Cowboys, A Documentary Portrait, a must watch masterpiece
Originally published February 6, 2020
By Jim Mundorf
“People don’t understand that Cowboys even exist. They don’t even know that this part of the world exists.”
Photo: John Langmore
The thing about the best works of art is that they are hard to describe with words. This film is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. It takes you to some of the deepest, most isolated parts of America and shows you the people that live and work there in a unimaginably intimate way. The title, “A Documentary Portrait” nails it. A perfect description of the living, breathing portrait of today’s working Cowboys.
The film is a journey through the seasons on 10 different ranches that are some of the biggest in the country. They range in size from several 100 thousand acres to millions of acres. There is no narration, which adds to the authenticity. There are no outside voices just the Cowboys and their families telling their stories.
ORO Ranch Arizona Photo: John Langmore
It is more than just interviews and scenery. It has a hauntingly, beautiful feel to it. It was shot and scored with a somber reverence. It leaves you with a feeling of how sacred this life is to the people that live it. These are scenes that few get to see and words that few get to hear. The way the film is made makes you realize how special that is. There are long stretches of silence, where you just hear the scene. There are slowed down shots that force you to notice every little nuance of what you are watching. The interviews are shown in an intimate way. You see the people in their homes, or barns, or on the land where they work and you don’t just see them talking. You see them just sitting, waiting, living. It gives you more than what they are just saying, it forces you think about who they are.
“Its a privilege to be here and...and there’s a price. There’s a price you pay to be out. ”
There is no mythical, romance here. These are today’s working Cowboys doing their job, caring for cattle. There are no polished edges. The film shows it all. From the last breathes of a dying calf to a father telling of the loss of his children. And with all the sacrifices shown, they all are incredibly thankful for being able to do what they do. They have a love for their work that is indescribable. “Its who we are, its what we are, its clicks in the body and soul, its just in you.” These are the phrases that keep getting repeated, as they try to explain when there is no explanation. It is just who they are. You might as well take off their limbs as take away their work.
“Cowboys not what you do, its who you are, you know, its just something in ya. ”
This is an absolute must watch film, but U.S. distribution is yet to be resolved. This is a documentary that simply documents. There is no agenda, no political statement. No matter how beautiful your film is, that is just not what Hollywood seems to want these days. During the acceptance speech for the best documentary at this years Oscars, the winners literally quoted the communist manifesto. Not exactly a crowd that’s going to try to push a film documenting the most rugged of individualists.
One thing the film has shown so far is that it is what audiences want. After being turned down by several of the high profile film festivals, Cowboys, A Documentary Portrait, has won the audience award at all four of the film festivals where it has been shown thus far. A clean sweep, that’s gotta be some kind of record.
You would think after that it would be easy to get picked up by a streaming service, which is what they are working on now. They are hoping the film will be available on streaming in the next few months. Until then check their website for a screening near you. It was at the Fort Worth Texas screening where one of the producers and directors, John Langmore, told of receiving the ultimate reward, “Last night in Ft. Worth a young cowboy from Miles City, Montana, that had worked on a number of ranches in the film stood up holding his hat in his hand and got a bit choked up thanking us for telling their story so honestly. That's really all the praise I need. Tastemakers be damned!”
UPDATE 11/17/2020: Cowboys, A Documentary Portrait is now available to purchase on these platforms:
DVD and Blu-ray are available to purchase on the website, Cowboys, A Documentary Portrait.
Click the links below to read more stories John Langmore has contributed about the making of the film.