A bit of an underground work of Elia Kazan's studio films. A box office flop, not widely available afterwards, it took a while to get a cult but it got there. That's why you try to work with good directors - people will analyse the movies eventually. Some critics claim this is one of Kazan's best movies. I'm sure they honestly feel that way. But personally I think they're influenced by its underground and little known status. Praising On the Waterfront gets boring so they look for other idols to worship.
This has a simple story - get the old lady off her land to build a dam. Normally in Westerns the old lady is the hero but here the hero is the TVA man who is doing it. He's played by Montgomery Clift who is always interesting to watch but he's simply miscast. The younger, handsome, soulful Clift would have been perfect but this is post accident, dyed hair, nervy, crazy eyed Clift. Kazan would've been better off using Warren Beatty in this one (but I guess Beatty was still a film away from being discovered). Look, as I say, it's interesting to see him - but maybe too interesting in a way. Clift's presence gives rise to questions about this character that aren't dealt with in the script. The character was envisioned as younger - 25 and Jewish. I think he should've been younger, in over his head; maybe Jewish as well but really he just had to be "city".
This plot actually could make the basis of a cheerful musical in a way. Maybe it's too much of a downer.
It's beautifully shot - colour, CinemaScope (this was a Fox film), location filming. James Earl Jones' dad is in it. The Clift-Remick scenes have decent intensity.
Best performance comes from the guy who plays the racist who threatens Clift and beats him up not once but twice. Clift's character is pretty whimpy.
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