Un jeu risqué

Wyatt Earp was another example of a fascinating person with a fascinating story, so any film about him is always welcome. It is a shame that Jacques Tourneur is as underrated as he is, as he had great talent as a director. One of the best film noirs ever 'Out of the Past' and the very influential 'Cat People' are proof of that. Joel McCrea, Vera Miles and Lloyd Bridges were always worth seeing, and all three have good performances in other films.

Anybody that loves the Western genre, or at least appreciates it, are likely to find a lot to like about 'Wichita'. To me, it is not quite a classic and is a film to be taken on its own and to be dismissed on biographical terms. 'Wichita' still struck me as very good, with a lot of things being excellent. With this film, it is easy to see why those who have heard of Tourneur and like some of his films have found appeal in him and also why the cast are as regarded as they are.

Sure 'Wichita' is cliched, with a lot of elements that people who know the genre will recognise from elsewhere. Those that know intimately about Earp and his life will despair at how the film plays fast and loose with the facts, which were even more interesting than what was presented here.

Perhaps the pace could have been tighter at times.

However, 'Wichita' is very handsomely shot, making the most of the settings that are full of unforgiving grit and atmosphere, and there are no signs of time and budget constraints visually. Tourneur's direction is exemplary, taut, elegant and frames and stages the action with accomplishment and ease. It is a very different kettle of fish to his direction for 'Out of the Past' and 'Cat People', but he didn't seem out of his depth here and it shows that he did have versatility. The music fits very well and the theme song from Tex Ritter is memorable. The script was clearly written with a lot of intelligence and is literate without being too talk heavy.

The story also compels on the most part, it excites, it doesn't hold back in the more tense scenes and it's moving in spots. As well as nostalgic. The action is spectacular, thrillingly staged and beautifully filmed. The romantic angle doesn't feel like padding or tacked on, a mistake that quite a number of similar films make. It may not be completely accurate, but it is a very well told and engaging story in its own way. Earp is a character of real authority here while being characterised in a way that makes one find it easy to empathise with his conflicts. McCrea does superbly at showing all those things in his performance too. Miles is luminous and charming and Keith Larson and Edgar Buchanan are effective in their parts.

Overall, very good and deserving of more credit. 8/10

Superior McCrea western thanks to an intelligent script that also plays up the actor's penchant for steely resolve. How much law and order is too much. That's the question the town council of Wichita must decide. Too much will drive away the fun-starved cowboys coming to town after a long trail drive. Too little and the town gets shot up. Newly installed Sheriff Earp (McCrea) is on the side of strict law and order, forbidding the cowboys from bringing their guns to town. This upsets powerful businessmen and saloon owners. So Earp must contend not only with rowdy cowboys but with town politics as well.

McCrea is perfect for the quietly resolute sheriff. As expected there's no swagger or bravado in his grim determination to keep other townspeople from being accidentally killed by busting-loose cowhands. When he stands alone, you believe it. It's also a well-stocked production from lowly Allied Artists, with enough extras to make the crowded town scenes credible. Of course, there's a romantic angle with a lovely but heavily made-up Vera Miles (soon to come under the wing of Hitchcock in such thrillers as The Wrong Man {1956} and Psycho {1960}). But the romance is pretty well integrated into the plot, without dangling like a distractive add-on.

All in all, it's a good western drama woven around the quietly powerful Joel McCrea.

Wichita is directed by Jacques Tourneur and written by Daniel B. Ullman. It stars Joel McCrea, Vera Miles, Wallace Ford, Edgar Buchannan, Lloyd Bridges and Keith Larsen. It's filmed in Cinemascope/Technicolor with cinematography by Harold Lipstein and music by Hans J. Salter.

Wichita is an origin story, that of one Wyatt Earp (McCrea), the story is set before he gets to Dodge City, where apparently some famous gunfight occurred. From a narrative stand point it's a town tamer story, Earp arrives in a newly thriving Wichita, at this point he's a hunter of buffalo only. But as the cowboys converge on the town, and things turn very dark, Earp - a bastion of good and just righteousness - finds it impossible to continue in turning down the town superior's offers of becoming the town Marshal.

It's one of those Western movies that made Western movie fans become Western movie fans. A film you would have watched as a youngster and just bought totally into the good guy against the baddies central core. Of course as youngsters we wouldn't have cared a jot about thematics such as capitalism ruling over common sense, or metaphysical leanings ticking away, all while a genius director is composing shots and frames of great distinction. Hell! Even the intelligence and maturity in the writing would have escaped us, the dark passages merely incidents of no great concern...

Wichita is damn fine film making. OK! It isn't wall to wall action. Sure there is a good round of knuckles, a bit of trench warfare and the standard shoot-outs, but these are just conduits to smart and compelling human drama, richly performed by McCrea (brilliantly cast) and company. Tourneur, Ullman and Lipstein make sure there is no waste on the page or via location framing, the costuming authentic and pleasing, and of course the story itself, the set up of the iconic man himself, is as compelling as it is splendidly entertaining.

It be a traditional Western for the traditional Western fan. Nice! 8/10

Joel McCrea delivers the goods once again in "Wichita". McCrea gives a solid performance in this movie. The rest of the cast is also strong. The movie looks great too. The story is well told and quite exciting at times. "Wichita" is a rock solid 1950s western. I can't wait until I see it again. Honorable mention: a never dreamier Vera Miles.

The now-familiar and evergreen story of Wyatt Earp's maverick attempts (& succeeding) at ridding all guns from the Western frontier town of Wichita, is again shown here, directed with some style by Jacques Tourneur, from 1955.

Joel Mc Crea - not quite a superstar of Westerns, is suitably refrained but still somehow imposing as the law enforcement officer Earp. There's good action at the start, as bands of outlaws ride in, guns blazing, fights in Saloon bars and general terrorising of the residents.

Mc Crea is good, Vera Miles lovely and a turn from Lloyd Bridges is always welcome. The colour and clarity are also good, though the Technicolor less vibrant and saturated than is often the case, making the film look more natural.

Though I'm no expert on the Western, I do enjoy a good one and whilst this was entertaining enough, it didn't strike me as one to particularly remember. It didn't drag, wasn't boring and is probably better than average, but not quite enough for 7/10.