One of the most respected westerns of all time. Called a Freudian western. And the first western film noir. Haven’t seen it yet. Starring Robert Mitchum.
Yeah, one of the great, beautiful black & white westerns filmed in the 1940’s. Stylishly lensed.
Filmed in part in Zion National Park. A somewhat dark story but, by today’s standards, not so much. A precursor of Mann’s psychological westerns.
Mitchum is, of course, excellent.
Walsh’s best western I think.
But not Mitchum’s. I like the noirish Blood On The Moon better (and maybe The Wonderful Country too).
I saw this one recently and liked it quite a bit. Didn’t think the camera work was as great as they say but still experimental by the 40’s standards. Thought the plot was very engaging. Haven’y seen Mann’s physcologoical westerns but I’ll have to do a little research.
ps. Has anyone seen Walsh’s Distant Drums? It is called a western. A inclusion to a western subgenre in fact. The Florida western. If it is set in Florida, is it a western?
I tend toward inclusion vs exclusion. So yes, Distant Frums is a western.
So is Budd Boetticher’s Seminole.
Just my opinion.
[quote=“Romaine Fielding, post:2, topic:1368”]Yeah, one of the great, beautiful black & white westerns filmed in the 1940’s. Stylishly lensed.
Filmed in part in Zion National Park. A somewhat dark story but, by today’s standards, not so much. A precursor of Mann’s psychological westerns.
Mitchum is, of course, excellent.
Walsh’s best western I think.
But not Mitchum’s. I like the noirish Blood On The Moon better (and maybe The Wonderful Country too). [/quote]
Yep, Walsh’s best, and yep, all these 3 are very good.
Mitchum was also great (and cryptic) in Man with the Gun and of course El Dorado is another one of his charismatic best.
But I think there is a great difference between Mann’s way of creating characters with psychological undertones and the use of psychoanalytical patterns in Pursued.
And Distant Drums is in any case a western. A tough actioner. Quite different from Pursued.
I never understood how the studio employee Walsh could fit the author theory.
[quote=“Stanton, post:5, topic:1368”].But I think there is a great difference between Mann’s way of creating characters with psychological undertones and the use of psychoanalytical patterns in Pursued.
I never understood how the studio employee Walsh could fit the author theory.[/quote]
All I meant by mentioning Pursued along with Mann’s films was that they had a psychological aspect. The characters have depth and interior lives. Not just action.
I have not seen enough of Walsh’s films. The ones I have seen are very different (In Old Arizona & The Big Trai)! I guess I don’t see him as an autuer.
Have you seen A Distant Trumpet? I hear that is decent.
I’ve seen DD and it was ok. Florida is an interesting setting for a western. It is basically a B western but very interesting with a good knifefight towards th end.
The first use of the “Wilhelm scream”
Wilhelm scream?
[quote=“korano, post:7, topic:1368”]I’ve seen DD and it was ok. Florida is an interesting setting for a western. It is basically a B western but very interesting with a good knifefight towards th end.
The first use of the “Wilhelm scream”[/quote]
Did you think I meant Distant Drums? A Distant Trumpet is a Walsh directed cavalry western wity Tab Hunter. Sorry, if I misunderstood you.
I’m afraid to ask: what’s the “Wilhelm scream”?
[quote=“Romaine Fielding, post:6, topic:1368”]I have not seen enough of Walsh’s films. The ones I have seen are very different (In Old Arizona & The Big Trai)! I guess I don’t see him as an autuer.
Have you seen A Distant Trumpet? I hear that is decent.[/quote]
Apart from In old Arizona I have seen all of Walsh’s westerns. Varied, yes.
He was at his best in his WB days in the 40s (but I clearly prefer Michael Curtiz to him).
In the 50s after Distant Drums and Along the Great Divide there was a huge decline in quality.
A Distant Trumpet is rather unfocused, but is together with The Tall Men the best of the bunch. The rest of his later westerns is only average at best.