vincentlynch-moonoi The good news is that this film is a cut above the average Western. The bad news is that it's "notoriously inaccurate", painting the James' as good, misunderstood boys...which they were not by a long shot (pun intended). The further bad news is that the film is also notorious for cruelty to horses.Knowing the overwhelming inaccuracy of the movie, why would one watch it. 4 words -- Tyrone Power / Henry Fonda. And that pairing is one of the things that makes this film a cut above the average Western. Superb acting. The film also shows the destruction of relationships when good men (?) go bad. Another admirable feature of the movie is the relative respect the Black "sidekick" (for wont of a better term) gets here. Atypical of Hollywood in that era.Aside from the inaccuracies in the plot, there is a point in the film where, suddenly, Jesse goes from being a basically good boy (even though he's an outlaw) to becoming surly and a bad man. It just seems to happen overnight...no moving toward that point gradually. A serious flaw in the movie. On the other hand, the nearly last scene with his son is quite touching...well done.Tyrone Power is, as always, terrific in this part. It's not his fault the movie is a lie. Likewise, Henry Fonda is excellent, although he really only has one particularly strong scene, where he tells Jesse he has become bad. Nancy Kelly is very good as the love interest, and shows well the angst of someone whose life is being ruined by an outlaw. Randolph Scott is good as the sheriff, although his role sort of disappears later in the film. Henry Hull is a hoot as the newspaper editor, although just maybe it's a bit overplayed. Slim Summerville is funny as the jailer...and I enjoyed his memorable performance in a Shirley Temple film. Brian Donlevy is his typical menacing self early in the movie, but is shot to death by Jesse, so you don't see him much past the opening scenes. John Carradine, as the man who shoots Jesse, is...well, John Carradine. Donald Meek is welcome character actor in any film...and does nicely here. Jane Darwell is another magnificent character actor, though her pivotal role (Jesse's mother) only lives through the opening scenes. Special attention should be paid to Ernest Whitman, who plays Pinkie, the Black sidekick. There's respect shown in the script, although his billing was very low.I recommend this film because it is good film-making...despite gross historical inaccuracies. Interesting to compare it to the recent Brad Pitt film about Jesse James.

jotaemesg Now, first and foremost let me put this straight: I don't care about the historical lack of accuracy, I don't care about some cattle getting hurt in the making of this film, I don't care about Henry King being an allegedly rank-and-file director - Baloney!! What I see is a masterful movie, a tragic and epic tale of how America was made, a proof that also the WASPS were often victimized by the corporations and the Govermnemt, an extraordinary screenplay getting the most from the hero's and his beloved ones' ups and downs, as well as a superbly beautiful cinematography, all set on the original location where the events took place around the 1870s (quite different from the Arizona landscapes we are used to). All these elements were not put together by way of accident. A major studio, run by a very intelligent Zanuck was behind it. This is the evidence of what the old studio system could achieve in the golden age. This is the kind of movies that made Henry Fonda and Tyrone Power the big stars they were. This is why MGM got to admire, envy and plagiarize 20th Century Fox's ideas. No wonder it became instantly a legend when it was first released early in 1939. Indeed, one of the most glorious years of that era.This film is priceless. To my taste, it is the best western of the thirties. The story is told ruthlessly, just as reality was, but not without tenderness and utmost respect for the characters. You're not given a chance to breath a sigh of relief. The players work like masters. The very young Nancy Kelly is incredibly convincing as Jesse's wife. Silent star Henry Hull's performance throughout the movie is beyond telling. You have to see and hear. Not a single shot or line is wasted and the story is wise enough to be sprinkled with some bouts of good American sense of humour, very much in line with the ironic style of Mark Twain, another Southerner, very much in the 19th century mood. To think this was filmed in 1938 leaves me with a feeling of awe and admiration. Those guys and girls did know their business. I can't find the right words to praise this sensational movie as strongly as it deserves it. I shall only say this: This is one of the very few films that had me weeping and crying and I insist there's very good reason to be moved and touched by it. I give it 10 out of 10.

gazzo-2 *Great technicolor print. Enjoyable thruout.*James is treated as a Robin Hood, he was anything but-he was Civil War guerilla fighter in some of the nastier borderlands action around. But Hollywood couldn't Say that back when. The lead Cannot be 'bad'. So...*Powers and Fonda are very good as the James Brothers. Didn't show enough of Fonda to be honest.*The Northfield Raid was handled well.*Henry Hull as the cranky editor was a riot.*Interesting to see both Brian Donlevy and Brian Donlevy given such small roles.*Didn't see Cheney Jr. in there.*The horse off the cliff stunt was eye-catching.*You'll enjoy it though you know you are watching Hollywood hokum.*** outta ****

MartinHafer Of all the films Hollywood made during the golden years, my least favorite were ones that played very fast and loose with the facts about the Old West. And, of all the Westerns, those about Jesse James as well as the gunfight at the OK Corral are the worst. Think of it from my point of view. I am an American history teacher and for some bizarre reason, I like my historical films to actually bear some semblance to what actually occurred!! JESSE JAMES, like all these other films, is a historical nightmare from start to finish. The life of this evil killer and thief is practically impossible to discern in this silly but entertaining film from 20th Century-Fox Studios. Instead of a bad man, according to the film, he is unfairly pushed to a life of crime by an evil railroad AND he and his brother, Frank, are good boys at heart!! With such stupid revisionism, we should soon expect to see films where Hitler, Lee Harvey Oswald and Jeffrey Dahmer are heroes!! There are tons more mistakes about the characters--but simply too many to bother mentioning. In fact, what is NOT wrong would be quicker and easier to discuss!! Additionally, there are just every cliché known to Westerns, such as the shootout ("count three and fire"), Frank giving the town an ultimatum to give him back Jesse by midnight "or else", happy and intensely loyal Black servants, the Robin Hood-like quality of the gang (though at least they showed how eventually he became more of a hardened criminal), the death of Frank and Jesse's momma pushing them to crime, Henry Hull's character from start to finish as well as his comments like "Jesse played fair" and "he was one of the gol-dangedest gol-darnestest buckaroos"! As for the non-historical aspects of the film, there is a lot to like. The film is shot in glorious Technicolor and the camera work is incredible. I especially loved the extremely difficult shot of the nighttime raid on the train--the moving external shot was NOT an easy thing to do and it looked great. Additionally, being an A-picture from the studio, the cast was spectacular--Tyrone Power (Jesse), Henry Fonda (Frank), Henry Hull (playing a role much like you might expect Walter Brennan to usually play), Randolph Scott, Jane Darwell, Donald Meek and Brian Donlevy make for an excellent cast. And, I must admit the film was fun to watch if you could care less about the facts and just want to be entertained. Unfortunately, for folks like me, it's a chore to watch even a well-made film if it's so historically inaccurate.By the way, it should also be mentioned that according to the IMDb trivia section, this film should be remembered for its total disregard for the welfare of the horses during filming. In exciting scenes, horses actually died to make the shots look good and although I am NOT a bleeding-heart, I just can't help but be appalled with this disregard for the animals. Not surprisingly, this film led to changes in the industry to protect animals in future films.