Anel de Fogo

Ring of Fire opens with a great Duane Eddy song that accompanies the credits. For that reason, it's best to see this film from the beginning.

David Janssen plays a small-town Oregon police officer who tries to arrest three hoodlums played by Frank Gorshin, James Johnson, and Joyce Taylor. They are eating lunch in the town diner, when Janssen discovers that they are the prime suspects of a gas station hold-up the previous night. As he's driving them to the police station to book them for the gas station robbery, one of them grabs his gun, primarily because they weren't handcuffed. Thus begins the movie. As the four of them camp out in the outlying forest, Joyce Taylor decides to seduce David Janssen. Along with the cool Duane Eddy song, she is another reason not to miss this film. Frank Gorshin, who plays the supposed leader of the group, is good as a hardened juvenile delinquent. Of the Andrew Stone movies that I've been lucky enough to see, this is undoubtedly my favorite. It's in color, outdoors, on location, and manages to be amusing and exciting at the same time. The culminating fire scene, with the whole town running for their lives, isn't to be missed.

The movie was shot mostly in and around my hometown, Vernonia, Oregon. I was in sixth grade at the time, and I was an extra, one of the townspeople running to catch the escape train. We would run the length of the town center, then walk back six blocks, and do it over and over again. Andrew Stone, the producer/director had a lot of cooperation from the US Army; in the climactic scene of burning the town, there were flamethrowers on top of all the downtown buildings. I had the misfortune of being outside when a soldier was setting off smoke bombs. I couldn't see one foot in front of me. In the 1920's Vernonia had the largest all-electric sawmill in the world. But they cut down all the trees, and the mill closed in 1957. They completely stocked the mill with new lumber for the movie; then they burned it all down. If anyone is interested, Vernonia Sentry Supermarket sells DVD's of the movie, and they will ship.

While the film was set in Oregon, the burning bridge was filmed in Grays Harbor, Wash.

I have been to the site of the bridge and have been down to the bottom of the canyon where the bridge collapsed. The engine is still upside down in the river and the passenger cars are cut in two and laying on the side of the river canyon floor.

At low water the wheels are all that are able to be seen of the steam engine.

I had to use ropes to get down to the bottom.

The area has grown up now and one would never know what lies at the bottom of the canyon unless they had seen the movie.

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

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.