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The Proud Ones [1956] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
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Our Price: £6.30 (subject to change)
Building blocks stolen from HIGH NOON
Review date: 2007-08-30 Rating: 6 out of 10
The pieces of this story clunk into place with all the finesse of concrete building blocks. And some of those blocks wear the HIGH NOON brand. Except that Robert Ryan is no Gary Cooper and Virginia Mayo is no Grace Kelly. Altho, Jeff Hunter just about matches Lloyd Bridges thanks in large part to a larger, more sympathetic role. By the end of the film, the parallels to the older film were too blatant to ignore or deny.
The only reason I watched this one again, anyway, was for the music -- the haunting theme song by Lionel Newman, whistled against a guitar riff.
There are other virtues, however. Director Robert Webb and cinematographer Lucien Ballard and crew made this Western look fresh (don't base your impression on the cover art to this DVD which seems to come from another source). In a supporting role, the normally distracting Walter Brennan gives a good, restrained performance. And for those of us who remember that era, there are soooo many familiar faces.
If I can get a hold of the theme song for my CD player, I'll probably never visit this film again.
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Reviews
THE A/B western
Review date: 2006-05-28 Rating: 10 out of 10
I have always loved this western and now to see it widescreen and with great sound is a dream for me. Robert Ryan basically plays himself-a noble peacemaker as the marshall and it's a moving, restrained performance. The direction is unfussy and confident. The music will haunt you-you'll whistle the theme for days.
The set direction and costumes are rich and help to create a 50's reality - in the same way that HDO's Deadwood does today. The cinemascope screen is filled with.... the west!
There are lots of loveley moments like Walter Brennen's gunplay and the subtle little bits of business that Ryan does with his gun. The film in many ways works for me because it looks at the professional aspects of peacekeeping and that in itself is rare and fascinating. The film is Ryan's but lots of great support from Hunter, Middleton and Brennen. 5/5 a classic.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Jeffrey Hunter
Robert Middleton
Walter Brennan
Robert Ryan
Virginia Mayo
Creators:
Robert Ryan (Primary Contributor)
Virginia Mayo (Primary Contributor)
Lucien Ballard (Cinematographer)
Hugh S. Fowler (Editor)
Robert L. Jacks (Producer)
Edmund H. North (Writer)
Joseph Petracca (Writer)
Verne Athanas (Writer)
Director(s):
Recording label: 20th Century Fox
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
EAN: 0024543238997
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Colour, DVD-Video, NTSC,
Release date: 2006-05-23
Universal product code (UPC): 024543238997
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 94 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1956-05
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)