1959 was an especially rich year for westerns with Ride Lonesome, The Hanging Tree, The Horse Soldiers, Rio Bravo, and this from the Hungarian master. It garnered some extra attention recently with the release of The Hateful Eight, being cited as an influence on the snowy/isolated setting.
Robert Ryan's shift from homesteader villain to savior is simple but moving. I saw this in 2012, after discovering some of De Toth's more recognized and celebrated (at the time) works and it simply did the trick, right place and right time.
I'm also a sucker for westerns set in snowy locations. I love Corbucci's The Great Silence and Altman's McCabe and Mrs. Miller. I'm eager to watch this again and I foresee an opportunity because I'm hoping to post a best of 1959 by the year's end.
Happiest of birthday wishes to Mike.
Snowy westerns rule
ReplyDeleteGreat western. And probably DeToth's best. Burl Ives just kills it. I'd also be interested in re-watching and re-working my 1959 list - such a great year for movies.
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