Way to go! We shouldn't be buying for ourselves during the holidays!
Westerns? You are most definitely in the right place. I love Westerns! What do you mean, you didn't ask? Too late! Right, so she doesn't want Eastwood, in particular the Dollars movies, which means she probably isn't a fan of the gritty Spaghetti western, or its derivatives. Eastwood did move away from those with The Outlaw Josey Wales, Pale Rider, even Unforgiven, but they are still dark and powerful. By that thinking, also avoid Sam Peckinpah's (The Wild Bunch). If she prefers John Wayne then she obviously likes her cowboys to be better defined as heroes or villains, not anti-heroes. John Wayne worked with two directors in particular: John Ford and Howard Hawks. Any Westerns by either of these are a winner, but top of the list has to be Rio Bravo as Pete said. But she must have seen that. El Dorado and Rio Lobo are both similar (all Hawks). Pete, you would probably enjoy those too.Ford also worked with James Stewart along with Wayne, at their best in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. B&W though, but highly recommended. They worked together again (though directed by Don Siegel, not Ford) in Wayne's final film, The Shootist. Very poignant. Before that film, John Wayne's career was less about the director and more about him, the star. Key films are The Sons of Katie Elder, True Grit and McClintock (which I think contains one of the best and funniest fight scenes ever!).Stewart did a whole run of Westerns with Anthony Mann, Winchester 73 probably being the best. Again, B&W, but really any of Stewart's colour Westerns are well worth having, apart from Bandelero, which is just a bit... odd. I have a James Stewart Western's boxset which is wonderful. Region 2, but I bet there is a US equivalant. Honestly, anyone who likes John Wayne westerns should enjoy Stewarts too. Straight forward and dependable plots.Kevin Costner has made some wonderful modern Westerns. Dances With Wolves is my favourite film of any genre, though it isn't the same vein of what I've been talking about here. He does more traditional style in Silverado and Open Range. Both fantastic. Wyatt Earp is very good too, though weighty.Hope that gives you some ideas!
I am not a big westerns person... but one of my favorites is Rio Bravo It is in color.... It stars John Wayne, Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson.Definitely one of the best of the (very few) Westerns I have seen!
I forgot Big Jake! That's one of my favourites because it also has his son and Robert Mitchum's son in it and they have a great scrap. Sounds like she's probably seen it though.It isn't a true Western as such, but has she ever seen Bite the Bullet (1975)? It's great, and seems to appeal to fans of those good natured style films we've been talking about. It stars Gene Hackman and James Coburn amongst others and is about a 700-mile horse race. In some ways it isn't unlike the format of car race movies like Cannonball! and Cannonball Run, except they're on horses.Hang on. James Coburn! We haven't mentioned The Magnificent Seven, but I would assume there's no need?