Product Description

Well known for his highly successful low-budget westerns including the "Hopalong Cassidy" series, Harry Pop Sherman recounts the emergence of cattle ranches in this offbeat western. This captivating saga of two boatmen-turned ranchers, who fought rustlers, the weather, their own ignorance about cattle-rearing and finally each other in an attempt to build a business empire, deals with human emotions, passion and greed as never before.

Set amidst Texas’ sprawling countryside, the narrative follows the fortunes of Dan Taylor and Paxton Bryce as they build up a cattle empire with a few heads of cattle they pinch from the unscrupulous Dominique Beauchard. While Dan and his sister Abby - who is also Paxton’s wife - settle down to life of patient anticipation and hard work, the restless Paxton Bryce cannot wait to grow rich. Director William C. McGann handles Paxton’s gradual metamorphosis into a hard hearted and greedy person insightfully and there’s very little chance that anybody would miss the point the narrative makes.

This thrilling western has everything that it takes to draw audiences to movie houses - a fabulous plot, fast-paced action, great cast, memorable performances, humor and more! Witness this action packed cinematic adventure which recounts, fabulously, what greed can do to a man!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #151135 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-05-23
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Collector's Edition, Color, DVD, Flash, Full length, Full Screen, Original recording remastered, Restored, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 80 minutes

From the Actor
Ruggedly handsome and immensely gifted as a singer and actor, Preston Foster won himself the lead role in several Hollywood classics in the 30s and 40s. It was Foster’s memorable role as ‘Killer Mears’ in The Last Mile that catapulted him to fame and earned him key roles. American Empire was yet another classic, which helped, boost Foster’s image and label him as a versatile actor capable of playing a wide variety of roles. Originally made by Paramount, American Empire was sold to United Artists for release and preserved on DVD by a2zcds.com.

THE PLOT: Restless, eager for adventure and harboring an insatiable desire for wealth, Paxton Bryce (Preston Foster) convinces his long-time friend and business partner Dan Taylor (Richard Dix) to give up their ferrying business and venture into cattle rearing. By a rare coincidence their paths cross with that of cattle thief Dominique Beauchard (Leo Carrillo) , who provides them (rather unwillingly) with a startup stock of cattle. The ranch grows in leaps and bounds, but not fast enough for Paxton. Paxton’s greed and stubborn refusal to cooperate with his neighbors costs him his son, his wife Abbey (Frances Gifford) and his long time friend Dan. Will he ever learn life’s lessons?

About the Actor
A2ZCDS is the world's largest and fastest growing innovative multi-media library. Through its vast and unique distribution network, the company provides historical and educational CDs and DVDs covering thousands of topics to every corner of the globe. The ceaseless research and polling process at A2ZCDS constantly identifies and responds to existing and emergent areas of interests. As a result of constant innovation, exemplary products and outstanding customer service, A2ZCDS is quickly becoming a household name. It numbers amongst the most trusted, efficient and user-friendly sources of educational and entertainment media on the market today.

Customer Reviews

A Different Type Of Western
When I ordered American Empire I thought that it would be a standard western of good guys and bad guys shooting each other outside the saloon. To say that this film is not that is putting it lightly. Instead, it's a metaphor for man's inhumanity to man. Imagine "It's A Wonderful Life" if it had been told from the point of view of the Potter character. I liked seeing a movie that took the Western motif and tried to make a point with it rather than just giving us another shoot em up. Of coruse there is some shooting eventually, it's just not the entire point of the film the way it is with so many other westerns from this era. It represents a nice, interesting change for the better.

A Western Tragedy
Who knew that they made westerns that were modeled after deep works of literature? This is certainly not your standard white hats versus black hats western. Instead it's almost like Tolstoy as the main character has one minor flaw at teh begining of the film and then slowly becomes a terrible corrupt person because he can't help but keep giving into the bad side of her personality. It's a really deep character study and not at all what you would expect from a typical 40s western. I give it five stars for trying to rise above it's genre.

Thanks a2zcds for preserving this amazing offbeat, yet enthralling Western on DVDs.
"This is a wonderful example of how a man's uncontrolled passions and greed can destroy him completely. Director McGann has handled the narrative beautifully, inspiring his cast to give memorable performances. Although I had never viewed a Preston Foster movie before, I have just added his name to my all-time favorite lists of actors. Thanks a2zcds for preserving this amazing offbeat, yet enthralling Western on DVDs."