 First edition | |
| Author | Ron Hansen |
|---|---|
| Genre | Western novel |
| Publisher | Knopf |
Publication date | 1983 |
| Pages | 304 |
| ISBN | 9780394516479 |
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a 1983 historical novel by American writer Ron Hansen. [1] It explores the life and times of Jesse James and his gang, and his death at the hands of Robert Ford.
The title is based on a folk song of the era. Based on extensive research into the many contemporary accounts of Jesse James' crimes and personal life, the novel weaves a third-person narrative of actual events with fictionalized imaginings of the lives of Jesse, his brother Frank, and their followers, including their guerrilla activities during the American Civil War and their insurgency afterward as notorious bank and train robbers. Though the James brothers achieved folk-hero fame for claims that they openly shared the loot from their robberies, the novel reveals they kept all the money for themselves.
Late in their career, the James brothers encounter Charley and Robert Ford, both of whom Jesse eventually recruits into his dwindling gang. Bob Ford is portrayed as a fawning sycophant who is obsessed with Jesse's national celebrity and hopes to one day attain similar renown for himself. As Jesse faces increasing pressure from the authorities, he begins to suspect those around him of conspiring to betray him. Indeed, the Fords end up negotiating a deal with the Governor of Missouri to capture or kill Jesse in exchange for the offered reward and exoneration of their previous crimes.
Following Jesse's murder, the Fords receive the promised acquittal and a portion of the reward money, but find themselves almost unanimously detested and ostracized by the American public. The stories of their subsequent lives and deaths are recounted against the backdrop of their notoriety as America's most reprehensible blackguards.
In a 1983 book review, Kirkus Reviews remarked the book contained "well-written, artful descriptions. . . yet also drawing away to show us the frame like an announcer's binding narration" and noted that "only occasionally can [Hansen] get tension into this documentary approach; and the zooms between close-up and voice-over soon become predictable and sapping. Thoughtful, artful reconstruction — yet largely uninvolving." [2]
The novel made the short list for the 1984 PEN/Faulkner Award. [3]
In March 2004, Warner Bros. and Plan B Entertainment obtained the feature film rights to the novel and hired Andrew Dominik to write and direct the adaptation. [4] In 2007, the novel was adapted as a film of the same name written and directed by Dominik. [5] It stars Brad Pitt as Jesse James, Casey Affleck as Robert Ford, and Sam Shepard as Frank James. Along with being on-set to ensure the dialogue was accurate to the era, Hansen appears in a cameo role as a frontier news reporter. [6]
The James–Younger Gang was a notable 19th-century gang of American outlaws that revolved around Jesse James and his brother Frank James. The gang was based in the state of Missouri, the home of most of the members.
Thomas Theodore Crittenden was an American politician and military officer who served as the 24th Governor of Missouri from 1881 to 1885. He was a Union Army colonel during the American Civil War.
Ron Hansen is an American novelist, essayist, and professor. He is known for writing literary westerns exploring the people and history of the American heartland, notably The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (1983), which was adapted into an acclaimed film.
Zerelda Amanda Mimms James was the wife and first cousin of Jesse James.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a 2007 American epic revisionist Western film written and directed by Andrew Dominik. Based on Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same name, the film dramatizes the relationship between Jesse James and Robert Ford, focusing on the events that lead up to the titular killing. It stars Brad Pitt as James and Casey Affleck as Ford, with Sam Shepard, Mary-Louise Parker, Paul Schneider, Jeremy Renner, Zooey Deschanel, and Sam Rockwell in supporting roles.
Robert Newton Ford was an American outlaw who killed fellow outlaw Jesse James on April 3, 1882. He and his brother Charley, both members of the James–Younger Gang under James's leadership, went on to perform paid re-enactments of the killing at publicity events. Ford went on to operate various saloons and dance halls in the West, before being killed – at age 30 – by Edward Capehart O'Kelley in Creede, Colorado.
Alison Elliott is an American actress. She was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for the 1997 film The Wings of the Dove. Her other film appearances include The Spitfire Grill (1996), Birth (2004), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) and 20th Century Women (2016).
Andrew Dominik is an Australian film director and screenwriter. He has directed the crime film Chopper (2000), the Western drama film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), the neo-noir crime film Killing Them Softly (2012), and the biographical psychological drama Blonde (2022). He has also directed the documentary film One More Time with Feeling (2016) and two episodes of the Netflix series Mindhunter in 2019.
Robert Woodson "Wood" Hite was an outlaw and cousin of Frank and Jesse James. He was a member of the James-Younger gang, participating in a number of robberies and other crimes. He was shot dead by Robert Ford during a gunfight with Ford's friend Dick Liddil. The death of Hite precipitated the series of events that culminated in the killing of Jesse James by Ford.
Jesse James became a hero in folklore and dime novels before he was killed in 1882. A manifestation of this was the emergence of a wide body of music that celebrates or alludes to Jesse James.
Edward Capehart O'Kelley was an American murderer who killed Robert Ford, who had killed the famous outlaw Jesse James to receive a bounty. He was the subject of a 1994 book by his (O'Kelley's) great-great-niece.
James Bradley Orman was an American politician and railroad builder. He served as the 12th Governor of Colorado from 1901 to 1903. He was a Democrat.
Charles Wilson Ford was an American outlaw and a member of the James Gang. He was the lesser known older brother of Robert Ford, the killer of Jesse James. Charley Ford was introduced to Jesse and Frank James by Wood Hite and joined the gang in 1881 at the same time as his brother.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis is the official soundtrack album to the movie of the same name. Cave and Ellis composed all the music. According to the CD liner notes, Cave played piano, celesta and other keyboards, while Ellis played violin, viola, guitar and keyboards. Furthermore, some songs featured percussion, a small string ensemble and other instruments.
The True Story of Jesse James is a 1957 American Western drama film adapted from Henry King's 1939 film Jesse James, which was only loosely based on James' life. It was directed by Nicholas Ray, with Robert Wagner portraying Jesse James and Jeffrey Hunter starring as Frank James. Filming took place during 1955. Originally titled The James Brothers in the United Kingdom, the film focused on the relationship between the two James brothers during the last 18 years of Jesse James' life.
James Andrew "Dick" Liddil was an American outlaw who was one of the last surviving members of the James-Younger Gang. His surname is often misspelled as Liddel, Liddell, or Liddle.
Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the "Little Dixie" area of Missouri, James and his family maintained strong Southern sympathies. He and his brother Frank James joined pro-Confederate guerrillas known as "bushwhackers" operating in Missouri and Kansas during the American Civil War. As followers of William Quantrill and "Bloody Bill" Anderson, they were accused of committing atrocities against Union soldiers and civilian abolitionists, including the Centralia Massacre in 1864.
James H. Timberlake was an American law enforcement officer, Civil War soldier, farmer and rancher who served as a deputy U.S. marshal for the Western District of Missouri. Timberlake is best known for being the chief enforcer and investigator against the James-Younger Gang, beginning in the 1870s, which culminated in the death of the outlaw Jesse James on April 3, 1882, at the hands of Robert Ford.
"Jesse James" is a 19th-century American folk song about the outlaw of the same name, first recorded by Bentley Ball in 1919 and subsequently by many others, including Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Vernon Dalhart, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, The Kingston Trio, The Pogues, The Ramblin' Riversiders, The Country Gentlemen, Willy DeVille, Van Morrison, Harry McClintock, Grandpa Jones, Bob Seger, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Carl Sandburg, Sons of the Pioneers, Johnny Cash, Liam Clancy, Mungo Jerry and Bruce Springsteen. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
Cultural depictions of Jesse James appear in various types of media, including literature, video games, comics, music, stage productions, films, television, and radio. James is variously described as an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla, and leader of the James–Younger Gang. After the American civil war, as members of various gangs of outlaws, Jesse and Frank James robbed banks, stagecoaches, and trains across the Midwest, gaining national fame and even sympathy despite their crimes. James became an iconic figure from the era, and his life has been dramatized and memorialized numerous times.