The Rare Breed

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The Rare Breed

Released Feb 2, 1966

1h 37m

Western

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Popcornmeter

29%

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7 Reviews

58%

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1,000+ Ratings

During the 1880s, Martha Price (Maureen O'Hara), a widowed cattle breeder, travels from England to St. Louis with her daughter, Hilary (Juliet Mills). Martha hopes to crossbreed her bull, Vindicator, with American cattle. Martha sells Vindicator to Alexander Bowen (Brian Keith), a wealthy businessman, who hires Sam Burnett (James Stewart) to transport the bulls to Texas. Skeptical of Burnett's intentions, Martha and Hilary decide to accompany him on the trip.

David Cornelius

DVDTalk.com

Unconvincing studio sets and uninspired direction don't help in lifting this above other bloated, awkward studio productions of the period.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 7, 2008

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Banal and lifeless.

Rated: C-

Nov 12, 2006

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Jul 16, 2005

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Christopher Null

Filmcritic.com

Rated: 2.5/5

Jan 15, 2005

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Steve Crum

Kansas City Kansan

Colorful but soft-edged Stewart western about cattle breedin'.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 27, 2004

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Carol Cling

Las Vegas Review-Journal

Rated: 3/5

Jul 9, 2004

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Steve D

Decent but unremarkable.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/26/24

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william k

Broad, solidly made Western with an unusual topic is a partly amusing drama, but not really exciting; the star cast does a good job, though.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Good western, can't miss with Maureen O'Hara and James Stewart

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

Innocuous old-timey entertainment.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

Your average James Stewart Western, but with some decent little things here and there. Despite his age, James does a surprising bit of brawling and wrangling. I would consider this a superior western than the likes of Night Passagey, but only just.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A rodeo man is hired (by two different agents) to deliver a rare Hereford bull. An almost passionless Stewart, and a "no surprises" performance by Maureen O'Hara turn what could have been an interesting outing into a stale affair.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

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Andrew V. McLaglen

Director

James Stewart

Sam Burnett

Maureen O'Hara

Martha Price

Brian Keith

Alexander Bowen

Juliet Mills

Hilary Price

Don Galloway

Jamie Bowen

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Synopsis

During the 1880s, Martha Price (Maureen O'Hara), a widowed cattle breeder, travels from England to St. Louis with her daughter, Hilary (Juliet Mills). Martha hopes to crossbreed her bull, Vindicator, with American cattle. Martha sells Vindicator to Alexander Bowen (Brian Keith), a wealthy businessman, who hires Sam Burnett (James Stewart) to transport the bulls to Texas. Skeptical of Burnett's intentions, Martha and Hilary decide to accompany him on the trip.

Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Producer: William Alland
Screenwriter: Ric Hardman
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal/Universal Int
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 2, 1966, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2021
Runtime: 1h 37m