Anthony Mann made this superlative western after completing the last
of the Jimmy Stewart westerns, ("The Man from Laramie"), and before he
made the Gary Cooper starring "Man of the West" and somehow it got lost
along the way despite having been nominated for a BAFTA Best Film award.
Instead of either Stewart or Cooper, Mann cast Henry Fonda as the
laconic, decent bounty hunter who take a greenhorn young sheriff, (a
beautifully cast Anthony Perkins), under his wing.
It's a very
simple, traditional piece, shot in black and white by Loyal Griggs and
dealing very much in black and white issues. It is a movie with
straightforward heroes and villains, (Neville Brand is principal among
the bad guys), a strong heroine, (Betsy Palmer), and even a sweet,
likeable kid, (Michael Ray). If it lacks the psychological undercurrents
of other Mann westerns it more than makes up for it in good
old-fashioned action and suspense and of all his westerns this may be
the most underrated
The films reviewed here represent those I have liked or loved over the years. It is not a list of my favourite films but all the films reviewed here are worth seeing and worth seeking out. I know many of you won't agree with me on a lot of these but hopefully you will grant me, and the films that appear here, our place in the sun. Thanks for reading.
Saturday, 30 March 2019
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
JUROR #2
If "Juror #2" turns out to be the last film Clint Eastwood makes, (quite possible since the man is 94 now), at least he will have...
-
Having made two films on the essence of cinema or at least on the filmmaker's craft, (her own), Joanna Hogg has now turned her attentio...
-
You know that a Lars von Trier serial killer movie is unlikely to be like anyone else's serial killer movie; that it is most likely t...
No comments:
Post a Comment