Arizona (1940)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Admirable film.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Fun but overlong western with a dynamite turn by Jean Arthur as a feisty pioneer gal that's as rough and tumble as any man you'll meet. She fights corruption and villainy in the form of Porter Hall and Warren William. She also finds time for romance with handsome (and considerably younger) leading man William Holden.Arthur's the primary reason to see this. She dominates every scene. Also some good performances from Edgar Buchanan as a drunken judge and Warren William as a slimy crook. Holden's fine but he wasn't quite ready to be an A-lister yet. The romance element is one of the weaker parts of the film. Victor Young's Oscar-nominated score is excellent. It's an enjoyable western but, like I said, it goes on too long for such a simple story.

"Arizona" is a very enjoyable movie about pioneer settlement of the West. Without giving away the plot, let's just say that it has enough twists and angles to make it stand apart from the normal grind of Westerns. It gives us a little bit of all the various stock parts of Westerns – Indians, cowboys, cavalry, good guys, bad guys, guns and shootings, robbery and romance, sagebrush and scenery, horses and a stampede, a wagon train and cattle drive. But it's the way those bits are put together and woven into a nice story that sets "Arizona" apart and gives it the feel of an epic film. Jean Arthur is excellent as Phoebe Titus. She's a self-assured, decent, hard-working, and tough Western gal with big dreams. We never learn why or how she got to Tucson on her own. But viewers are taken with her sincerity and toughness which has just a touch of humor. The men in the movie are also won over by her pies. I can't think of another Western that has a pie shop or stand in it. William Holden is a delight as Peter Muncie. This is only the fifth movie in which he was listed in the credits. It's one of his early starring roles and his very first Western. Holden's character has a very likable, easy-going and pleasantness about him. A pity we didn't see more of that persona throughout his career. For most of his roles later on, Holden had a more straight or serious demeanor – even dour at times.Another reviewer commented on Warren William's excellent role as Jefferson Carteret. He played the villain very well. William was a very accomplished actor who might have done some great films in the 1950s and 1960s. But he died in 1948 from cancer. He was just 53. He had played suave, sophisticated and intelligent leading men, and fiends and conniving crooks and scoundrels, equally well. I especially enjoy him as Perry Mason in the original movies about that fictional detective- lawyer. A number of other character actors gave banner performances in this film. Edgar Buchanan, Porter Hall, Paul Harvey and Regis Toomey stand out. The direction and cinematography were excellent, and the musical score for this film was a delight. It received two Academy Award nominations, one for musical score. Others have commented about the setting and feel of reality about the movie. "Arizona" was made in 1940, when it was possible to find space to shoot a film around Tucson that wasn't invaded by utility poles and lines, paved highways and other signs of modern times. The ramshackle settlement of the early town sure gives it a feel of reality. I'm not so sure, though, how accurate a picture that is of Tucson at the time of the story. It's taking place around the Civil War years. The town of Tucson wasn't incorporated until 1877, but the town got its start a hundred years earlier. Hugh Oconor is the founding father of Tucson. He was the military governor of northern Mexico and authorized a fort to be built there in 1775. Even before that, the very first development was the Mission San Xavier del Bac in 1700. The mission is still operating today and is a historic site south of Tucson. Columbia Pictures built the set for the film, with a sound stage, a few miles west of present-day downtown Tucson. It sat idle for a number of years after the movie was made. Then, in 1960, it was fixed up and opened as an active movie set and tourist park. In time, more streets were added and some amusement events were staged – gunfights and bank robberies. Nearly 70 movies have been filmed in part or in whole in Old Tucson, as it is called. Most were Westerns, but a number of mysteries and dramas were made there – even a comedy or two. John Wayne filmed four of his Westerns in Old Tucson – "Rio Bravo," "McLintock," "El Dorado," and "Rio Lobo." A 1995 fire destroyed much of the set and sound stage; but the community rebuilt the movie set town and it is still open today.

I am a fan of all 3 of this film's principals - Jean Arthur, William Holden and Warren William. This film is not the premier vehicle for any of their talents, however, it is a very entertaining western. First, if you have read some of the other comments, I want to provide a few corrections. William Holden is NOT a drifter - he is in the United States Cavalry. He does not appear and disappear. Early in the film he returns rather expediently (just like the Cavalry!) to save Jean Arthur when Porter Hall has turned the tables on her (so to speak) and has her at gunpoint. Holden then pops in and out of Arthur's office a time or two, while stationed in Tucson. (Presumably he is on duty from time to time!) Jean Arthur does not become feminine whenever Holden is around. To the contrary, she is in her usual, untidy, "male" garb whenever he is around - even when he proposes to her! The first time she dons a dress is on the eve of Holden's trip back to Nebraska to acquire feedstock for the ranch they are building - which is the reason he "disappears!" The dress, she makes clear, is new for the occasion - intended to remind him of what's waiting for his return! (It may well be her only dress - "special" for the occasion, and in anticipation of her married life!) She rides out to meet him with their new herd in her same- old breeches and hat! Oh yeah - she wears a dress on their wedding day!Many negative comments have been made about the difference in age between Arthur and Holden. Actually, I completely disagree with the criticism - on several levels. First, from a technical standpoint, I find it fascinating that in this film the customary casting technique is reversed! Male leads are usually old enough to be the fathers of their co-stars! But when I look at Arthur in this movie, I fail to see a woman who is obviously older than Holden. I think Jean Arthur's age is always difficult to determine in film - if you are inclined to speculate on such matters. She seems rather ageless to me - and she certainly doesn't "show her age" in this movie. Even more to the point, however, I suspect that people who criticize the film on that basis are more influenced by other depictions by Hollywood of the Old West than by the reality, itself. Women lived extremely hard lives in the Old West. Plus, I have no doubt that the climate of Territorial Arizona would have rapidly aged a hard-working woman. Without modern moisturizers and astringents, I suspect a woman's skin began to look twice its age after a very short time in that harsh environment. Thus, if you do think that Arthur looks older than (an admittedly very young-looking) Bill Holden, I suspect that's just about what you should expect of a female in that environment when compared with a recent arrival from less harsh environs further east. (For a perfect illustration of this, just check out Barbara Stanwyck in So Big. The use of hands as a symbol in that movie is wonderful!)The story is a little uneven. Just how the arrival of the herd on the very day Arthur is to pay off the debt will help her circumstances is not made clear. No prospective buyer is ever identified. Nor has Warren shown any willingness to accept cattle in payment. AND, After all, the herd was intended to be the basis of their ranch stock. But never mind! The cast is stellar. Warren William stands out as the villain. Holden is good in his first starring role. Arthur always looks and sounds good, even if she seems a little out of place in dusty Tucson - as opposed to an office on Capitol HIll! This is not a great western, but it is a good example of a TYPICAL western. THAT is its strength.

This movie has every thing a western lover wants-shoot-out,cattle drive,Native American conflict,Calvarymen,strong leading lady character who is independent,but falls for the hero. and a hero who takes a supporting role,but grabs my attention every time he is on the screen. Different from most characters that William Holden plays, not cynical. The suspense at the end was so real; I could feel the same emotions as the character played by Jean Arthur.