Cerco de fuego

I've just seen the movie for the first time, on German television that is. Although they dub foreign movies with sometimes strange results (John Wayne and Indians speaking German...), they make sure not to compromise a film's integrity, so atmosphere, sound quality etc. are always perfectly preserved. And I must say, this film, of 1961, managed to do what only few films have in years - the grand finale with the escaping townsfolk made me hold my breath several times and had me moved to the edge of my chair. The rest of the film is also impressive, it all looked so very lifelike. No overacting, no exaggerated pathos, yet at times even poetic. A great film which makes your heart beat faster. And in spite of its age, amidst all the licked special effects block-busters of these days a refreshing experience.

Maurits Reijnen, Amsterdam

Just caught this little gem and I must say, I was quite surprised... and entertained. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a great or even good movie, but what it lacks in acting and direction it more than makes up in well, ingenuity and effort. The basic plot is fine and the story plausible until the protagonists emerge from the forest and all hell breaks loose. There's a forest fire of massive proportions, an evacuation of equally massive proportions and disaster upon disaster. The bad guys buy it the good ones survive the good townspeople get away. What was amazing though is how many people crowded that little Rocky Mountain town. And the cars, they must have each owned a dozen. During the evacuation people kept running around, cars kept honking, and they all kept coming at you, scene after scene, with no letup. It also seemed like other than the three teenage protagonists and our hero, the town was populated by the middle aged and senior citizens. Quite spry I must admit, but where did the younger people go? It looked to me like the producers made the conscious decision to hire older actors. And then there was the forest fire. It was massive, awful, mesmerizing, utterly gigantic in scope. This must have been actual footage of a forest fire. I witnessed an unstoppable force of nature in all its awesome finality.

As for the actors, the three principals were quite good delivering their cornball lines, especially Frank Gorshen and Joyce Taylor. David Janssen was well, David Janssen. Straight faced all the way, little emotion, the picture of composure in the face of utter despair. Gorshen was fun to watch but his character was too one dimensional. Joyce Taylor on the other hand was worth the price of admission. Saucy all the way, dangerously sexy and with more than enough complexity to make her character an interesting standout. And what a fox. I was sorry to discover that her career was quite limited. Nonetheless she impressed me and I'll be looking out for more films with her.

So there you have it. Another bad film that's actually quite fun.

I've seen this at least 10 times not because it's an awesome movie but because it was filmed in the small town I grew up in. Every July it played in the small movie theater in Vernonia for at least one weekend, sometimes for the whole month. I have a lot of fun memories around it including the hoopla around the filming. Vernonia is not just a small town it's rural with only ~1500 people so it was a huge deal. As a 3rd grader it was a big deal when one of the folks from the production company showed up at my grandmother's to ask if they could film on her property. David Jansen flew in and out of Vernonia on a helicopter, landing on Bridge Street (the main street)so that he could sign autographs. I haven't seen the complete movie since 1972 and would like to see it again but can't find it.

An Oregon Police Sgt (an intense David Jansen) is surprised and kidnapped by two thugs and a babe who then go on a journey for freedom through the deep forests of Oregon. There are escape attempts, a death, a turning of the tables, and possible "intimate relations" with the pulchritudinous babe (Joyce Taylor, who is supposed to be "under 18" but looks 26). The movie climaxes with the entire forest and town being burned down and everyone, including hundreds of townsfolk, desperate to escape. An exciting movie, with menace and threat maintained thoroughout. Frank Gorshin is notable as the #1 thug (his pre-impressions days). A good movie.

This movie has always been special to me; The town scenes were shot in Oregon in Vernonia, but the rest around Shelton, WA in Mason County and Grays Harbor County. The Sheriff's dept depicted, and all the personnel - wear Mason County Sheriff's Uniforms and patches - complete with Christmas tree logo and 'Mason County' prominently displayed. I have one of these patches in my collection. The Mason County Sheriff played by Ron Myron was actually a real Mason County Deputy at the time. The State Trooper who is nearly killed in the telephone booth in Matlock (which has hardly changed at all by the way - and last time I passed through still had a telephone booth in the same spot!) was a real trooper from the shelton detatchment and was a fellow road trooper at the time with my Dad in Shelton. The best part however, is my uncle plays an extra in the 'posse' sent to hunt down the kidnappers. It's always great fun to point him out whenever it is on. The annual forest festival in shelton sometimes plays this movie during their celebration. I recall my parents, and relatives pointing out many more familiar faces in this movie. I have been to the site where the bridge was burned and the trains dropped - you can make out the train cars but I couldn't see the engine; Apparently it is very difficult to make out but it's not hard to find but VERY dangerous to try to actually go down to look at. FYI - this movie used to play fairly regularly on TNT network. I have taped this movie and copied it onto a DVD. I would love to see this film released on a commercial DVD and in wide-screen if it was shot that way, which I believe it was. I invite anyone else - particularly those involved with this production at the time to leave comments as well. For small town folk - even those like me who weren't born yet, it is still an incredibly interesting piece of local history.