Riders of the Purple Sage

I was an avid Zane Grey reader as a teenager in the forties & have not re-read the book since. However,when viewing the movie, I felt the same aura of old west romance that I remembered from many years before. I have always felt that, in spite of his rather blatant racism, Zane Grey wove exciting and entertaining stories. I wish there would be additional efforts to bring more of his books to either the small or large screen, and that they would be as well made as "Riders of the Purple Sage".

Having read the original novel after seeing the film, I was most impressed how well it adhered to the original plot line from the Zane Grey novel.

Ed Harris, an actor that I usually do not care for, was very, very impressive in this film. As Lassiter, I loved his delivery of the line to the bad Mormons: "Where I come from, a woman's word is law." Harris conveys the right portion of menace and due respect when necessary in his role.

I saw this on TV; I wish it had been on the big screen

Too bad Zane Grey never saw this version; I sure he would have been very happy with this production.

Mr. and Mrs. Ed Harris, like Mr. and Mrs. Paul Newman, Mr. and Mrs. Frederic March, Mr. and Mrs. Hume Cronyn, Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Colman, even Mr. and Mrs. Jack Benny work beautifully together as they help make sense out of Zane Grey's, "Riders Of the Purple Sage."

Unfortunately, that wonderful all-west title was borrowed by some sort of psychedelic band calling themselves, "New Riders of the Purple Sage."

I'll stick to the old riders, thank you just as the movie sticks closely to the original book.

The movie is up to its eyeballs in philosophy, but it is not so deep that the residents of Dolt City would be confused.

The background music is quite good, even if it does not include the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

The story will keep you interested from top to bottom. In dialogue it is more than a tad above Gene, Roy, and Tex, etc., all of whom i deeply enjoy.

"Riders Of the Purple Sage" is a thinking person's western, while in no way losing the flavor of a western film.

Go see it. That is 'sage' advice.

Most of the new westerns being made these days (i.e. Unforgiven, Tombstone, etc.) are exceptional, but this may be the pick of the lot - the characters are real, the plot is believable, the photography is superb. I've never read the book, but I may now.

In most movies, gunslingers are cold men with hot bullets, but in this movie Ed Harris convinces the audience that no-one is beyond redemption. Killing out of hatred has not turned Lassiter into a robot with a gun, but a human being plagued by the life he has chosen. Great acting, by everyone.