Directed by Raoul Walsh
Produced by Owen Crump
Written by Harriet Frank, Jr.
Based on a story by Stephen Longstreet
Director Of Photography: Sid Hickox
Film Editor: Alan Crosland, Jr.
Music by Max Steiner
Cast: Errol Flynn (Capt. Mike McComb), Ann Sheridan (Georgia Moore), Thomas Mitchell (John Plato Beck), Bruce Bennett (Stanley Moore), Tom D’Andrea (Pistol Porter), Barton MacLane (Banjo Sweeney), Monte Blue (Buck Chevigee), Jonathan Hale (Maj. Spencer), Alan Bridge (Slade), Arthur Space (Major Ross), Joseph Crehan (President Grant)
If there was ever a Blu-Ray that needed a commentary track, it was Silver River (1948). Its production history includes the debauchery you expect from an Errol Flynn picture, with additional drama coming from Ann Sheridan, leading to countless memos and a threat of legal action from Jack Warner.
Both Flynn and Sheridan wanted out of their contracts, which certainly contributed to the train wreck. But the main problem is that alcohol, not water, flowed through Silver River.
Union officer Mike McComb (Errol Flynn) is court-martialed after burning a million dollars in Yankee payroll to keep it out of the Confederacy’s hands in the days leading up to the battle of Gettysburg.
Vowing to look out for Number One from now on, Flynn uses gambling to amass a fortune in Silver City, becoming one of the richest men in town. Things get a lot more complicated when he meets Georgia Moore (Ann Sheridan), the wife of one of Silver City’s most powerful mine owners (Bruce Bennett).
There’s a terrific action sequence to kick things off, plenty of great characters (from great character actors) and a fair amount of drama. Raoul Walsh’s mastery of pacing saves the day. The picture moves, to be sure, but it doesn’t seem to know where it wants to move to. You get the feeling that it’s headed to a big final act, but it doesn’t. The ending is rushed and the picture just kinda stops. This makes sense being that many say Jack Warner pretty much shut production down, stopping the train before it fell off the tracks.
Overall, the picture lacks the snap of most of Flynn’s Westerns — and of almost anything Walsh ever touched. By the way, Flynn and Walsh never worked together again.
There’s a great supporting cast: Thomas Mitchell, Barton MacLane, Monte Blue, etc. The production design is lush and the cinematography from Sid Hickox is beautiful. Max Steiner’s score is one of the picture’s strong points.
All of this makes Silver River a film I’ve been dying to revisit. And what a way to revisit it! Warner Archive has come through with another world-class transfer of one of their classic films — demonstrating how much B&W benefits with the jump to Blu-Ray or 4K. The sound is clean and clear, giving Steiner’s score plenty of punch. An absolutely flawless presentation.
The extras are two WB cartoons — Rabbit Punch and Two Gophers From Texas — and the original trailer. The basics, but you can’t go wrong with stuff like that.
Errol Flynn’s films for Warner Bros. are some of the most watchable things Hollywood ever cooked up, and this one’s no different (even with its problems). For Flynn fans, Western nuts, lovers of the WB look and those fascinated by troubled movies, Silver River comes through. I fall into a few of those groups, so this one’s easy to recommend.
50 Westerns From The 50s.