What image comes to your mind when you hear the word cowboy? John Wayne? Clint Eastwood? Kevin Costner? The depictions in film would lead us to believe that the cowboy way of life is a relic of the American West, yet it’s very much alive today. “Cowboys: A Documentary Portrait” offers an authentic look at some of today’s largest and most remote cattle ranches in the American West, with firsthand accounts from the cowboys and cowgirls working them. The film draws back the curtain to unveil the unvarnished hardships of a celebrated but misunderstood way of life.
The documentary is co-directed by Bud Force and John Langmore, whose histories are directly tied to the working cowboy way of life. Force is a former bull rider who currently splits his time filmmaking and working on ranches. Langmore is a long-time former working cowboy whose recent book, “Open Range,” documents the life of the contemporary American cowboy. Force and Langmore state, “For a profession so ingrained in the American subconscious, the life of the 21st century working cowboy remains a mystery, veiled behind miles of dirt roads and limitless vistas.”
As a native Texan who did not grow up on a ranch but is constantly surrounded by the symbols of the cowboy, I’m excited to watch “Cowboys: A Documentary Portrait” and learn how these traditions have continued to exist within the modern world.
Ahead of the film’s VOD release on November 17, here’s an exclusive clip from “Cowboys: A Documentary Portrait.”
Follow Shuffle Online on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Catherine grew up watching action flicks at a very young age which led to her love of film. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelors in Radio-TV-Film in 2012. Always the adventurer, Catherine traveled and lived in Sydney, Australia for a year where she took a selfie with Brad Pitt. She runs Shuffle with passion, lots of caffeine and tacos. When she’s not editing or writing you can find her crafting and planning her next adventure.