La fattoria del mistero

I was interested in seeing this film for one reason and one reason alone, Charles Middleton. "Flash Gordon" is without a doubt one of my all-time favorite films, and I was curious to check out some other work by the actor who played Ming the Merciless, one of the greatest villains in cinema.

"Mystery Ranch" did not disappoint, and I highly recommend this creepy, gothic western to anyone who appreciates unusual films. Parts of this movie are more like a horror film than a standard western, and there are some great, atmospheric scenes. The ending of the movie is also quite memorable.

"Mystery Ranch" is included in the book "Forgotten Horrors," which documents many poverty-row talkies of the early 30s. Both the book and this movie are worth seeking out.

Mystery Ranch may well have the best teaming of bad guy and henchman ever. It is hard to find such unrepentant evil with such joy in accomplishment than Charles Middleton and Noble Johnson. The James Bond films had such pairings but they were done tongue in cheek. Here the evil is deadly serious but not outrageous in the tie-her-to-the-railroad-tracks vein. The fact that the heroine is taking matters into her own hands helps a lot. The cinematography shows major studio quality. All of this raises the film well above standard B westerns.

Don't get me wrong: Mystery Ranch is no magnum opus. But put in perspective with B westerns it's head and shoulders above the pack. I give it an 8 because of Middleton and Johnson.

The story and writing and much of the acting is not so great, but the Gothic atmosphere and visuals are worth a look. (I'd like to see a better version than the Sinister Cinema DVD-R, but at least it's from a 35 mm print, if I recall correctly.) Charles Middleton is great as the grand piano-playing bad guy (and only says "heh" once), but George O'Brien as the hero is kind of a stiff. I also liked Noble Johnson as the murderous, mute Apache. Between his appearance and the piano-playing villain, this movie starts to make me think of another 1932 adventure film, THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME. But the shadowy cinematography of Joseph August is the real attraction here, and there are some terrific tracking shots as well. Some of the action sequences are also pretty exciting, but in the end the stakes of the plot just aren't strong enough to generate any tension. I agree with the other comment, however, that the ending is great stuff.

Mystery Ranch follows no formula for B westerns. Sure, the hero is undeniably good. There is a girl in trouble. Everyone is dressed like a cowboy. Other than that, Mystery Ranch stands out as an original western. I got the feeling that this movie was intended for a broad audience rather than playing to the kids like those that would later worship Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and Hopalong Cassidy a few years later. Mystery Ranch is tense most of the time because of a strong villain and his evil henchmen. Those people were more violent than other western villains.

George O'Brien certainly was a strong looking figure of a cowboy. I noticed two different approaches to acting as I watched O'Brien in Mystery Ranch. He looked natural, as if he were not acting, when he was interacting with the male characters. When he had romantic dialogue with Cecilia Parker, O'Brien seemed to be forcing his lines. Maybe it was the script; maybe O'Brien was not as comfortable with the dialogue.

Mystery Ranch is an early sound western. There are no singing cowboys, but the villain, Mr. Steele, plays classical piano. It is this piano music that helps set the mood for the movie and works well with the dark lighting. Shadows were used to great effect in making the movie feel like a horror movie. Charles Middleton played Steele in a way that you could feel the evil emanating from the screen. Steele was a villain that had no weakness. I have not seen an evil character this strong in quite a while, and by strong I mean that the character is truly confident and unrepentant. Steele's manner of dealing with his defeat at the end is quite unusual for a B western, but in the context of the character it is totally understandable.

With just enough humor, great performances by O'Brien and Middleton, and a lot of action, Mystery Ranch is an excellent early western movie.

Mystery Ranch is hailed by some as the perfect blend of Gothic horror elements and B-western. While I wouldn't call it perfect, it was unique and a very entertaining movie.

Excellent character actor Charles Middleton portrays a classical piano playing madman and land baron, who in order to expand his empire, uses his deranged Apache servants to kill. He also holds the daughter of his late partner prisoner in his foreboding ranch house with hopes of making her his bride, while our (bland) hero George O'Brien schemes to free her and bring Middleton to justice.

The performance by Middleton, along with Joseph August's excellent cinematography with his really effective use of light and shadow, help to give this a great Gothic atmosphere.

This has a great end scene too!