Hearts Of The West is a 30s period piece starring Jeff Bridges fresh off the farm
in Iowa and he wants to be a western writer and has sent money to a correspondence school in Nevada for a degree. This would be Zane Grey even heads out to this place which turns out to be a PO Box in Scrub Brush, Nevada
just over the California line.
That's the start of the story where Bridges shows a naivete beyond belief at times. Until at a certain point he decides he's had enough of being made a fool of and turns some tables. The big screen hadn't seen anything like it since John Mills in Hobson's Choice.
Bridges is perfectly cast in the role as our country boy protagonist/hero. He does get into films when a company shooting on location finds him wandering in the desert fleeing from those correspondence school con artists, but fleeing unbeknownst with their loot. That loot is what helps Bridges out.
Some really nice casting goes into Hearts Of The West as Bridges learns how B westerns were made back in the day. Blythe Danner is a studio executive in a male dominated business and she has to make compromises to survive. Andy Griffith is a former B picture cowboy who is somewhat less than is cowboy hero image. A;an Arkin is an obnoxious director and Donald Pleasence is the studio head.
Big westerns with big budgets were in a temporary eclipse in the early 30s when this film was made. Westerns at the time were made either at the poverty row independent studios or in the B picture unit of major studios. No one thought they were making great art. Just grind them out and get them out to the theaters in mostly what are now the red states.
Hearts Of The West captures the period very well. If nothing else it's a guide as to how they made B westerns.
That's the start of the story where Bridges shows a naivete beyond belief at times. Until at a certain point he decides he's had enough of being made a fool of and turns some tables. The big screen hadn't seen anything like it since John Mills in Hobson's Choice.
Bridges is perfectly cast in the role as our country boy protagonist/hero. He does get into films when a company shooting on location finds him wandering in the desert fleeing from those correspondence school con artists, but fleeing unbeknownst with their loot. That loot is what helps Bridges out.
Some really nice casting goes into Hearts Of The West as Bridges learns how B westerns were made back in the day. Blythe Danner is a studio executive in a male dominated business and she has to make compromises to survive. Andy Griffith is a former B picture cowboy who is somewhat less than is cowboy hero image. A;an Arkin is an obnoxious director and Donald Pleasence is the studio head.
Big westerns with big budgets were in a temporary eclipse in the early 30s when this film was made. Westerns at the time were made either at the poverty row independent studios or in the B picture unit of major studios. No one thought they were making great art. Just grind them out and get them out to the theaters in mostly what are now the red states.
Hearts Of The West captures the period very well. If nothing else it's a guide as to how they made B westerns.