Der stolze Rebell

Alan Ladd plays a widower whose wife died in a fire during the Civil War. His young son (played by his real life son, David Ladd) has not been able to speak after he saw his mother die. Alan Ladd's character is trying to find a doctor to help his son. Ladd ends up with a thirty day jail sentence after being unfairly fined for a brawl which the two sons of an ambitious sheep rancher (wonderfully played by Dean Jagger) intentionally initiate. Olivia DeHavilland is a local unmarried woman who sees the predicament Alan Ladd and his son are in, and she pays the fine so that Ladd will not have to spend thirty days in jail, provided he works it off for thirty days on her farm. Michael Curtiz did a fantastic job of directing this beautiful film. Alan Ladd, Olivia DeHavilland and David Ladd are all terrific. This movie is a bit different than Ladd's classic film,"Shane", although there are some similarities. Ladd is once again the strong silent type, although he is more human in this film. David Ladd is perfectly cast as his son who can't speak. Olivia DeHavilland has just the right touch as a lonely but strong woman who quickly gets attached to the two new men in her life. The chemistry between the three leads in this film is tough to beat. The supporting actors are very good, including Cecil Kellaway, Dean Jagger, the ubiquitous film star John Carradine and Harry Dean Stanton. This movie works as a family film, which is in the end uplifting. The photography is just beautiful in this movie. "The Proud Rebel" is definitely an overlooked minor classic in the same genre as "Old Yeller", "The Yearling" and even "Shane." It has stood the test of time very well and I truly expect it will begin to grow in stature if it is shown on cable channels and available on DVD. Well worth watching for fans of the Western and Family Film genre. 90/100. Buy it if you have kids! Heck, buy it even if you don't!

The movie concerns a father (Alan Ladd), a Confederate veteran , and his mute son (David Ladd, in real life too) who after framing impeachment by a judge (Henry Hull) he finds himself facing a 30-day jail sentence when he's unfairly accused of starting a brawl in a small town . A local spinster (Olivia De Havilland) pays his fine , as father and son find shelter in a ranch , providing that he works it off on her farm . The veteran is searching for a doctor who can cure his son , as the little boy suffers the emotional impact of the words he longed to tell them . Meanwhile , he soon finds himself involved in the struggle to keep her ranch from a local landowner and they'll have to confront a shepherd family (Dean Jagger and Harry Dean Stanton) and taking on a lot of dangers .

In the film there are glamorous landscapes , family drama , shootouts and agreeable feeling . This is a tale that reaches far and wide as the human life , being based on a story titled "Journal of Linnett Moore¨ written by James Edward Grant . The movie talks upon typical western old theme: fights between settlers and cattlemen . The final showdown amongst the protagonists and enemies is exciting . Runtime film is adjusted, one hour and half approx., it is neither dreary , nor tiring but enjoyable.

Alan Ladd's interpretation is top-notch likeness his son David Ladd (future marriage to Cheryl Ladd and father of Jordan Ladd) . Olivia De Havilland is enticing , gentle and sweet . Support cast is awesome , as Dean Jagger , John Carradine , Cecil Kellaway , Mary Wickes and Harry Dean Stanton (Paris, Texas) , an outstanding actor with a long career that today continues . Ted Mc Cord cinematography is riveting and glamorous . Jerome Moross musical score is fascinating , similar to soundtrack he composed in ¨Big country¨ deemed to be the best western score along with ¨ The magnificent seven¨ . The motion picture well produced by Samuel Goldwyn Jr was compellingly directed by Michael Curtiz . The yarn will appeal to western buffs and sentimental plot lovers . Rating : Good , better than average . Well catching .

A very nice classic movie from the Golden Age of Hollywood. I disagree with another reviewer that the film is too slow. It develops and moves along fine. The trouble with todays youth, is that everything has too spill out in a minute flat as nearly everyone under 25 has A.D.H.D or is so pumped up on energy drinks. They are so impatient and snappy. That there are no real craftsmen anywhere or in any field nowadays. It is often said all new movies have 1 dimension characters. Well if you pace it slower and show the back round of the characters. You can have fully developed and believable characters. Alan Ladd did a great portrayal of the character, as he did with the Shane character in the movie of the same name, made 5 years earlier and also a western. The actor dosen't act, he becomes the character. The rest of the cast were superb as well. Olivia De Havaland played such a wholesome women. That you'd want to marry her knowing you'd last forever with her. Alan's son played his son in the film, and playing a mute boy made you think that maybe he couldn't speak. He later of course married Cheryl Ladd from Charlie's Angels series. A nice story without CGI effects and explosions and lots of unnecessary sex.

These are storybook stories that embed in peoples minds. Films from this era have been remembered for 70-80 years. How many films from last year can you recall.

Alan Ladd does the Shane thing again in this Western from 1958. Ladd, a former Confederate soldier, travels w/his supposedly tongue tied son (played by Alan's actual son in real life David who uses grunts & sign language to communicate) & their well trained sheep dog when he comes upon a town & visits a doctor, played Cecil Kellaway, to see if he can cure his son's malady (a running issue Ladd has been on the move to solve) which he can't but does give him the name of a specialist in Minnesota who may be able to help. Running into some trouble w/a sheep farmer, played by Dean Jagger & his two sons, Harry Dean Stanton (billed as Dean Stanton) & Tom Pittman, Ladd is railroaded into jail w/a bail amount he can't come up with but luckily Olivia de Havilland comes to his rescue (she witnessed the incident) & Ladd agrees to work off his debt which gives the ad hoc family a renewed purpose (especially since Jagger has designs on de Havilland's land for his sheep) but when he gets a generous offer for his sheep dog (an amount that would cover his specialist's bill), he sells the pooch knowing it'll break his son's heart when he returns. Director Michael Curtiz (Casablanca/Captain Blood) gets good mileage from the premise but it's too bad George Stevens got there first w/his seminal version of Shane & the narrative is further let down when the story's later focus is on a typical shoot out to right all wrongs between our players when the strength of the piece is Ladd not coming to terms w/his son's ailment which we now know stems from a mental trauma then something medical science can operate on. Also starring John Carradine as a traveling salesman & Henry Hull as a cantankerous judge.

I grew up watching "Family Classics with Frazier Thomas", a program that featured a wide variety of family friendly movies. This was one of them(so was TOBOR THE GREAT but we won't get into that-I just finished reviewing that clunker a few minutes ago). Alan Ladd plays Civil War veteran John Chandler, who is seeking treatment for his mute son(played by real-life son David Ladd), and meets up with a town spinster (Olivia DeHavilland), who takes both of them in when Chandler is falsley accused of starting a brawl, facing thirty days in the town jail. In the meantime, a sheep herder (Dean Jagger) and his juvenile-delinquent sons attempt to force DeHavilland off her ranch. Chandler must also make the tough choice to sell young David's beloved dog to a breeder in order to pay for his treatment.

The performances are first-rate. Alan and David have one of the best father-son chemistries in movie history-(along with Jon Voight and Ricky Schroeder in THE CHAMP twenty or so years later). Also, Olivia DeHavilland, Dean Jagger, and veteran actor Harry Dean Stanton help make this one a must-see for all. Even horror veteran John Carradine makes a cameo appearance in the opening scene.

Sadly, this family classic makes the untimely death of Alan Ladd a few years later all the more tragic.

Rating: ****1/2 out of *****