The Iron Mistress

Jim Bowie sets off to sell lumber in New Orleans, but once there he is captivated by the beautiful Judalon de Bornay and finds that life here is vastly different to that of home. Getting himself into many scrapes on account of his feelings for Judalon, Bowie invents a new kind of Knife, the Iron Mistress, and from here a legend is born.

Nobody should go into this picture expecting a Jim Bowie biography, in fact Western fans who haven't seen it should be advised that it barely registers as a Western piece. What it is, is a fine picture that certainly appears to be undervalued {if a little under seen} on the IMDb site. It's full of dandy men fighting and duelling with honour and guts, beautiful women that are surely worth fighting for, and of course it introduces us to the legendary Bowie Knife.

It's based on a Paul Wellman novel, and by all accounts the film is pretty loyal to Wellman's ideals, it doesn't however take us all the way to the Alamo. Alan Ladd takes the lead role of Bowie, shiny blonde hair and brooding for all he is worth, fans of his performance in Shane should definitely check this one out, it's a great performance from Ladd, the kind that makes the gals go gooey and the boys to thump their chests. Virginia Mayo is Judalon and positively simmers with sexual beauty, the character is akin to a viper, and the pot boiling sexual tension is palpable in the extreme, she is in short, a woman men will die for.

Some scenes are just terrific, a duel in a darkened room that is only lit by the odd flash of lightning thru a window, a knife fight as two men with one arm tied to each other face off in a circle of honour, and of course Jim Bowie in every encounter, his violent gutsy bravado fearsome as his reputation escalates. At the time of writing only 141 people have voted on this picture, only 10 people have bothered to write a user comment for it, that's a shame because although it may not be a Western as such, it's a damn fine romantic, dandy, drama with a Western legend at its core. 8/10

Okay so let's first get this fiction out of the way. Jim Bowie as portrayed in The Iron Mistress as the true romantic and a gentlemen hero is more fiction than fact based on folklore and "he said, she said". In real life historians have acclaimed Jim Bowie as a somewhat shady land purveyor who in 1831 after he married nineteen- year-old Maria Ursula de Veramendi, then in 1983 he lost his wife and two children to cholera and began to drink a lot and thereafter not caring anymore about his attire.

But film producers do not necessarily have to note in advance and/or clarify that some parts of their film may be embellished or that the facts may not all be known. I for one really enjoyed Alan Ladd in the lead role as the folklore hero Jim Bowie and his long lost love affair with the attractive Judalon de Bornay played by Virginia Mayo. There were at least three (3) different scenes in the film where Judalon de Bornayand and adventurer Jim Bowie were caught in an embrace and Judalon can be deliberately seen rolling her eyes and smirking directly towards her film audiences in our seats and telling us that she does not really love Jim Bowie and is just using him to get what she wants...money, murder, and to cause more trouble.

As Jim Bowie would eventually say to his former love Judalon de Bornay "no Judalon I don't think we can be together, you have caused the death of at least eight (8) men and that is enough." I am a big fan of Alan Ladd and especially the classic westerns (Shane) and adventure films (Boy on a Dolphin) that he starred in. There is one scene in particular in The Iron Mistress near the end of the film that is a very clever twist where by accident or by premonition Jim Bowie is indirectly responsible for the sudden fate of two of his male combatants and his former love, Judalon. This particular scene for me wrapped up the film in a neat little and justifiable bow that reminds me that this is only a film based on a real life person whose reputation precedes him as a dashing, handsome and daring adventurer.

Alan Ladd and Virginia Mayo played their parts exceptionally well so if you like good adventure/westerns/biographies then you will most likely enjoy The Iron Mistress which the title is based not on a woman, but on Jim Bowie's specially designed hunting knife.

I give the film an 8 out 10 rating.

Excellent entertainment for the movie-goer regarding Jim Bowie, his knife and a snapshot of his life real or imagined. It doesn't matter how accurate this is as it is not a biography or documentary but instead entertainment. Furthermore I like Alan Ladd which makes for a treat. There are some familiar faces for the cast for their time making it even more enjoyable. One thing I always look for in classic movie showings is whether the movie is watchable a second time. It all depends on memorable scenes and this movie has quite a few that make you want to "comeback" for more. Too bad it is not longer as they would have just loaded it up with more good viewing dynamics. I watch this every 2-3 years for decades and it is still holding my attention just like the first time out. Excellent movie to eat with while watching with a tasty drink. Snack ups it considerably too. Hey....

Western adventure with Jim Bowie (Alan Ladd) a man with his name on a knife and two women (Virginia Mayo , Phyllis Kirk) with a weapon all their own . This is a mini-biography of the life of Jim Bowie in which he faces off bloody duels . It starts In 1825, Jim Bowie travels to New Orleans to sell the lumber output from the sawmill he runs with his brothers . He soon meets the gorgeous as well as manipulating Judalon De Bornay (Virginia Mayo) and falls in love for her . Jim attempts to wed Jedualon , but the woman has wed playboy Phillipe (Alf Kjellin) . Jim's business interests lead to violent fights where a lot of people are killed and there takes place a struggle with local saloon owner and nasty Black Jack (Anthony Caruso) . Then , Bowie is rescued by an attractive Mexican girl (Phyllis Kirk) , the daughter of the Vice-Governor of San Antonio .

Barely historical presentation about the mythic character , Jim Bowie , who invented the famed frontier knife . This colorful as well as spotty picture contains action , thrills , soap opera , knife-fights , luxurious balls and results to be entertaining ; however , being also mediocre . Slightly interesting screenplay by James R. Webb , Western usual , being based on a novel by Paul Wellman . Passable acting by the main starring Alan Ladd , and gorgeous Virginia Mayo who subsequently reprised her film role in Lux Radio Theater broadcast , a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie. Support cast is frankly well , such as Joseph Calleia as Juan Moreno , Phyllis Kirk as Ursula De Varamendi , Alf Kjellin as Phillipe De Cabanal , Douglas Dick as Narcisse de Bornay and special mention to Anthony Caruso playing as crook Black Jack . Atmospheric and thrilling musical score by the classic composer Max Steiner . Colorful as well as evocative cinematography by John F. Seitz , filmed on location in New Orleans and surrounds .

The motion picture lavishly produced by Henry Blanke was regularly directed by Gordon Douglas . He was an expert on adventure genre as ¨Black arrow¨ , ¨Fortunes of Captain Blood¨ , both starred by Louis Hayward and Western , as he proved in the films starred by Clint Walker such as ¨Fort Dobbs¨, ¨Yellowstone Kelly¨ , ¨Gold of seven Saints¨ , Gregory Peck as ¨Only the valiant¨ , ¨Chuka¨ with Rod Taylor , ¨Rio Conchos¨ starred by Richard Boone , being considered his best Western , and about bandits legendary as ¨Doolins of Oklahoma¨ , ¨Great Missouri raid¨, among others .

The real events about James Bowie's life are the followings : Texas hero and knife-fighter whose name was made world famous by the type of broad-bladed knife he used and is said to have originated . Born in Georgia , he made money by selling black slaves before going Texas , where he settle in San Antonio , legend tells us he searched for and found the lost Spanish silver mine in the San Saba region . In 1830, he became a Mexican citizen married the daughter of the Vice-Governor of San Antonio and became a wealthy landowner . He lost his wife and children in a cholera epidemic . When the Texans rebelled against Spanish rule he joined the rebels and was made captain , engaging in several victories over Mexicans . With the rank of colonel he held joint command of The Alamo fortress with Colonel Travis until stricken down with fever , he died fighting , from his sickbed , with the rest of the garrison while defending the Alamo against an overwhelming Mexican army . Bowie made his reputation as a formidable knife-fighter in a number of duels , but it is not clear if he or his brother , actually designed the original Bowie Knife .

This is an adventure story using fiction to tell about the early years of James Bowie,prior to his martyrdom at the Alamo a few years after this film ends. This is a typical romantic adventure story with Alan Ladd giving an erstwhile honest portrayal in the role that Richard Widmark did years later in THE ALAMO. Mr Ladd was short in stature,but you would never really know that,. as all of the actors were either his height or 1 or 2 inches either way. Virginia Mayo is as usual very beautiful & well dressed,She was never considered a great actress but she could portray a very selfish woman with perfect ease. The rest of the cast is just what you would expect in this type of vehicle. Good production values with a very good knife fight in a dark room with only lightning bolts to highlight the action. A bit long at 112 minutes, but entertaining. a low *** rating or a 7 on the IMDB scale

as always

Jay Harris.