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Reviews
Appaloosa (2008)
Background actor involved with the filming in New Mexico
We worked Apoloosa as 'Featured' background. We, as Citizens, are in the credits. The pleasure was mine, to work with Ed Harris (as his carpenter building his house) as well as working with Viggo Mortensen. The parts cut, were detailed, slow, and told the reason why the town was dying and it's chance for revival. We worked the scenes daily, until Ed Harris was satisfied. He didn't like us to fake anything, even by actually sawing a railing 2X4 my helper and I were measuring.
We were interfered with by a disgruntled stunt coordinator, circling his aircraft overhead. That buckboard scene had to be cut of course. I enjoyed pleasant, dark evenings sometimes spent waiting near the excellent mounts tied behind the buildings. Base camp food catering was great, as well as 'set holding' snacks. We were treated very well by this production company.
Viggo Mortensen was great to talk to us anytime, even playing a bit of soccer during base camp breaks (pics on Da Flikkers). He described his weapons to me, as the armorer was disarming him after our last shoot. The Night scene with torches, where he confronts Bragg in the saloon. Ed Harris shook our hands afterward, and thanked us individually for our help.
My family and friends enjoyed the rare 'Family' oriented movie that resulted. I would like to work again anytime with that cast. Robert B. Parker has another 'Hitch and Cole' adventure. Maybe Ed will possibly be interested? The daily events 'on set' were posted on Da Flikkers. (check side bar for Appaloosa link)
Comanche Moon (2008)
Loved working in the filming
I worked as a background actor in 'Comanche Moon' in mid 2006 on the 'Austin' set of Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe in New Mexico. I wrote my day to day observations on my blogspot. The Blackfoot Indian horseback riders were described very favorably. The day by day experiences were told in the best of my recollections, after arriving home hours after dark, from long days on set in filming conditions that were less than favorable.
I give the entire production company credit for even moving forward in the conditions described. The PC crowd will most assuredly view this film as a negative portrayal of the violent Comanches. I have no idea how, in the current PC obsessed USA, this story will be told on prime time without censorship. McMurtry's book tells it exactly as it was.
Now after watching the TV series; I find the really great depictions of violence have been cut. Most of the great horseback riding scenes are cut. The 'burning Austin' scene is extremely brief. we did some great work and no sign of it is on the screen. The ratings were not good. Val Kilmer was overweight. Too bad the editing was so PC.
I have since been fortunate enough to acquire a book written by a family ancestor from San Saba Texas, in the middle 1800's. She tells in detail the horrors of the Comanche raids. It parallels exactly, the book written by McMurtry. She wrote the first person accounts in her diary, as a young girl. After the loss of her parents and the ranch, she raised her siblings. She was 9 when her gripping story begins. Surviving on the Texas Frontier, by Sarah Harkey Hall, copyright 1996.
Filming experience on set, first Posted Jun 2006 on DaFlikkers