Runtime: 92 minutes
Directed by: Andre de Toth
Starring: Robert Ryan, Burl Ives, Tina Louise, Alan Marshal, Venetia Stevenson
From: United Artists
It seemed like the perfect movie to watch right before Christmas the day after the majority of the United States was hit with a snowstorm and/or a cold spell. It is part of the Criterion Channel’s “Snow Westerns” collection; that description explains the setting and genre. Furthermore, the main villain is played by Burl Ives, who many best know for either voicing Sam the Snowman in the Rankin-Bass Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or singing Holly Jolly Christmas.
After viewing the film, Tarantino obviously saw this before he wrote The Hateful Eight. At the time I enjoyed the movie despite it featuring way too much of a woman being verbally or even physically abused. Upon second viewing away from the theatrical experience, my opinion could very well drop. At least this movie had less of that. The setting is rural Wyoming-actually filmed in rural Oregon-during harsh winter conditions as it’s Robert Ryan (one of the town’s founders) versus one person in particular, Alan Marshal. He claims a “valid” version for the beef but it actually concerns a dame, played by Tina Louise. As the snow is about to melt due to the heat, a gang headed by Ives rolls into town and that greatly complicates matters. You see, he’s shot so is in need of surgery…
Among the compliments I can give is that the characters aren’t always black and white; Ryan comes off as a jerk with his forceful opinions while Ives is a lout who at least doesn’t allow himself or his gang to drink & carouse w/ women until they reached their destination after a recent robbery. There’s plenty of tension as the townspeople deal with the interlopers that are keeping them in their small hamlet; plenty of time is spent in a general store although there’s also plenty of time in an open snowy area then the snowy woods. There are memorable performances although Ol’ Burl was the true highlight.
To reveal much more would be a crime but it is a treat to see fascinating characters interact w/ each other. The general story can fit any setting (modern times, way in the past, outer space, etc.)-the rural Western setting allowed for a nice tableau and was perfect even for me down here in Florida, where it is cold by the state’s standards.
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