Red Mountain

A 1950s Western of which I had been unaware with a strong cast - so I eagerly sat down to watch it. But it was disappointing. I was unimpressed with how the Quantrill story, was adapted to the film's plot and there were the usual shortcomings of Westerns made in this decade - an instant romance, characters remaining clean-shaved despite days of privation, an implausible happy ending, and crude back projection. At least it was in colour and there was plenty of action. One of Alan Ladd's least impressive films, though worth a footnote in that, unusually, his character transgresses the code of good conduct and fair play expected of a Westerns hero of the 1950s.

This one is good, but not great, although it had a lot going for it: beautiful color photography of the Southwest, fine Franz Waxman score (somewhat reminiscent of the one he did a year earlier for The Furies, another and superior western), good-lucking leads--two diminutive blonds, both of whom are enjoyably minimal in their expressiveness. However, they do not have quite the chemistry that Ladd had with Veronica Lake, another diminutive blonde. In addition, the script could be a little more inventive, but its slant on the actual historical figure of Quantrell is interesting, and John Ireland makes the most of his part. So the film never quite catches fire the way that The Furies does--and in moody black and white--but it's certainly worth a look.

Paramount has a fast-paced drama in this underrated, colorful western that has Union and Rebel soldiers clashing after the close of the Civil War. Alan Ladd stars as a rebel sympathizer and point man for General Quantrell who wants to carve out territory for the Confederacy in Colorado with the aid of wild Indian tribes. John Ireland, in one of his best roles, plays the renegade Southern general and Brett Sherwood and Quantrell remain on a collision course that results in a thrilling face-off in the film's final moments. The movie has plenty of shootings, claim-jumping, a lynching scene, Indian fights and a dusty, noisy battle where the soldiers fight at close quarters in well-staged cavalry action. Lizabeth Scott is good as Ladd's romantic interest as is Arthur Kennedy, always good at playing compromised characters. A solid cast of western supporting actors is on hand to keep the story moving at a good clip. Camera work and Franz Waxman's music are good.