Sick Product of a Sick System

Gripping story with well-crafted characters

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

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

I recently watched recordings of this western and thoroughly enjoyed the shows. The cast was wonderful. But I was especially impressed with the talents of Henry Darrow and Cameron Mitchell. A couple of episodes showcase their comedic talents and are a scream. This western holds it own today - much better than Bonanza in my opinion. The writing was good and the location settings make for a much more realistic presentation. And the conflicts with the Apache and the whites are more historically presented. Some of the episodes are better than others, of course, but the series holds up well 40 years later. It's not on the level of Lonesome Dove but LD was a mini series and not episodic TV from the late 1960s. I do wish old westerns had refrained from false eyelashes and excessive makeup on the women. But this show is wonderful. Makes me want to see other work by Cameron Mitchell and Henry Darrow especially as they really did steal the show!

From David Dortort, one of the producers of the popular "Bonanza," "The High Chaparral" told the story of two families, The Cannons and The Montoyas, brought together by a marriage of convenience. Leif Ericson played "John Cannon," the patriarch of the family that lost his wife when they were making their way west. Linda Crystal played "Victoria," the headstrong daughter of Don Sebastian de Montoya (Frank Silvera) and brother to Don Sebastian's equally assertive son, Manolito (Henry Darrow). Mark Slade played John's son, "Blue," while perennial heavy Cameron Mitchell played John's brother "Buck." Rounding out the cast were frequent western performers Don Collier and Rodolfo Acosto.What set the program apart from other "sagebrush sagas" of the period were its strong portrayals of Native Americans, as well as non-condescending looks at life among our Mexican neighbors. Set against the sprawling American southwest, the stories were engaging, filled with brilliant character studies, along with typical western situations.It had a great casting coup by having black actor Frank Silvera assay the role of Don Sebastian. Silvera made a career out of playing a variety of "ethnicities," a tribute to his talent, as well as his "chameleon-like" appearance.Another noteworthy bit of casting would be that of Crystal, Darrow, and Acosto, all Hispanic actors.

Noble but flawed and very human heroes, credible villains, realistic story-lines and family dynamics. "High Chaparral" had high adventure, powerful drama, some of the funniest moments on television and tender romance. This series combined brilliant actors, writers, producers and directors. Together, they brought memorable characters, 1870s Arizona & Mexico to life. Thirty years after it aired, I still remembered episode plots and dialog. The remarkable thing is, so could many other fans!People all over the world love High Chaparral -- its themes and characters are universally appealing. New generations of fans have discovered it in re-runs. Hopefully, remastered, uncut DVDs will be released soon -- this treasure should be preserved and enjoyed, not forgotten.

This was an expensive western for the producers to deliver and it shows. Unlike other shows of its time and genre, the creators of The High Chaparral tried to move away from shallow hero/villain stereotypes and tired shoot-em-up story lines. The result was a brilliant - albeit short-lived - television series. In reality, this was more a family drama than a western.I can recall growing up on re-runs of this show in the 70's ... my friends and I all watched the show religiously and used to make believe we were characters in it.I remember an interview someone did with Michael Landon once ... this was right before "Little House" came out. Anyway, I remember his trashing "The High Chaparral" because the central figure, the patriarch John Cannon, was always quarreling with his son, Billy Blue. Mr. Landon insisted America didn't want to see this type of realism. He may have been right to a point, but I think it WAS this realism that made the show memorable. All of the main characters were lovable yet they were all far from perfect. Meanwhile, many of the villains had qualities that made the viewer identify with them. The lines between "good" and "bad" were hopelessly blurred on this show ... much like they are in real life. Add to that the realism of the Arizona desert, the dust, the sweat and the sun in their eyes and you felt like you were there. This was no small accomplishment for a show that came along in the sixties.I am absolutely bewildered as to why other (and, in my view, inferior) westerns ARE available on DVD but this one still isn't. Why is Paramount continuing to miss the boat?