Wellman’s Yellow
Sky was a near-masterpiece in terms of mood, tone, style and economy, with
a terrific dose of dark revisionism imbued into its edgy and tense content. It
also provided a peek into the fragility of a group that is bound solely by the primal lust for riches. The film opens with a band of rugged outlaws,
led by Stretch (Gregory Peck), galloping into a town, coolly robbing a
bank, and running off with the loot. In order to escape the lawmen they take
the most dangerous route available, viz. California’s Death Valley. After a
physically brutal and psychologically debilitating trek through the harsh salt
flats they stumble upon the titular ghost town whose only inhabitants are an
old prospector (James Barton) and his attractive tomboyish granddaughter (Anne
Baxter). On one hand they all get attracted to, including often
uncontrollably, to the fierce and saucy girl, while on the other their
insatiable greed is sparked when they realize that large amounts of gold is on
the offing. Consequently, as was bound to happen, strains and complications
start developing between them, leading to a violent showdown among one other.
The limelight of the show, in terms of acting, was stolen by Richard Widmark for his bristling and slimy portrayal of a sly and coldly calculating member of the
gang. The sparse, moody and expressionistic B/W cinematography brilliantly
evoked an atmosphere of hostility, grunge and fatalism, where things are
destined to go from bad to worse sooner or later. Interestingly, Wellman probably
had a darkly funny fascination with incongruous paintings loaded with sexual
symbolism as was evident both here and in The Ox-Bow Incident.
Director: William A. Wellman
Genre: Western/Revisionist Western
Language: English
Country: US
Ride Lonesome,
the penultimate film of the so-called ‘Ranown
Cycle’, viz. the seven film collaboration between director Budd Boetticher,
actor Randolph Scott, producer Harry Joe Brown, and scriptwriter Burt Kennedy,
remains the most highly reckoned work of the filmmaker. It was about, as the
title clearly suggests, a taciturn loner, gunslinger and bounty-hunter driven
by vengeance. The man in question is Ben (Scott), and the film begins with him
capturing, courtesy a straight-faced bluff, a young guy (James Best) wanted for
murder. Two outlaws who are interested in the share of the loot, and a
newly widowed knock-out (Karen Steele) who catches attention wherever she
goes, join him in the arduous task of crossing Indian territory in order to,
seemingly, deliver the psychotic killer to the state. But, as is gradually
revealed, his sole motive here is to use the guy as a bait for luring his notorious
elder brother (Lee Van Cleef) in order to settle an old
score. The film was replete with exciting action sequences, and that, combined
with the fine build-up, the perpetual sense of suspense and tension, the nicely
photographed landscapes, the moody and ambiguous atmosphere, and its
obsessed-with-revenge anti-hero, made this muscular B-Western an engaging watch. But,
that said, I wouldn’t call this a masterpiece as most admirers of this film
tend to do. The supporting characters, particularly the lady who seemed to have
certain agendas of her own for most parts, weren’t particularly well explored.
And the ending, despite the inevitable face-off, could have done with a darker
climax; the simmering violence of the storyline never really managed to
explode, though the "hang tree" did make for a distressing symbol.
Director: Budd Boetticher
Genre: Western/Revisionist Western/Revenge Film
Language: English
Country: US
Rio Grande,
the final installment in Ford’s ‘Cavalry
Trilogy’, continued the saga of mutually destructive territorial battles
between the US Cavalry and the Native Americans. Interestingly, it also added
another chapter to interesting father-son explorations in the series. In Fort Apache the father was cold and
rigid, in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,
though symbolic, he was warm and understanding, and here he was distant and
silently loving. John Wayne reprised his role from the first film, viz. Kirby
Yorke, now a Lieutenant Colonel and in command of a Texan outpost. He falls in
a position of emotional and professional difficulty when his young son Jeff
(Claude Jarman Jr.), who he hasn’t seen in 15 years, joins his regiment. On one
hand he is delighted to have his son near him after such a long time, while on
the other his sense of integrity wouldn’t allow him to treat his son
differently lest he be accused of partiality. Things become further complicate
with the arrival of his estranged wife (Maureen O’Hara) who wants to take their
son back. Meanwhile the Apaches have grown stronger and more organized with
each passing year, and when children are captured by them, the inevitable face-off
between the warring sides ensues. Wayne gave another fine performance as a man
torn between duty and personal wants – his tough exterior was nicely
counterbalanced by his inner loneliness and craving for love. Monument Valley
once again provided stunning backdrops thanks to the exquisite cinematography,
while the deeply affecting blues and folk songs performed by Sons of the
Pioneers added melancholic touches to this engaging but otherwise reasonably
straightforward and sentimental film.
Director: John Ford
Genre: Western/Cavalry Film
Language: English
Country: US
Released a year after Fort Apache, She Wore a
Yellow Ribbon, the second installment in Ford’s famed ‘Cavalry Trilogy’, was easily the most sentimental and nostalgic of
the lot. However, John Wayne gave a stirring performance as an ageing Captain
on the verge of retirement, thus elevating the film beyond just another
light-hearted fare. Nathan Cutting Brittles (Wayne), stationed at Fort Starke,
is only a few days from a well-deserved retirement that he’s looking forward
to. Meanwhile the Native Americans are getting stronger by the day. So, when
he’s given charge of escorting his commanding officer’s wife and pretty niece
(Joanne Dru), two officers are vying for the attention of whose, his job is cut
out. The mission doesn’t succeed; but he knows that if he takes the easy route
out by calling it a day as his boss wants him to, his sense of duty wouldn’t
let him be and that, given the perils at stake, the young men need his experience
and guile in order to succeed. So, by using a technicality, he takes charge for
one last night while on his way out, in order to facilitate the passage for his
men and prevent unwanted loss of life. The Duke brought an incredible amount of
warmth, humanism and easy charm into his lovingly etched character, thus
lending the film a strong emotional depth. That, combined with the comical interludes
involving his garrulous and alcoholic sidekick, and the love triangle, made
this a soothing and mellow, if a trifle corny and reductive, watch. The
stunning colour photography of Ford’s beloved Monument Valley was another of
its memorable facets.
Director: John Ford
Genre: Western/Cavalry Film
Language: English
Country: US
In Dead
Man Jim Jarmusch meditated on the nature, philosophy and popular perceptions
associated with the Wild West, while also deconstructing its archetypal tropes.
He used the format to compose a lyrical tone poem, to cheekily subvert its
conventions and myths, and to use the canvas for his wryly humorous, absurdist,
idiosyncratic and existentialist musings. The film begins with William Blake
(Johnny Depp), a soft-natured accountant, arriving at the grimy frontier town
of Machine in order to join the firm where he has been offered a job, only to
find that it has been offered to someone else by its grotesque owner Dickinson
(Robert Mitchum in his final role). With hopes dashed and pockets empty, he
gets drunk with his last few cents and spends the night with a former hooker
(Mili Avital). When her ex-boyfriend (Gabriel Byrne), who also happens to be
Dickinson’s son, arrives unexpectedly, shootings result, and the bemused Blake
suddenly finds himself an outlaw on the run with a fat reward on his head,
three vicious hired guns on his tail, and a bullet lodged close to his heart.
He gets an unlikely friend in the form of a deadpan poetry-reading Native
American aptly called Nobody (Gary Farmer) who, ironically, mistakes him for
the legendary poet he shares his name with. Blake, interestingly, began his odyssey
as an outsider – he didn’t just look out of place but even anachronistic, as if
transported to a different era altogether; but by the time it came to a close,
he had become the fastest draw in the West. The luscious B/W photography and
the haunting guitar riffs by Neil Young added a deeply resonating touch to it.
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Genre: Western/Revisionist Western/Psychological Western
Language: English
Country: US
