The Vanquished

The only reason to watch this film is to see the type of claptrap that 20th century audiences were being fed about post-Civil War Reconstruction. The film is set in a fictional Southern town in 1866 that is being run by a government appointed civil administrator supported by federal troops, and stars John Payne.

Anyone who paid even minimal attention during Social Studies class knows that federal troops were stationed in the South after the Civil War to see that former slaves were treated lawfully. And yet, slavery is never even mentioned or even hinted at in the film. (I forced myself to watch in order to be certain.) There are a number of Black actors, some with spoken lines, though none have screen credits which is not unusual for films of this era, and their characters all seem to be working at the same jobs (house servants, field hands, etc.) they had as slaves. Presumably these now ex-slaves were so happy with their "slave jobs" that they continued doing those jobs even after winning their freedom. Good grief.

What reason does the film offer for the presence of troops and federal officials in this Southern town? Apparently, the federal government is there only to enrich corrupt individual officials using unscrupulous tax schemes to screw over the poor Southern Whites who are portrayed as the real victims of the Civil War. Again, good grief.

If you're looking for a synopsis, there are plenty elsewhere, but I will offer this brief description that sets the tone for the entire film. In the opening scene, a Union soldier dismounts in front of a blacksmith's shop where the smith and a few customers are chatting, tacks up the announcement of a public hanging for the murder of a Union soldier, then wordlessly ladles a drink from the blacksmith's water barrel and scornfully tosses the remnants into the blacksmith's forge, dousing some of the flames before riding off. This cartoonish scene is meant to let the audience know immediately that the federal troops are the real "bad guys". Later, at the public hanging, the murderer is portrayed as the real "victim" who was only defending his homestead when he killed the dastardly federal soldier. Again, good grief.

The movie is an adaptation of an unpublished novel written by Karl Brown, a cinematographer and screenwriter whose first job as a seventeen year old was carrying and loading cameras on the set of the now infamous Birth of a Nation by D. W. Griffith. Apparently Mr. Brown learned early on what would sell in White America. So did the movie studios.

Edward Ludwig has never deceived me, with his westerns, adventure and even science fiction films - THE BLACK SCORPION, the only sci-fi he made. As Lewis R Foster or Byron Haskin, he provided the best adventure films for Paramount, not at the scale of Cecil B De Mille, but charming enough to entertain the movie buffs in love with the nostalgia fifties period. This western is not that exceptional, though, it is not SHANE, but quite a good film. John Payne was really a good actor. Edward Ludwig did not provide many westerns though, he prefered adventures. His last feature was a western, GUNHAWK, a masterpiece.

As was pointed out by the only other reviewer of The Vanquished so far, this is one of a gazillion plots of post Civil War stories that take the southern point of view. This is a tradition going back to the Birth Of A Nation and up to and beyond Gone With The Wind. All three are based on historical novels. But the trend in that was also the usual historical interpretations of the times. That changed with the civil rights revolution.

John Payne is a local southern hero who while in Yankee prison received many letters from friends about the corrupt rule of local administrator Lyle Bettger. He returns home and goes to work for Bettger, but only to gather evidence of his corruption. Doing it that way makes him a lot of former friends in his town.

It was a big mistake to let us know from the beginning that Payne was undercover. Robbed the story of a great deal of suspense.

Bettger's part has some antecedents with Gone With The Wind in the peripheral character of Jonas Wilkerson. If you remember Wilkerson who was briefly and memorably played by Victory Jory was a slave overseer whom the O'Hara family kicked out and came back as a Yankee scalawag just like Bettger and just as vindictive and mean. Bettger, who played some of the best villains of the Fifties, has his character far more developed as it is more central to the plot.

The one who really makes this film have whatever life it does is Jan Sterling. She plays a white trash girl whom the genteel families of the area snubbed before Fort Sumter. Now she's making them pay big time. Coleen Gray is the girl who Payne left behind and fights for her man whom she never lost faith in.

The Vanquished is a competently made enough film, but hardly Gone With The Wind.

Wikipedia tells me B movie production champs Pine-Thomas known as "the Dollar Bills" committed to a rising production budget in the late 40s from 200-300k to 750k-1mil and it is evident in the oppulent costumes, quality props and plethora of extras in this well shot tense post bellum drama ably directed by seasoned old hand Ed Ludwig.

Bit of a Scarlet Pimpernel feel as Pine-Thomas stable hot property John Payne takes a beating as he outwits an excellently ruthless Lyle Bettger who is superb in this film as the wicked opportunist traitor of the South. Colleen Gray's indefatigably loyal Southern Belle is quite the contrast to Jan Sterling's terse white trash harlot who has risen way above her station.

More than a hint of apologist claptrap does not sway the story too far away from the commonplace post war corruption, coming to terms with era ending loss, retribution, reconciliation and the strength of the Union as the pathway foward narrative. A familiar theme in many of Payne and Ludwig's western projects such as the Restless Gun TV series.

Strong production values, vibrant Technicolor, solid story and good acting with a stellar performance from arguably the baddest baddie in the west Lyle Bettger in one of his greatest performances earn this time capsule an easy 6 stars.