BRONCO BILLY

Did you know that the Wild West wasn't always wild? In fact, it was sometimes rather tame, just like the following 116-minute film released in 1980. It was directed by Clint Eastwood and stars Clint with Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis, and Scatman Crothers.


Bronco Billy


THE STORY:
Say hello to Bronco Billy's Wild West Show, a down-on-its-luck travelling circus that is in dire need of some tender loving care.

The star of the show, Bronco Billy McCoy (Clint Eastwood), is a versatile gunslinger who's joined by several notable performers, including the lasso technician, Lefty LeBow (Bill McKinney); two Native Americans, Chief Big Eagle and Lorraine Running Water (Dan Vadis and Sierra Percheur), and of course, the enigmatic master of ceremonies, Doc Lynch (Scatman Crothers).

Sluggishly, Billy's show travels from town to town until eventually he has to go to a local city hall to get a permit for his act. While Billy is doing this, socialites Antoinette Lilly and John Arlington (Sondra Locke and Geoffrey Lewis), are also at city hall, applying for a licence to get married.

To obtain a large fortune from her deceased Father's estate, Antoinette has to get married before she’s thirty. So, now she's 29 plus change, she's arranged for John to marry her - for a price - and splash her dead Father's cash from here to eternity.

However, the next day, when Antoinette awakens, she discovers that her 'husband' has left her without any money, making her realize that she now has to fend for herself.

So, pray tell, who does she turn to for help? Correct, Bronco Billy, but he's only willing to help her if she becomes his new side-show assistant.

Reluctantly, she agrees to his request, and that's why what next transpires is a right coming-of-age tale. As the past informs the future - a circus is built from a crazy suture - husbands and wives split - and legends begin with a touch of true grit.

THE REVIEW:
You know the feeling you can sometimes get when you come in from the cold and bathe in the warm glow of central heating? Well, that’s what 'Bronco Billy' does to me. It makes my skin tingle all over, as the actors, the style, and the overall package are just so damn charming and poignant to watch - just like a pauper who has won the lottery.

You see, from my perspective, this flick is a mixture of things. Not only is it a story about a bygone age - where people were self-made and didn't overcomplicate their lives - but it's also a story about family - a surrogate family to be more precise - all of whom come together to bring happiness into the world of video games and the media. Ultimately, this is a story about the value of happiness, particularly how love is a commodity that can never be bought.

Admittedly, I'm sure some of you out there might call this film 'naive'. But as far as I am concerned, it is a very charming piece of cinema that stars several very charming actors. Clint's character, Billy, is the leader of the group, who shows his followers what they should be through his stoic example. Sandra's character, Antoinette, is the cold-faced b*tch who learns from her time away from the privileged braggarts to become something else. And as for the rest of the cast? They all support, enhance, reinforce, and mollify the tone of the tale.

However, there is one notable exception to what I have just said - Sondra Locke. Well, maybe it’s just me, but in 'Bronco Billy', I did find her to be slightly too annoying at times. Honestly, at the beginning of the film, I felt so sorry for her poor husband - as played by the magnificent Geoffrey Lewis - that I did not really blame him for leaving her in the way he did. OK, I understand that this is part of her character - an ice-cold queen who gradually defrosts - but I don't think she realistically redeemed herself at the end of the film. It just felt too contrived as a conclusion.

Still, this point is only a minor complaint compared to the picture as a whole. Here, just look at the facts: (1) The Museum of Modern Art in New York City invited Clint to showcase this film at a special screening, marking him as a filmmaker of note. (2) This was the final film project for art director, Eugene Lourie. (3) Clint stated that this was one of his favorite film projects, which was his ode to the famed filmmaker, Frank Capra. (4) Geoffrey Lewis is Ethan Suplee's Father-in-law. (5) Clint was divorcing his first wife, Maggie Johnston, while he was making this movie. To avoid sharing any of the profits with her, he made it outside of his own production company, Malpaso. (6) Sandra Locke was Clint's partner from 1975 to 1989. They never married. (7) The night-shift guard at the insane asylum was whistling the theme tune to another of Clint's films, 'Every Which Way You Can'. (8) Scatman was a close friend of Jack Nicholson. (9) Bill McKinney was once a tree surgeon. And (10) This was the fourth of six movies that Clint made with his then real-life partner, Sondra Locke, and the fourth movie he made with Geoffrey Lewis.

Overall, 'Bronco Billy' is a really great film. It's cleanly directed, simple to follow, nice to watch, plus it is especially reminiscent of the feeling I get when it is cold outside, and I have just entered a room with the central heating on, HONK-HONK!! What do you say to that, Clint?

Fair enough.

THE RATING: B+