket portrait of guilt and psychological torment, and an auspicious. Brad pitt as jesse, and the real jesse woodson james ca. Bob ford murders his best friend jesse james in order to obtain a pardon that will free him to marry his girlfriend but is plagued by guilt and selfdisgust. The reel, not real, jesse james in film true west magazine. I shot jesse james is a 1949 american western film directed by samuel fuller about the murder of jesse james by robert ford and robert fords life afterwards. I shot jesse james 1949 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Howard, robert ford john ireland, cannot live down his reputation for shooting his best friend, jesse james reed hadley, in the back. When a drifting folk singer plays the famous jesse james song to bobs face, poor bob becomes the center of the 1870 equivalent of a media storm its like having his name and face plastered on the 11 oclock crime news. Barbara britton, preston foster, john ireland, reed hadley.
Bob ford, played by john ireland, truly admires americas longtime king outlaw but at the same time wouldnt mind the pardon and notorierity that went along with jesses demise. I shot jesse james is a 1949 western, directed by samuel fuller in his directorial debut and the launching pad for his successful directing career. Bob ford john ireland runs with the infamous jesse james reed hadley, but is wounded in a robbery. The film spans over ten years of time, beginning at fords tenure in jesses gang and ending at. The film focuses on robert ford john ireland, the man who was a part of jesse james robbery gang and who eventually killed him. Here is our working master list of films relating to the outlaw jesse james, starting with a 1909 silent film up to the 2007 brad pitt release. Criterionrefs really interesting wild west psychodrama as sam fuller makes his directorial debut trying to figure out what goes on in the head of a man who would gun down his best friend supposedly for the love of a woman. I shot jesse james once had the reputation of being shot entirely in closeup, which is untrue. Read the i shot jesse james movie synopsis, view the movie trailer, get cast and crew information, see movie photos, and more on. In the first two films, 1949s i shot jesse james and the baron of arizona, fuller follows his newsmans nose for a good story into truelife tales. Find out where the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford is streaming, if the assassination of jesse.
As the legendary samuel fullers debut film, i shot jesse james is a western with fullers trademark closeup shots and psychological aspects as well as the use of newspaper pages displaying various events. The titular outlaw is first a flat profile nailed on a wanted poster, then a giant, bushybearded face, impassive like an. I shot jesse james 1949 the most memorable works of the twofisted, cigarchomping director samuel fuller are those that blend the sensational social outcry of yellow journalism with the violent extremes of tencent pulp magazines films such as the naked kiss 1964 and the steel helmet 1951. Giving in to temptation, robert ford backshoots jesse in his own home. Jesse james brad pitt was the most notorious outlaw of his time, wanted by the law in 10 states yet celebrated as a robin hood in newspapers and dime novels.
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