Dir: Fred Zinneman (From Here to Eternity, The Day of the Jackel)
Cast: Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Lloyd Bridges, Lee Van Cleef
USA, 1952
Seen: May 6, 2007 thanks to Toronto Public Library
Reason to see: It’s on my 101 list of films I can't believe I haven't seen
This film reads a lot more sombre than many westerns. Even the opening sequence is paired with a song along the lines of a ballad as opposed to something lively, eerie or catchy. So right off the bad you know you are in for something different. Add to that, it's in real time. Add more to it, it's not overly long at 84 minutes but feels long and like not much is happening. I even wrote in my notes "Lots of build up, nothing has happened". There is an interesting premise in there, but I wanted more. Characters, story, punch, heart, anything... something, maybe even a little bit of everything but as long as there was more.
One thing to note is at the time of viewing I was not aware of the connection it was making to blacklisting.
Shannon's Overall View:
It did not hold my attention
I'd give it another shot
I'd recommend it to classics and real time film fans
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© Shannon Ridler, 2007
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