frankwiener

I've been to both Colorado and Oklahoma, once known as Indian Territory. Spectacular Rocky Mountain peaks and rustling, yellow Aspen trees are not to be found anywhere in Oklahoma, so, as magnificent as Lucien Ballard's cinematography is, there was, for me, a feeling of inauthenticity by the setting. Why didn't the characters venture into Colorado Territory instead of Indian Territory? At any rate, Ballard's photography was among the greatest attributes of the movie. His film credits number as many as 150 during a 50 year period from 1930 to the early 1980's. Among the most notable are "The Killing", "Laura", "Ride the High Country", Nevada Smith", "The Wild Bunch", and a film where he made all the difference, "A Kiss Before Dying".

Much has been written about the acting. No matter how anyone feels about John Wayne, his extraordinary charisma, in addition to the splendid cinematography and vigorous Elmer Bernstein score, succeeded in maintaining my interest, and there were times when the lackluster direction by Henry Hathaway and sometimes tedious action might otherwise have turned me away. My favorite Hathaway film, by the way, is "Niagara", and he had enormous help from another great cinematographer there by the name of Joe Macdonald, as well as another, very impressive location.

Returning to the acting, which is a critical component of this film, unlike some reviewers, I thought that Kim Darby was excellent as Mattie Ross, who at age 14 was going on 22. Although I didn't read the book, I don't believe that we are supposed to love Mattie as much as being intrigued, if not repeatedly surprised, by her formal, precise manner of speaking and behaving. Yes, she is somewhat anal retentive, but speaking as a retired CPA, that's no big deal to me. By the way, the word "revenge" is often used to describe Mattie's motivation. To me, she is driven by a sense of justice, and there is a significant difference between the two.

This was an early film for Robert Duvall and although I couldn't understand his words all of the time (was it because of that lip?), he is an asset to every movie in which he appears, beginning with his remarkable Hollywood debut as the silent Boo Radley in "To Kill a Mockingbird", to Tom Hagen in "The Godfather", to Bull Meechum in "The Great Santini", to Gus McCrae in "Lonesome Dove", and much, much more. Strother Martin nailed the role as the horse trader who finally met his match with Mattie, a persistent, non-nonsense negotiator. Jeff Corey, who has a whopping 242 credits on this website, must also be commended as a detestable villain with unforgettable laments such as "I've been shot by a child!" and "Everything is against me!". Remember Jeff as the squealer in "Brute Force" who was awarded the "seat of honor" near the end? I'll never forget it. As to Glenn Campbell, I will be a fan of his music until the day I die.

This movie is so special. Why would a re-make ever be needed? But who am I, a nobody, to question the inscrutable ways of Hollywood?

I realize that I am in the minority, but my favorite Bogart-Bacall film is "Dark Passage", seconded by "Key Largo". Unlike those films, the direction by Howard Hawks here completely lacks the drama and intensity of the other two, and the script by Jules Furthman and William Faulkner is hokey and dull. No wonder I was never a Faulkner fan when I was an English major, and I even live in the South. I just never understood him. I admit it.

None of these weaknesses have anything to do with Bacall and Bogart, but even they can't save the project, at least to me. In contrast to this film, "Dark Passage", which isn't even known very much today, contained unpredictable and engaging action from start to finish, along with an outstanding supporting cast of intriguing characters, and the location of 1947 San Francisco rather than a Hollywood production lot made a huge difference. Furthermore, comparing this film to the high drama and power of "Casablanca", made a year earlier, is ridiculous. Although I am completely sympathetic to their anti-Nazi cause, I had no interest in the de Bursacs as I did with the fate of Ilsa and Victor, probably because of the acting, the writing, and the direction, just to mention three possibilities. Senator, I know "Casablanca", and this, sir, is no "Casablanca"!

The world is divided into two critical segments. Those who love Walter Brennan, and those who don't. I am, alas, among the second group, and I won't waste time to elaborate. Either you love Walter or you don't. I also didn't find that the appearance of Hoagy Carmichael added much to this film as was the case with "The Best Years of Our Lives", but that's just me. As much as I love Bacall, her singing voice is more of a baritone than an alto, so if that appeals to you, it's alright with me.

Even though he hailed from Chicago, Dan Seymour was often typecast as an unsympathetic character of foreign origin, and here he repeats his highly disagreeable role as the despicable, French-accented shopkeeper in "Johnny Belinda". And no, my friends, Dan is no Sidney Greenstreet.

The only interesting episode to me is in the beginning when the Johnson character, who fails so miserably as a fisherman, tries to cheat Harry (Bogart) before Bacall accidentally exposes him. From that point, I lost my interest.