Comes a Horseman (1978)

Ella Connors is a single woman who gets pressured to sell her failing cattle farm to her corrupt ex suitor, Jacob Ewing. She asks for help from her neighbor, Frank Athearn. As Ella and ... See full summary »

Director:

Alan J. Pakula

Writer:

Dennis Lynton Clark

Stars:

James Caan, Jane Fonda, Jason Robards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Caan	...	Frank 'Buck' Athearn
Jane Fonda	...	Ella Connors
Jason Robards	...	Jacob 'J.W.' Ewing
George Grizzard	...	Neil Atkinson
Richard Farnsworth	...	Dodger
Jim Davis	...	Julie Blocker
Mark Harmon	...	Billy Joe Meynert
Macon McCalman	...	Virgil Hoverton
Basil Hoffman	...	George Bascomb
James Kline	...	Ralph Cole
James Keach	...	Emil Kroegh
Clifford A. Pellow	...	Cattle Buyer

Storyline

Ella Connors is a single woman who gets pressured to sell her failing cattle farm to her corrupt ex suitor, Jacob Ewing. She asks for help from her neighbor, Frank Athearn. As Ella and Frank fight back through stampedes, jealousy, betrayal, and sabotage...they eventually find love.

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Plot Keywords:

1940s | gunshot wound | frontier | property | rival | 

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Taglines:

She was as strong as the land for which she fought. And as vunerable.

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Genres:

Drama | Western | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Comes a Horseman Wild and Free

Filming Locations:

Coconino National Forest, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

To prepare for her role as Ella Connors, actress Jane Fonda learned roping and riding skills in order to partake in a stampede and cattle-round up in this movie. Fonda would practice at a ranch in the San Fernando Valley and at the filming location in the Wet Mountain Valley of Colorado where Fonda lived on a ranch, worked the cows, polished her lassoing skills and assessed how ranch-land cattle work was organized.

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Goofs

After Ewing is told he will lose his ranch if he doesn't allow testing for oil, Frank and Ella are shown chasing cattle while swinging their ropes...left handed. In the next scene they are shown roping right handed.

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Crazy Credits

Our thanks to the Forest Service for allowing us to film in the Coconino National Forest

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Connections

Featured in Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western (1997)

User Reviews

slow paced but enjoyable

Fonda, looking great without make up, all natural and tough, won the oscar for Coming Home the same year this overlooked gem was released. Alan P.directed her in Klute as well, and later on, in the boring Rollover in '81... Late, great Richard Farnsworth gives sad knowing performance, tho' at times, seems out of breath. Robards plays bad guy to gritty eely perfection, nice balance off mellow cattle poke Caan