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Amazon.co.uk Review
Vera Cruz was only director Robert Aldrich's second Western (his first, made a few months earlier, was the revisionist, pro-Native-American Apache), but it's such an assured, stylish affair that he might have been roaming the sagebrush for decades. In the aftermath of the American Civil War two lone adventurers make their way south of the border, where Mexico is fighting a civil war of its own to rid the country of the French-imposed Emperor Maximilian. Neither the dour Benjamin Trane (Gary Cooper) nor the grinning, devil-may-care Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster) has much in the way of idealism, but Trane still retains a thin bitter edge of integrity, a quality quite alien to the cheerfully amoral Erin. In uneasy alliance, constantly looking to outwit or double-cross each other, the two find themselves escorting a beautiful French countess (Denise Darcel) and a shipment of gold across country. Cooper and Lancaster create a superb double-act, using their contrasted screen personas to point up the humour and the cynicism of the two mercenaries' relationship. Darcel makes less than she might of the femme fatale role, but there are relishable cameos from Cesar Romero as a suavely duplicitous aristo and Ernest Borgnine as another gringo with an exceptionally vicious streak. The script, according to Aldrich, was written on the run, "always finished about five minutes before we shot it", but you wouldn't guess it from the laconic wit of the dialogue. It looks great, too--Ernest Laszlo's widescreen photography makes the most of the handsome Mexican locations.
With its irreverent take on the accepted moral conventions of the genre, Vera Cruz ushered in a new kind of Western, and its central love-hate relationship would be replayed in Sam Peckinpah's Ride the High Country (1962) and Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966).
On the DVD: Not much in the way of extras but the mono sound has been expertly remastered to the benefit of Hugo Friedhofer's spirited score. Above all, the film's presented in its full Superscope ratio (16:9), a blessed relief after all those years when it showed up panned-and-scanned on BBC1. If ever a movie needed widescreen, it's this one--if only to fit in all Burt's teeth. You can see why they called him "Crockery Joe". --Philip Kemp
Special Features
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
DVD 9
French\German\Italian\Spanish
English\German
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital Mono English French German Italian Spanish
Dolby Digital Mono
Original Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Menu
Chapter Selection
Danish\Dutch\English\French\German\Italian\Norwegian\Spanish\Swedish
DVD 9
French\German\Italian\Spanish
English\German
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital Mono English French German Italian Spanish
Dolby Digital Mono
Original Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Menu
Chapter Selection
Danish\Dutch\English\French\German\Italian\Norwegian\Spanish\Swedish
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
When I first saw this movie...many years ago on TV I loved it. I was so excited with the story, the scenery, the gunfights...I loved that smiling, black-dressed cowboy (Burt Lancaster) even though I didn't know who he was. The story goes as follows:
Gary Cooper (playing a decent, honest, gentleman cowboy) and Burt Lancaster (a selfish-antihero cowboy) portray western adventurers, who after the American Civil War, are looking to hire out their guns to any cause that is willing to pay a price. The two characters are met by accident and ment to become friends and competitors at the same time. At first, the two agree to hire out to the Emperor Maximillan on an escort job, that involves taking a beautiful Countess (Denise Darcel) of the court to Vera Cruz. But something else is going on with this escort and Juaristas revolutionaries, loyal troops to the emperor, and a gang of cowboys are very interested in...GOLD.
Lots of exciting gunfighting, multible double crosses and betrayals, love stories, gold, all together with a magnificent One-on-One gunfight at the very end qualify this film as one of the best western movies ever made.
Burt Lancanser...even as a "bad guy" steals the show. A must-see for all ages.
Gary Cooper (playing a decent, honest, gentleman cowboy) and Burt Lancaster (a selfish-antihero cowboy) portray western adventurers, who after the American Civil War, are looking to hire out their guns to any cause that is willing to pay a price. The two characters are met by accident and ment to become friends and competitors at the same time. At first, the two agree to hire out to the Emperor Maximillan on an escort job, that involves taking a beautiful Countess (Denise Darcel) of the court to Vera Cruz. But something else is going on with this escort and Juaristas revolutionaries, loyal troops to the emperor, and a gang of cowboys are very interested in...GOLD.
Lots of exciting gunfighting, multible double crosses and betrayals, love stories, gold, all together with a magnificent One-on-One gunfight at the very end qualify this film as one of the best western movies ever made.
Burt Lancanser...even as a "bad guy" steals the show. A must-see for all ages.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Robert Aldrich's VERA CRUZ is a movie I watch every two or three years from my childhood on. Dubbed in french, in pan & scan or even in black & white on my first TV set, no matter in what condition I've seen it, the film stayed as a favorite of mine. Now MGM presents it on DVD with a trailer and different dubbings and subtitles as bonus features. Meager. Furthermore, sound and images are in my opinion no more than average.
Coproduced by Burt Lancaster, VERA CRUZ gives to the actor the opportunity to present an extraordinary performance. Joe Erin is an outlaw with no morals, ready to cheat his friends. He is very fast with his gun and the two man-to-man duels of the movie are scenes worthy to stay in the annals of western movies.
Superb are also the scenes involving Burt Lancaster and Gary Cooper, specially the evening at the emperor's residence or the first encounter between both men. I still can hear Lancaster say " Guess ! " with his overwhite teeth to a Gary Cooper asking him which horse belongs to him.
All in all, VERA CRUZ is a must for any movie lover even if the DVD presentation is far from being perfect.
A DVD for your library.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
"As the American Civil War ended, another war was just beginning. The Mexican people were struggling to rid themselves of their foreign Emperor--Maximilian. Into this fight rode a handful of Americans--ex soldiers, adventurers, criminals--all bent on gain. They drifted South in small groups-- AND SOME CAME ALONE"
Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster head the cast as two polar opposite American adventurers who get involved with Maximilian's royal house and Juarez' revolutionaries in 1860s Mexico. Cooper plays Benjamin Trane, basically a good man, tho one tainted by much cynicism, and Lancaster plays Joe Erin, gunman and an untrustworthy crook. Vera Cruz was the first release in SuperScope {beautifully shot by Ernest Laszlo on location in Mexico} and with director Robert Aldrich at the helm, the film brilliantly captures the violence and danger that was brought about during Mexico's revolutionary period. Adapted by Roland Kibbee and James R. Webb from a Borden Chase story, Vera Cruz very much feels like {is} a precursor to Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch and Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns of the 60s.
With its blend of comedy and outright action, the film is essentially a buddy buddy Western with a cynical amoral kicker. It's a blend that may not be to everyones tastes, but with Lancaster {grinning for all he is worth} and Cooper {laconic supreme} in the leads the film rises above its oddity status. The professionalism on show, both from the obvious big stature of its stars and Aldrich's astute choreography of the action sequences, ensures this is a polished piece. There's much machismo of course, one only has to see that Charles Bronson, Ernest Borgnine and Jack Elam are in the support gallery of thugs-to know this fact, but the picture is interested in showing a fair reflection of the Mexican conflict. The Mexican government of the time were outraged at the film, but on reflection now it's evident the film doesn't take sides. That to my mind has to be applauded.
Some problems exist, notably some of the dialogue is a touch too corn based now. While as the main female character, Denise Darcel is out of her depth. One could think that she is maybe swamped by all the testosterone around her, but when you notice that Sara Montiel is coping fine in a secondary role, it shows Darcel to be limited. Vera Cruz held its own on release, neither busting the box office nor sinking without a trace. It would take over ten years before the true value of the film would start to be noticed. With that, it now shows to be very influential within the genre. Explosive, important and darn good fun, that's a mixture you just can't ignore. 8/10
Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster head the cast as two polar opposite American adventurers who get involved with Maximilian's royal house and Juarez' revolutionaries in 1860s Mexico. Cooper plays Benjamin Trane, basically a good man, tho one tainted by much cynicism, and Lancaster plays Joe Erin, gunman and an untrustworthy crook. Vera Cruz was the first release in SuperScope {beautifully shot by Ernest Laszlo on location in Mexico} and with director Robert Aldrich at the helm, the film brilliantly captures the violence and danger that was brought about during Mexico's revolutionary period. Adapted by Roland Kibbee and James R. Webb from a Borden Chase story, Vera Cruz very much feels like {is} a precursor to Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch and Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns of the 60s.
With its blend of comedy and outright action, the film is essentially a buddy buddy Western with a cynical amoral kicker. It's a blend that may not be to everyones tastes, but with Lancaster {grinning for all he is worth} and Cooper {laconic supreme} in the leads the film rises above its oddity status. The professionalism on show, both from the obvious big stature of its stars and Aldrich's astute choreography of the action sequences, ensures this is a polished piece. There's much machismo of course, one only has to see that Charles Bronson, Ernest Borgnine and Jack Elam are in the support gallery of thugs-to know this fact, but the picture is interested in showing a fair reflection of the Mexican conflict. The Mexican government of the time were outraged at the film, but on reflection now it's evident the film doesn't take sides. That to my mind has to be applauded.
Some problems exist, notably some of the dialogue is a touch too corn based now. While as the main female character, Denise Darcel is out of her depth. One could think that she is maybe swamped by all the testosterone around her, but when you notice that Sara Montiel is coping fine in a secondary role, it shows Darcel to be limited. Vera Cruz held its own on release, neither busting the box office nor sinking without a trace. It would take over ten years before the true value of the film would start to be noticed. With that, it now shows to be very influential within the genre. Explosive, important and darn good fun, that's a mixture you just can't ignore. 8/10
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Vera Cruz DVD
As a western fan this film does not dissapoint. This is Burt Lancaster at his best,with his toothy grins and comic dialogues. Read more
Published 1 month ago by N.H.
Vera Cruz
This is a great spectacular western shot in south America.
The 1950's pace of the film is a little slower than today's films but the acting and actors are first class. Read more
The 1950's pace of the film is a little slower than today's films but the acting and actors are first class. Read more
Published 6 months ago by John Graham
cooper and lancaster are sizzling.
yet again a superb western directed by burt lancaster's film company, it's a mixture of action and humour by both stars.
Published 9 months ago by ernie
A terrific, fun, 'Western-noir'
Excellent, fun, dark western-noir. Gary Cooper, and especially Burt Lancaster are terrific. Lots of good plot twists, double dealing, action sequences, and murky morality in the... Read more
Published 16 months ago by K. Gordon
Welcome to a New Breed of Western Hero.
A Mexican General says to the Gary Cooper character Benjamin Trane in "Vera Cruz", "Money, is that worth risking your life for". He replies "It comes closer than anything I know". Read more
Published 17 months ago by Bob Salter
A terrific, fun, 'Western-noir'
Excellent, fun, dark western-noir. Gary Cooper, and especially Burt Lancaster are terrific. Lots of good plot twists, double dealing, action sequences, and murky morality in the... Read more
Published 24 months ago by K. Gordon
One for the easily pleased
This movie goes back to the era of the Hollywood Big Western, lavishly but ludicrously over-costumed with a plot as thin as snowflake soup, and burdened with a few `Haw-haw we're... Read more
Published on 1 Sep 2009 by John Barrett Rose
Good film but...
Vera Cruz is a very good western but this is an awful DVD transfer. The film has been transferred at the wrong ratio (losing a good 20% of the image) and the image itself is dull... Read more
Published on 12 Aug 2009 by Lawrence Sutcliffe
vera cruz dvd 1954
husband loved it, sometime we forget about the older films, because we see so many new films and can,t wait to buy them. Read more
Published on 3 April 2009 by Kathleen Houston
Not nearly as good as they claim
I bought this film for my collection on the strength of the other reviews. Bad mistake. The quality of the transfer is poor and getting to the end of the movie was a challenge. Read more
Published on 5 Jun 2008 by T. King
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