À l'ombre des potences

The story of a man apart who brought faith to a youth , love to a woman, justice to land . At the beginning takes place a trilling start when a man called Matt Dow (James Cagney) and his newcomer pal Davey Bishop (John Derek) are mistaken as two train robbers . Dow , who has a few secrets of his own , clears his name and ends up as the new sheriff and he appoints Davey as his deputy . Matt romances a foreign woman named Helga Swenson (Viveca Lindfors) and settles in to a peaceful existence only to find that the boy grows restive . The boy is crippled by a bullet provoking his fury and bitter slide into badness .

This odd little film seems to be an offbeat Western , though also packs conventional scenes . It contains a superficially conventional script , drama , snappy scenes , action , thrills and shootouts . The characters are well constructed , the talks are fluid , concise and expressive and address special attention to gestures , glances and movements ; however , some excessive familiar touches cannot overcome a little boring screenplay . It lacks the baroque , bizarre excesses of Johnny Guitar , Nicholas Ray's first Western . At the end takes place the usual dispute between protagonists , James Cagney and John Derek , both of them share a mythical confrontation . Good acting by James Gagney as an ex-con becoming sheriff who tries to curb his own anger at the injustices he has suffered ; this is the second of three westerns that Cagney made , his first western was "The Oklahoma Kid" (1939) and his third and final one was "Tribute To A Bad Man" (1956). His embittered young as well as antagonistic companion was middlingly played by John Derek . The support cast is pretty good , being magnificent played by a group of splendid secondaries such as Ray Teal , Ernest Borgnine , Denver Pyle , Grant Whiters , Jack Lambert and final film of Jean Hersholt. Colorful cinematography by Daniel L Fapp , though rereleased in black-and-white and an alright remastering being necessary . Producers acknowledge with thanks the cooperation of the department of Interior National Park Service for the scenes photographed in the Aztec ruins , National Monument Aztec , New Mexico .

The motion picture was professionally directed by Nicholas Ray , though some moments results to be tiring and slow-moving . Nicholas has a sensitive handling of actors and provides an exact compositional sense . Ray is a classic director , his films deal with a deep description of civilized societies , he believes that corruption is an essential part of it , that society punishes sincerity , innocence and love, vengeance and greed determine the behavior of people. Other ordinary themes is the gulf between generations : the older and the youngest . Nicholas Ray is concerned adolescence and youth, to which he devotes a later work , just like "Rebel without a Cause", 1955 . He denounces violence in American society and shows the rough face of frustration and sexual repression . As the great and stylish filmmaker Nicholas Ray working at the peak of his powers in Knock on Any Door with Humphrey Bogart and again John Derek . Other successes of this master filmmaker shooting all kinds of genres are the followings : Wartime such as Flying Leathernecks , Bitter victory , Noir : Party Girl , Wetern : Johnny Guitar , The True Story of Jesse James , Adventure : The Savage Innocents , Wind Across the Everglades and the epics : 55 Days at Peking ,Kings of Kings .

Run For Cover was the second of three westerns that James Cagney made and in my mind it is easily the best of them. The Cagney of Yorkville is left way behind in a way he wasn't in The Oklahoma Kid.

Cagney is a recently pardoned prisoner who spent six years in jail for a crime he didn't commit. He meets up with young John Derek on the trail and the two hit it off. But unfortunately they are mistaken by some panicky railroad employees as members of a local gang and get a sack of money thrown down at them. Then its further compounded by a trigger happy sheriff played by Roy Teal who shoots them both down, seriously wounding Derek.

Derek is bitter as the result of permanent injuries to his leg, but the townspeople warm up to Cagney and replace Teal with him as sheriff. But Derek isn't up to the job of deputy in a few senses of the word.

Derek did his mending on the farm of Jean Hersholt where there's a lovely Swedish farmer's daughter in Viveca Lindfors. She and Cagney hit it off quite well. In fact this was the farewell screen role for Jean Hersholt.

Grant Withers makes a fine sinister outlaw leader with Ernest Borgnine as a very sly second in command. Their robbery scheme sets up the whole inevitable climax between Cagney and Derek.

Cagney was a far better westerner in Run For Cover than in any of his other two westerns. I like very much the way director Nicholas Ray built up his two leads and there's good development of the secondary characters, always the mark of a good film.

Wandering gunman Matt Dow (James Cagney) meets hot-headed young man Davey Bishop (John Derek) on the way to a small ranching town. They get mistaken for train robbers, and a posse seriously injures Davey. Once their identities are properly established, Davey is left to convalesce with Swedish farmer Swenson (Jean Hersholt) and his daughter Helga (Viveca Lindfors). Matt sticks around to mentor Davey, and Helga falls for the older man. The townsfolk hire Matt to be their new sheriff, and Matt chooses Davey to be his deputy, but trouble is on the horizon.

I liked this western despite its faults, which include some script implausibilities and a flabby final act. It was really nice seeing Cagney in something new to me, as there are now only three of his movies that I have not seen. He's a little thick around the middle but he still has screen presence in spades, and he seems natural in the western setting for a change. John Derek is someone I would never call a favorite, but he fit his role well. Lindfors was lovely and low key. One of the best things about this movie is the spectacular Colorado location cinematography, with director Ray making the most of the VistaVision format.

This was the last film of character actor Jean Hersholt, he of the eponymous Humanitarian Oscar. I was also moved by the appearance of early 1930's leading man Grant Withers. His major studio stardom was short-lived and he later moved over to Republic Pictures, mainly thanks to lifelong friend John Wayne. By 1955, Withers was in ill health, and despite only being 50, he looked a good 15 years older here. Here he has a small role as a bandit leader and shares his one big scene with Cagney. Cagney had made his film debut in 1930 in Sinners' Holiday in support of Withers, who was a leading man at the time.

Run for Cover is directed by Nicholas Ray and adapted to screenplay by Winston Miller from a story by Harriet Frank Jr. and Irving Ravetch. It stars James Cagney, Viveca Lindfors, John Derek, Jean Hersholt, Grant Withers, Jack Lambert, Ray Teal and Ernest Borgnine. A Technicolor/VistaVison production, with music by Howard Jackson and cinematography by Daniel Fapp.

When Matt Dow (Cagney) and Davey Bishop (Derek) meet up they quickly become friends, but events conspire to see them wrongly suspected of robbing the train heading for Madison. Hunted down by a Madison posse, Bishop, a Madison resident, is severely injured and Dow taken to town for possible lynching. What unfolds is the truth comes out and the two men end up working as the law in town, but there is many more secrets to be unearthed in this part of New Mexico...

Nicholas Ray brings a meditative state to the picture, ensuring the thematics of surrogate families, generation conflicts, mob justice and the corruption of youth, are all delicately handled by the great director, even dealing in Freudian textures for the key character relationship. There's a whiff of High Noon in how Matt will inevitably have to stand alone, and he will also have to fight inner turmoil about injustices and cope with disappointments as things refuse to go to plan under Madison's glaring sun. But this is a skilled character piece able to stand on its own terms.

As a looker the film is quite simply stunning. Filmed out of Durango, Silverton and Aztec (the latter providing the finale set in the Aztec Ruins), the scenery is breath taking, Ray and Fapp surrounding the story with an imposing beauty that is hard to take your eyes from. Cast are led superbly by a restrained and reflective Cagney, who can say so much with just one glance of his eyes, and while Lindfors as Cagney's love interest is a bit wooden, she's at least given some decent scripting to work with. Elsewhere nobody fails in bringing their respective characters to life.

Absolutely lovely Oater, one that may not break new ground with its formula of plotting, but comes out roaring regardless. It makes you wish Cagney had made more Westerns, Nicholas Ray also, while Fapp's photography here is alone worthy enough to consider catching this on any potential Blu-ray release. 7.5/10

A rather maddening western. Apparently Paramount went all out for an oater, filming in gorgeous southwestern Colorado and Aztec ruins of northwestern New Mexico. In short, there's plenty of scenic eye candy, while if there's a studio set anywhere, I couldn't spot it. Then too, there's A-list Cagney, maybe on the aging downgrade, but still Cagney. Seems he's trying to rehabilitate young man Derek from both a leg wound and a checkered past. As the new town sheriff facing a band of outlaws, an unreliable deputy Derek, and a pack of town ruffians, he's got his work cut out.

As I see it, there's a problem with the screenplay—it's too loose and lacking in focus, rambling from one incident to the next in no particular order. Thus, neither tension nor suspense builds over time nor into the rather poorly staged climax. I suspect Paramount was trying to cater to Cagney's starring presence since he's in about every scene. He's his usual commanding self. However, that's part of the problem since Derek lacks the presence needed to create chemistry with the older, compelling man. Thus, their scenes together appear lop-sided in the extreme, and the heart of the movie fails to gel.

I guess the studio figured young Derek's wayward role was apt material for brilliant director Nick Ray, who's specialty was troubled youth, i.e. They Live By Night (1948), Knock On Any Door (1949). Then too, Ray would soon triumph in the following year's iconic youth film, Rebel Without A Cause (1955). Unfortunately, I don't see any of his usual brilliance here, and I suspect he was neutralized by the rambling script and an A-list star. Though myopic editing may have figured, as it does in the river swim which strangely lacks any sequential coherence.

All in all, the 93-minutes amounts to a disappointment given the production values and talent involved. In my view, the best parts are those lushly vivid scenes from Colorado's Rockies and rivers.