The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

The state of Missouri has several favorite sons: Mark Twain, Harry S Truman, Walt Disney, Jesse James and Brad Pit. Last year Brad Pitt starred in the movie, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Well, Jack and I went to see the movie last year because the previous year we had visited both the home of Jesse James where he was shot and killed by Robert Ford and the farm where Jesse lived with his mother, Zeralda Amanda James, for a time.
The movie was not the usual shoot 'em up cowboy western but more of a psychological study of the main players in the historic event. The movie focused as much time on the killer as the killed party. We liked the movie though it was a tad long and slow going in parts. What struck us as unusual was that many of the indoor scenes were filmed in shades of black, white and grey. For instance, the room where Jesse was shot was in black and white and not bright red. This photography scheme gave the entire movie a very dreamlike quality. The first four pictures here show views of the farm of Jesse's mother. Jesse James was buried next to his mother's grave and a tall tombstone was erected over his grave. So many Jesse James admirers came to this grave site and chipped away a piece of the tombstone that the over six foot tall tombstone was reduced to just two feet! The remaining monument had to be moved.
Did you get to see this movie? We think Casey Afleck deserved to be nominated for an oscar for his supporting role in this movie. And if you want to visit these historic places you want to point your car in the direction of St. Joseph, Missouri.