Product Description

An english widow her daughter and a drifter go to texas to breed her hereford bull with a ranchers longhorns. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 08/23/2005 Starring: James Stewart Brian Keith Run time: 97 minutes Rating: Nr Director: Andrew V. Mclaglen

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23141 in DVD
• Brand: Universal Studios
• Released on: 2003-05-06
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 97 minutes

Amazon.com
A very offbeat subject gives this Western its beefy flavor: English lady Maureen O'Hara brings a prize Hereford bull to the Wild West, where she plans to introduce its hardy bloodline into longhorn country. Cattle puncher James Stewart finds the idea suspect, but he likes this redhead, so he manages to tag along through stampede, gunfight, and blizzard. Director Andrew V. McLaglen generally steers a pleasing course, although the movie occasionally stumbles between brawling comedy and western drama. One stunt sequence, a run of longhorns through a desert canyon, qualifies as a hair-raiser. Brian Keith, wearing a gigantic red beard, does a Scots accent as a cattle baron, and veteran cowhands Ben Johnson and Jack Elam are around to lend atmosphere. The big bull's name is Vindicator, and he obeys whenever Juliet Mills whistles "God Save the Queen"--did we mention this is a very offbeat subject for a Western? --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

A Western which misses fire by not coming down firmly as either drama or comedy...
Under the direction of Andrew V. McLaglen, who understood the John Ford mystique, "The Rare Breed" is a Western of consummate integrity which misses fire by not coming down firmly as either drama or comedy; it does however pass the time amiably enough...

Stewart again plays a cynical, hard-bitten man who has become disillusioned with human nature... But his insight and understanding are well transmitted...

The title refers to a certain breed of cattle, and not to men, rare, courageous, or other-wise...

O'Hara is an Englishwoman who comes to America with her daughter, Juliet Mills, bringing a prize Hereford bull named Vindicator... Her husband has died on the way, and she is delivering the bull to a cattle baron (Brian Keith) in Dodge City... Her late husband has always declared that the Hereford could be successfully interbred with the indigenous American Longhorns...

Originally Stewart had planned to kidnap the bull and hand it over to a rival dealer, but he falls under the spell of O'Hara's womanly integrity, and becomes her ally... Soon a triangle is set up between Stewart, O'Hara and Keith, with predictable results...

The dramatic elements are not totally neglected in the film... The rivalry between the ranchers, the poignant situation of the young lovers, O'Hara's attempts to set right to the surroundings that she, a new widow, finds extraneous, are all set forth skillfully by McLaglen's directorial hand...

Fine Performances By Stewart and O'Hara
THE RARE BREED is a film about the delivery of a white-faced Hereford bull from England to the Texas range for breeding purposes. The man responsible for the task is James Stewart. The women who own the bull are Maureen O'Hara and her daughter played by Juliet Mills. THE RARE BREED is a fairly good Western with strong performances by Stewart and O'Hara. A fine supporting cast includes Brian Keith, Don Galloway and David Brian.

Andrew V. McLaglen directed many other good movies such as MCLINTOCK and SHENANDOAH.

Fair but not Good
This film has some first rate talent. Jimmy Stewart and Maureen O'Hara are first rate stars and they made first rate westerns but this is not one of them. It is merely passable.

Maureen O'Hara plays a British widow whose husband was a cattle breeder in Herefordshire. They have brought their prize Hereford bull to the American west in an effort to both make money and improve the wild longhorn cattle being raised in the American west. The two women are about the only ones who have faith in the breed. Everyone else seems to think they cannot survive the harsh conditions in America.

Jimmy Stewart plays a cowboy hired to get the bull to its purchaser. He is also hired to steal the bull for someone else. When he is unexpectedly accompanied by women his plans go awry because they are very strong willed and because he is beginning to fall in love with Maureen.

In time, even the women lose faith in the bull but Jimmy Stewart does have faith. Good triumphs over evil and faithfulness pays off. That is the old western formula. The part of the formula that is missing is excitement and interest. All in all, it is just barely passable.