With a Greek thespian such as highly talented Irene Papas ,playing the part of an ex-dancer called "Jocasta ",and a young boy working in her companion's ranch,I was waiting for an Oedipian western,and it is ,in a way ,as "Jo" is like a mother to Steve,writing letters for his mom,and urging him to leave this place before he becomes like "them"...And of course ,the boy falls for her...
But the movie avoids metaphysical pretensions and focuses on the way events,Jo and Jeremy (James Cagney) make a man of him -that's what the young lad says in the first minutes-.Superbly filmed with splendid colors and a good use of the wide screen ,the plot revolves around Jeremy and his horses.Jeremy is an ambiguous character (check the title which is thoroughly appropriate: does a "bad" man deserve a tribute?) Rodock can be very cruel ,a cruelty which culminates in a scene where he forces the thieves to walk some miles on a rocky trail without their boots.But he shows in the last scenes that he longs to be loved too.
Hats off to Robert Wise,a director who could excel in westerns ,Musicals ("West Side Story") ,horror movies ("the haunting" (1963!) is better than any horror movie I can think of) ,sci-fi ("the day the earth stood still") ,films noirs ("the set up" " odds against tomorrow " )and made the best movie dealing with death row ("I want to live" )!
But the movie avoids metaphysical pretensions and focuses on the way events,Jo and Jeremy (James Cagney) make a man of him -that's what the young lad says in the first minutes-.Superbly filmed with splendid colors and a good use of the wide screen ,the plot revolves around Jeremy and his horses.Jeremy is an ambiguous character (check the title which is thoroughly appropriate: does a "bad" man deserve a tribute?) Rodock can be very cruel ,a cruelty which culminates in a scene where he forces the thieves to walk some miles on a rocky trail without their boots.But he shows in the last scenes that he longs to be loved too.
Hats off to Robert Wise,a director who could excel in westerns ,Musicals ("West Side Story") ,horror movies ("the haunting" (1963!) is better than any horror movie I can think of) ,sci-fi ("the day the earth stood still") ,films noirs ("the set up" " odds against tomorrow " )and made the best movie dealing with death row ("I want to live" )!