MovieChat Forums > The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972) Discussion > Whats with making Frank James look like ...

Whats with making Frank James look like a dumbass?

posted 14 years ago by dark_seed81
2 replies | jump to latest

I dont get making Frank James look dumb and important to the James Gang. All the history I've read says Frank James was very smart for the times and spent most of his time reading Shakespeare. But here they seem to make me a dumbass bafoon, that just worship his little brother and went along with whatever he said.

I mean I know they dont usually get all the facts straights and change somethings for the sake of the film and I get this movie is more from the side of Cole Younger but making Frank lood dumb as just plain wrong.

[–] Bry-2 14 years ago

Lots has happened in the scholarship of the "old west" in the past 30 years -- it could be that Kaufman was writing from pure ignorance of that aspect of Frank James.

A much better portrayal of him -- or at least more sympathetic, I don't know whether it's more accurate -- is Sam Shepherd's take in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443680/combined

--If they move, kill 'em!

[–] dark_seed81 14 years ago

Yea I thought he did a good job, I wish he had been in the movie a little more. I also like Johnny Cash's Frank James, in "The Last Days Of Frank & Jesse James. I mean it is a tv movie, but its worth the watch.