Val Lewton's career ends on a strong note. It's not given a lot of love - if had been in horror and in black and white I think it would have, but it's a Universal Western from the unfancied Hugo but it's a realised film. The colour photography is beautiful though TBH it might've worked better in black and white - the superior last act in particular with the townsfolk holed up in a church and the unseen Apaches outside.
Still it's very effective. There's some solid B list star power - Steve McNallay is a gambler who loves good girl Colleen Gray who loves him but kind of is also drawn to decent dull blacksmith Willard Parler. Barry Fitzergerald's brother is a man of God who leads the sieged people singing 'Men of Harlech' - Zulu ripped off this film! Just as Goldfinger ripped off Bedlam!
Plenty of intelligence. It feels like a realised movie in the way most non-horror Lewton films do. In hindsight, Universal was ideal for Lewton - like RKO is was a studio that wasn't up itself, and appreciated a bit of class on a budget. Who can blame Lewton for going to Paramount and MGM but if he'd gone to Universal imagine the movies he could've made...
Some slow bits but like the RKO Lewtons full of interesting touches. Poor old Willard Parker does nothing wrong and winds up with a spear in his back.
No comments:
Post a Comment