Did Burt Lancaster shoot?
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Bklyn4ever — 17 years ago(August 30, 2008 10:33 AM)
This scene struck me as fishy too.
Burt dies smiling, as if he got what he wanted. He made Cooper shoot him in a "fair" duel instead of just gunning Burt down for the murder of their colleague (the man of color). Burt challenged him to a draw to assuage Cooper's conscience, not because Burt wanted to survive. So I think he threw away the shot and let Cooper cut him down.
But the more I think about it the more I think that this impression was not intended by the script and director; it was the result of Burt Lancaster and his huge ego insisting on getting "the last laugh", or the last grin, as it were. He refused to die like a defeated villain, making the viewer think he had planned it that way. The ambiguity is the result of the clash between Burt's ego and the rest of the people involved in the production, which is evident throughout the movie.
Cooper's reaction is easier to read because it fits in with the intended plot: he gets tearful as he tosses aside Burt's gun because it is a "he who lives by the gun, dies by the gun" moment for him. He basically liked the guy but because Burt resorted to excessive force, getting carried away by his gunslinger lifestyle, Coop had to put a stop to it. -
rogerscorpion — 17 years ago(November 16, 2008 12:45 AM)
YeahI see it as Ben tossed the gun, because he really liked Joe & kept hoping Joe was only pretending to be as bad as he truly was.
Joe really had no loyaltyas exhibited by killing Strodewho was blindly loyal to Joe.
Burt died smiling, because he saw the humor in everything. He gambled & he lost.
Carpe Noctem -
oldblackandwhite — 15 years ago(October 08, 2010 11:12 PM)
Personally, I can't believe the story about the alternate endings being filmed. There can never have been any question Coop's character would win the gunfight. Lancaster's character was an total scumbag with no redeeming characteristics, and he was proud of it. If some actor other than Lancaster had played him, one who usually played villians, say Jack Lambert, you would all recognize this, and wouldn't be carrying on so. He definitely shot his revolver. I don't think Ben (Cooper) actually liked Joe (Lancaster). He just felt sorry for him because he had been raised in such a scummy way that helped turn him into an amoral killer. But each of us is ultimately responsible for his or her own behavior regardless of circumstances.
By the way Woody Stode was not in this movie.
He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good St. Matthew 5:45 -
oldblackandwhite — 15 years ago(October 25, 2010 12:00 AM)
Don't be embarassed, rogerscorpion. We all err. That's why they put erasers on pencils.
If Ben thought Joe was redeemable, he was very stupid. They say the devil is charming.
He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good St. Matthew 5:45 -
Jessica_Rabbit69 — 15 years ago(December 25, 2010 02:32 PM)
"After having shot Lancaster Cooper approaches his already dead body, then takes Lancasters gun in his hand and stares at it for a second. Then stares again at Lancaster with visible emotion. Why?
My guess is that perhaps Lancaster didnt fire his gun at all. In the last second he got remorses because Cooper was giving him the chance he had denied to everybody else before. "
"Lancaster definitely fired. But I know what you mean, there was something fishy about the shootout. They both drew and shot simultaneoulsy, so why did Lancaster miss? "
"I wonder if they were implying that something was wrong with Lancaster's pistol? "
I can't believe nobody has thought about this before. I always assumed Lancaster left his gun empty on purpose. Cooper was the only friend he ever had, he didn't want to shoot him. It was the only "good deed" he ever did in his life. Cooper realizes this when he picks up Lancaster's gun. There is definitively self-loathing in his eyes.
Jessica Rabbit
"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way." -
rogerscorpion — 15 years ago(January 09, 2011 11:47 PM)
Honestly, I think Joe tried to kill Ben, but Ben beat him, but not by much. I do NOT believe Joe allowed himself to be killed. I think Ben was in denial all along, hoping Joe wasn't really as bad as he 'put on'. Prob isJoe was.
If Joe's gun had been empty, Ben would've opened the cylinder & the camera would've trained on it, to accentuate that Joe tossed the fight.
Joe was bad & Ben was just a hair faster.
Carpe Noctem! -
edestci — 12 years ago(February 20, 2014 05:37 PM)
I made me the same question.
Why Lancaster tries to take the Winchester, after jump of the balcony,
if had bullets in his gun ?
Many claim, Lancaster allows win to him (Cooper) on purpose.
Something strange happens in this final duel . -
joeparkson — 11 years ago(July 13, 2014 01:20 PM)
Joe had the strength and coordination to spin his gun back into his holster after being shot.
If he was 100% bad, he'd have taken careful aim and killed Cooper.
The aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed and clamorous to be led to safety.