one of nick ray’s finest films. what this one lacks in characterization it makes up for in pure pathos, of which ray maintains through characteristically tight direction even in sequences where the various plot elements are allowed to wander, although the staging and blocking is still perfect. like usual, there’s something otherworldly about the performances ray gets out of the actors: mitchum plays something of a cipher, while much of the rest of the cast are basically cartoon characters. im not complaining; a lot of melodramatic juices are drawn from this juxtaposition (until they aren’t, especially towards the back end of the movie as mitchums performance turns weirdly comedic). he and susan hayward come across especially notable next to arthur kennedy, who plays an excellent weird sicko.
even rapidly shifting emotions and dynamics are rendered comprehensible (like in the bar sequence where the editors keep the audience grounded through good old soviet-style montage). some jarring moments but i guess that’s nicholas ray for you.
the rodeo scene in the middle is key, being basically an extension and recontextualization of earlier indoor sequences. speaking of, this one’s got maybe some of the best interiors in the man’s entire filmography, arguably more beautiful than johnny guitar or rebel. the domestic subplot contains the seeds of ray’s later “the nuclear family goes to hell” pictures (rebel without a cause & bigger than life).
there’s pure joy to be had in seeing these cowboys getting ragdolled over and over again, and as a Utah boy i loved the name dropping of intermountain-and-south-west locales like logan, utah; cheyenne, wyoming; and tucson, arizona (also a special shout-out to calgary, alberta, the northern tip of the so-called Mormon Corridor).
one of nick ray’s finest films. what this one lacks in characterization it makes up for in pure pathos, of which ray maintains through characteristically tight direction even in sequences where the various plot elements are allowed to wander, although the staging and blocking is still perfect. like usual, there’s something otherworldly about the performances ray gets out of the actors: mitchum plays something of a cipher, while much of the rest of the cast are basically cartoon characters. im not complaining; a lot of melodramatic juices are drawn from this juxtaposition (until they aren’t, especially towards the back end of the movie as mitchums performance turns weirdly comedic). he and susan hayward come across especially notable next to arthur kennedy, who plays an excellent weird sicko.
even rapidly shifting emotions and dynamics are rendered comprehensible (like in the bar sequence where the editors keep the audience grounded through good old soviet-style montage). some jarring moments but i guess that’s nicholas ray for you.
the rodeo scene in the middle is key, being basically an extension and recontextualization of earlier indoor sequences. speaking of, this one’s got maybe some of the best interiors in the man’s entire filmography, arguably more beautiful than johnny guitar or rebel. the domestic subplot contains the seeds of ray’s later “the nuclear family goes to hell” pictures (rebel without a cause & bigger than life).
there’s pure joy to be had in seeing these cowboys getting ragdolled over and over again, and as a Utah boy i loved the name dropping of intermountain-and-south-west locales like logan, utah; cheyenne, wyoming; and tucson, arizona (also a special shout-out to calgary, alberta, the northern tip of the so-called Mormon Corridor).
