Had long been intrigued by this film - now we've been introduced, I find it very strong and good. Cattle folk Henry Fonda and Harry Morgan arrive back in town to hear of the death of one of them. Irregardless of the Mayor's wishes, the folk quickly assemble an illegal lynch mob to hunt down the perpetrators. And they are mainly a vile bunch, including Marc Lawrence, major Frank Conroy, sick joker Paul Hurst and one of the worst, tough Jane Darwell. Joining Fonda on the side of good, Harry Davenport and the major's son William Eythe.
The unfortunates they discover - Dana Andrews, Anthony Quinn and Francis Ford.
Loved the energy in early scenes, like Fonda and the painting. Also loved the moment he bumps into his ex Mary Beth Hughes, who's just married, and the way they look at each other but don't say anything.
The ending is memorably bleak and mature for a Hollywood film of this era. Written by Lamar Trotti from Walter Van Tilberg Clark novel. Well photographed by Arthur Miller on Fox sets. Wellman had long wanted to adapt the novel and eventually bought the rights to it himself. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the film flopped.
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| Strange framing |
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