Curmudgeonly & Skeptical presents Boned Jello: Ride With The Devil

Monday, January 10, 2011

Ride With The Devil

Between The Ice Storm and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, director Ang Lee made Ride with the Devil, a beautifully crafted and viscerally thrilling film about the American Civil War, told from an unorthodox point of view and starring Tobey Maguire, Skeet Ulrich, and Jeffrey Wright as conflicted Confederate sympathizers.

I had not yet in 1999 become so fed up with Hollywood that I began to ignore it, as is currently the case. So, how then did I miss even hearing about Ang Lee's Ride with the Devil? I stumbled across it on CinemaxHD yesterday (see current schedule). The dialog, which faithfully captures the period's educated class patois, is so rich you can eat it with a fork; the scenery in HD breathtaking. And here's another amazing thing, I was struck by the dialog in one particular scene, about Lawrence Kansas, and planned to go back and capture it for presentation on YouTube. Guess what? It's this very scene. What a delight was this film. And if you need further recommendation, this comment [Treatment of slavery and racism in this film] by some whiny pasty-faced race-centric liberal asshat ought provide it.

Note: This does not appear to be the Director's Cut which runs for 148 minutes ( 10 minutes more than the original release).

Rodger the Real King of France 1/10/2011 12:09:00 PM 13 Comments

"If the number of Islamic terror attacks continues at the current rate, candlelight vigils will soon be the number-one cause of global warming. "
Argus Hamilton

13 comments:

Anonymous said...: Great movie (and Jewel is hawt!). There is a scene where Spiderman is reading some captured mail and someone says the war is already lost because the Yankees want to make everyone think like they do, but the Americans (Southerners) think people can think what they want. Sorta like Odumbo and conservatives.; 1/10/11, 1:06 PM
Rodger the Real King of France said...: I think you're confusing the letter reading with the very scene I referenced above; 1/10/11, 1:11 PM
Chuck Martel said...: Don't believe everything that comes out of Hollywood.; 1/10/11, 2:15 PM
Rodger the Real King of France said...: ??? Huh?; 1/10/11, 2:22 PM
Anonymous said...: Still don't care how you do it up thar. No matter, there's a blowhard from Long Island come along every half hour to tell us how we aught to do it, like they do up thar.

Funny, its so good up thar, why ya reckon he's down heah?; 1/10/11, 2:28 PM
Anonymous said...: Johnny Reb - Whudda you fightin' fer?
Billy Yank - To free the slaves.
Johnny Reb - Ah doan hayev enny slaves.
Billy Yank - Then what are you fighting for?
Johnny Reb - 'Cause yur dayown heah.
Shelby Foote - RIP
Lt. Col. Gen. Tailgunner dick; 1/10/11, 3:15 PM
Chuck Martel said...: Whether or not the Union soldiers went to school had nothing to do with the Union victory. The Union won because they had more men, more weapons, more money, better railroads, and a navy to completely blockade southern ports and control the Mississippi River.

The fastest runner doesn't always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn't always win the battle. But that's the safe way to bet.; 1/10/11, 4:54 PM
Vice Sgt Boone said...: Think it was Voltaire that said God is on the side of the largest battalions. Think it was Quantrill that said "Lawrence is a nice town to visit but I wouldn't want to live there."; 1/10/11, 6:22 PM
Anonymous said...: Ride with the Devil is my favorite Ang Lee movie.

Laurence; 1/10/11, 8:45 PM
Anonymous said...: Since you were unaware of Ride With the Devil. I am emboldened to mention two small movies that may have passed by unnoticed.

Montana a black comedy crime drama with a perfect cast and an annoying overuse of vertical urban camera shots.

Dinner Rush a crime and cuisine movie set in a Tribeca restaurant.

Laurence; 1/10/11, 10:51 PM
Anonymous said...: Dear C&S:
I was making that eternally procrastinative google analytics account visit tonight (you know the one which makes your head swim faster than even Facebook Connect?) and was wondering why...how...this little gem that even i'd forgotten was an orig. Po upload (meaning it's still available, as opposed to 50% of my YouTube videos). And to make a short story less long, after figuring out where the thing to the particular post
was, i found you and your wonderful blog (very attractive also)...And I'm a new fan.; 1/11/11, 4:53 AM
Steve in Greensboro said...: My people were on the Federal side back in the day, but as I age I sympathize more and more with the Rebels.

The turning point was watching Ken Burns "The Civil War" when a bunch of smug, self-righteous, Massachusetts Commie re-enactors portray Federals and sing a contemporary Federal Civil War song, "Lincoln and Liberty Too".

"Hurrah for the choice of the nation,
Our chieftain so brave and so true,
We'll go for the great reformation,
For Lincoln and Liberty, too!"

I looked at those smug a-holes and thought those Massachusetts Leftists were true and pure descendants of the Federals of Civil War days -- their descendants won't left me smoke an effing cigarette in an effing public building, which I paid for with my effing taxes.

Reform this (points to crotch), you jackwagons! Why don't they leave me the hell alone? Why? Why? Why?

I feel a little better now.; 1/11/11, 6:41 PM
The Ugly American said...: I like the bacon scene [begins @2:40]; 1/12/11, 8:23 PM

Monday, January 10, 2011

Ride With The Devil

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