Terreur dans la vallée

Above Average 50's Western with a few Edgy Things that Elevate beyond the mundane. Stewart Granger and Rhonda Fleming are Attractive Stars and Competent Actors.

The Film was Shot in Cinemascope that adds to the Wide Open Landscape. The Colorful Setting is used to advantage and the Simple Story is Spiced with some Atypical Shacking Up and Lustful Scenes. That alone is against the grain of most Fifties Fodder and Preaching.

Although, it must be said there is a Heavy Amount of Preaching in the Screenplay. Chill Wills as a Bible Toting Preacher is a Major Character and the Dialog often reverts to Philosophy from the Pulpit. It almost becomes too much but not quite.

The Tension and Action are Amped Up in the Second Half as things become Violent and Explosive. The Solid Direction from Old Pro Rowland keeps things from becoming Clichéd and/or Standard Stuff.

Overall, a Well-Done Entry in the Abundance of 1950's Westerns and is, Unlike the Majority of Output in the Decade, well Worth a Watch.

GUN GLORY reminds me once again what a pleasure it is to watch Stewart Grainger and Rhonda Fleming. Grainger took a relaxed approach to his roles, much like Van Johnson but without as much smugness. Grainger plays a family man who has become a drifter, a gambler and a gunfighter. Coming home after learning the futility of "chasing rainbows," he returns to his ranch, only to discover his wife is dead and his son wants no part of him. He hires Rhonda Fleming to keep house for him, and she works to bring father and son together. Fleming is, without doubt, the most beautiful and shapely redhead to ever grace the movie screen (yes, including Maureen O'Hara). Here, once again, she proves she can act as well. It's a pity Hollywood didn't take her more seriously. All of the adults are top notch; however, the actor who play the son is only OK, and the actor who plays the young gunfighter is laughably bad. Top acting honor goes to Chill Wills as a wise, nonjudgemental reverand. Exquisitely photographed in Metrocolor and Cinemascope, GUN GLORY is always easy to watch. The story could have used a few more twists, and the climax seems a bit too easy. However, this is a movie that can, for the most part, be enoyed by the entire family.

Gun Glory is directed by Roy Rowland and adapted to screenplay by William Ludwig from Philip Yordan's novel, Man of the West. It stars Stewart Granger, Rhonda Fleming, Chill Wills, James Gregory and Steve Rowland. Music is by Jeff Alexander - with the title song "The Ninety and the Nine" song by Burl Ives - and cinematography is by Harold J. Marzorati.

What we have here is a very familiar tale. Granger is gunslinger Tom Early, who returns to his home town after a number of years to find his wife has died and his son (Rowland) is unsurprisingly miffed at his father having abandoned them. The townsfolk, also, are not exactly enamoured to have him back either, but since they are in the grip of terror brought about by violent cattle baron Grimsell (Gregory), a chance for Early to make peace with all is in the offering.

Granger was winding down his contract with MGM and this could hardly be seen has a triumphant fanfare finale. Yet for committed Western film fans there's still plenty to enjoy. Handsome is a word that springs to mind, Granger and Fleming positively ooze sexual beauty, the Calif locations (Bronson Canyon - Whoosh!) are magnificently brought to life via CinemaScope (Metrocolor), while costuming and set designs are most appealing.

The script is weak, though, and familiarity of story demands that elsewhere the pic needs to cover the shortcomings. Action scenes are all too brief, but the stunt work on show is impressive and the construction of shoot-outs, and a rockslide sequence, certainly stirs the blood. Elsewhere, Jacques Aubuchon's lecherous windbag act gets tiresome pretty quickly, and the overt religion angles are heavy handed (even the musical score is full of biblical swirls) - the latter of which a shame because Chill Wills as The Preacher turns in the best perf in the pic.

Hardly a must see movie, then, but Oater fans, and fans of the stars, are not short changed (Gregory does good villainy as well). Even if ultimately it comes off as a "going through the motions" movie that's very pretty but of little substance. 6.5/10

Gunslinger Tom Early (Stewart Granger) returns to his hometown without much welcome. His beloved wife is dead and his abandoned son is angry with him. Most in town ostracizes him. Only Jo (Rhonda Fleming) shows him any acceptance. Cattle baron Grimsell and his thugs run roughshot over the the town and he's the only one who has the ability to fight back.

I really like the story of the returning gunslinger. The son is an issue. He's written all over the place and the acting is really broad. The melodrama gets a bit much. On the other hand, Rhonda Fleming is great. I also like the Priest character and his flaws. As for Tom Early himself, I like the idea of the character. I imagine Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven. Stewart Granger is not as hard as that, but he's good enough. The ending has some of that. I would like it to be harsher. All in all, the story is great western fare with a simple confrontation and some minor issues.

The story of peace-loving farmers and townspeople fighting for land, water, law and order, and the respect and ultimate subjugation of the long entrenched cattle interests and their hired guns had been worked over better in earlier (Shane) and probably later films as well. There's some good action scenes and the general layout of the story, excluding a disappointing ending, is well executed. Law and order and religion have established roots in the town, but the old order of cattle drives, cowboys, and gunslingers is still around as well. The clash of the two occurs in a nicely staged ambush scene where the townsmen ride right into a trap. Granger, an ex-gunfighter, plays the guy who is shunned by the very townspeople who need his expertise with a gun.