Blut und Gold

Peaceable drifter, Robert Young would never have imagined in his worst nightmare that seeking refuge for his heavily pregnant mare would result in pursuit by a posse under accusation of a triple murder. Furthermore, those who could verify his innocence are either dead or.....er...horses! Fortunately, he goes on outsmarting hard nosed sheriff, Willard Parker and his give him a fair trial......then hang him mentality, as he desperately searches for the one man (Barton MacLean) who could clear his name. Fate smiles on Young in the form of a flowering friendship and affinity with Margeurite Chapman and her mobile 'Homebase' store.

Throw in sly, scheming Akim Tamiroff and his lugubrious brain cell deficient sidekick Mike Mazurki, with the scent of gold in their nostrils and you have the makings of a superficially stark, dark and pretty gritty western - but offset by an unusually soft centre. Young's distress and outrage at the mindless cruelty inflicted upon his horse, the care and protection he gives to the colt and its surrogate burro, create an unexpectedly heartwarming underbelly, which never becomes cloying or sentimental. Whilst Young and Chapman generate an unquestionably appealing on screen chemistry, in this rewarding and unconventional movie.

Plenty of the familiar 'B' western conventions are to be found here - a wrongly accused hero pursued by the law, a map marking the location of a gold mine, a glamorous tomboy heroine, a couple of cute horses, and so on. But 'Relentless' also makes immaculate use of the 'A' movie trappings of a good cast, a moody atmosphere and - above all - magnificent Technicolor photography of Arizona shot by cameraman Edward Cronjager; particularly the snowscapes that serve as an imposing backdrop to the early scenes.

"Relentless" is an unusual western. It's not just the plot but the casting, as Robert Young plays the hero...something fans of classic films might be surprised by, as Young normally only played in contemporary pictures...and often as a society sort of guy.

When the story begins, Nick (Young) comes into town with his pregnant horse. He's mighty excited, as she's going to give birth to a baby sired by a racing champion. Unfortunately, shortly after the nag gives birth, a baddie comes along and steals the mother...leaving the baby horse to presumably die. But Nick isn't gonna put up with that and he tracks the guy down and shoots him in self defense....but the mother horse is killed and he's left with a baby horse and not much else. Fortunately, a lady traveling sales person (Marguerite Chapman) takes pity on him and helps Nick out by locating a surrogate mom. But what she can't do is convince the authorities that Nick is a killer--not for killing the horse thief but for a mass murder committed by a man (Barton MacLane) Nick saw shortly after...and Nick decides to devote himself to tracking down the real killer, otherwise the sheriff and his posse will hang him instead, as they're in a real hangin' mood!

The first thing you'll probably notice about this one is the lovely color cinematography. Plus, the Sonoran Desert locale looked great on film. This is not some run of the mill production or B-western but a quality picture...with excellent production values and acting. Well worth seeing...and with a rather unusual plot.

When you think westerns, Robert Young seldom comes to mind. As an actor, he was more at home in TV's white-collar world of suburbia or a doctor's office. At the same time, he knew his limitations and never tried to be the swaggering tough guy. Here, he low-keys his role perfectly. With the help of a girl drummer, a foal, and a burro, he's tracking a guy across the desert who can clear him of a murder charge. Chapman does well as the stand-up girl, while she and Young manage several charming scenes together.

All in all, it's a rather affecting little outdoor western, made at a time when horses and dogs were popular movie fare. Here, the two critters are blended nicely into the main plot, and I like the way the foal disappoints expectations by growing into a rather homely, undersized adult. That seems to say, a critter doesn't have to be big and beautiful—as in most movies-- to be worthy of affection. Note too, how Nick (Young) challenges convention by talking up women's equality at a time when Westerns-- more than most genres-- held women to domestic roles.

Also, there's an absolutely stunning Technicolor sunset about two-thirds of the way through that's the equal of any postcard framing I've seen. Plus, take a gander at all the movie's crusty old coots, Wright, Bevans, Patterson, et al., which seems to be missing only Gabby Hayes in its Hollywood lineup. Not everything however is roses. I could have done without the rather clumsy Tamiroff-Mazurki subplot, while the logic of some events does remain a stretch.

Nonetheless, this handsome Columbia programmer remains good family fare, even 60-years later.

Harry Cohn decided to splurge a little by doing this modest B western on location. Some nice desert vistas and a decent plot characterize Relentless done by Columbia.

Relentless has Robert Young determined to clear his name after being accused of murdering a pair of old prospectors for their gold claim. It was Barton MacLane who did it and it's MacLane that's Young is after. Cutting themselves in is gambler Akim Tamiroff and his associate Mike Mazurki. After Young is the law represented by Willard Parker who would later star in Tales Of The Texas Rangers on television. Helping Young is itinerant peddler Marguerite Chapman.

There's also a bit more plot to this one than in a normal B western. Young who was primarily a light leading man who never got in the way of MGM's female stars could also turn in a serious performance when he would get the role. Young ran the gamut of emotions here, tender when taking a bullet out of a burro and almost sadistic in a shootout with Barton MacLane.

No traditional western stars so to speak, but western fans will definitely like Relentless.