La Colline des potences

¨Hanging tree¨ results to be a good western set in a gold-mining camp and remains consistently agreeable and attractive . Set in Montana , 1873 , it takes place at a mining village called Skull Creek where arrives a frontier doctor named Joseph Frain (Gary Cooper as a good guy , as usual , being last western Gary Cooper starred in) . The doctor rescues a young thief named Rune (Ben Piazza) from a lynch mob . The doctor temporarily nurses and devotes his time to Elizabeth Mahler (Maria Schell) a strange girl . Unfortunately, however, the doctor with a dark past (it was left ambiguous whether the doctor had killed his unfaithful wife) may place his patient in considerable risk . The nasty (Karl Malden as a bad guy) attempts to rape Elizabeth but Cooper comes to his rescue . Later on , the townspeople took the doctor out to ¨The hanging tree¨ but this time is helped by his friends .

This first-rate but slow-paced Western draws its riveting tale and power from the interaction of finely drawn roles as well as drama and action . A fine and thought-provoking film in which Daves keeps straight face and magnificent control of rhythm in spite of some highly unlikely situations . Masterfully made and including excellent performances , breathtaking background shots and impeccable close-ups . ¨Hanging tree¨ which look a fairly and realist sighting at a mining camp . It stars genre stalwart Gary Cooper as a doctor-gambler-gunslinger who has a rather sinister past , he is a good professional treating a blind girl and saving a rogue thief . Maria Schell as blind woman is awesome too . Furthermore , George C Scott's screen debut as a fanatic preacher . Good adult Western with exciting battle of wits between an obstinate doctor , a beautiful blind woman and a nasty miner . This laid-back Western contains sensitive songs sung at the beginning and ending by Marty Robbing composed by Jerry Livingstone and written Marck Davis , being deservedly nominated for Oscar , in addition an emotive musical score by the classic Max Steiner . Colorful cinematography by Ted McCord , filmed in State of Washington nearly Yakime , where was expressly built a mining village . Well produced by Cooper and his Production Company called ¨Baroda¨ and some scenes were realized by Karl Malden by illness of Delmer Daves . ¨Hanging tree¨ turns out to be stylish, well paced , solid, meticulous and with enjoyable look . This perfectly acted movie is gripping every step of the way . Rating : Above average , worthwhile watching , still a memorable film

The motion picture was well directed by Delmer Daves - including his characteristic use of landscape- , though he fell ill during filming and Karl Malden took over for several days until Daves recovered. Daves was a Western expert for the reason he lived a long time of his boyhood with the Navajo and Hopi Indian tribes as he realized the notorious trail-blazing ¨Broken arrow¨ the first movie for many years not treat the Indians as cannon-fodder for the cavalry , which made the picture unpopular in some quarters . He went on directing the suspenseful ¨3:10 to Yuma¨, other pro-Indian as ¨The last wagon¨ and about Modoc Indians as ¨Drum beat¨ , the Shakespearian style of ¨Jubal¨ , ¨Return of the Texan¨ and ¨Cowboy¨ which a fairly spectacle about a long cattle drive . From 1959 Delmer Daves becomes embroiled for the remainder of his career with teenage love epics and very popular at the Box-office as ¨A summer place¨, ¨Parrish¨, ¨Susan Slade¨, and ¨Rome adventure¨, among others .

No need to recap the sprawling plot.

For a western, the movie is generously produced. The Washington state locations are scenic as heck and a great backdrop to the rushing crowds and boisterous miners. In fact, the gold camp recreation is one of the most realistic I've seen. Then too, the production has one of the most underrated directors of westerns of the period, Delmer Daves, whose list includes such classics as 3:10 to Yuma (1957), Jubal (1956),and the generally overlooked Cowboy (1958). All of these are tightly written and efficiently directed little gems.

But I have to say that despite the first-rate production values and a first-rate cast, this more epic sized western doesn't achieve the impact of Daves' smaller movies. The problem is a loose script and a dawdling camera that stretches out the dramatics and the movie's length to a sometimes tedious degree. I'm guessing that Warner Bros. wanted a production equal to Gary Cooper's iconic standing. I suspect they were also promoting newcomer Schell's career, and thus much time is split between her, Cooper, and the always reliable Malden. All perform well, but add up to bits and pieces that don't fit together very well, while padding the screen time unnecessarily.

I wish Scott's truly fearsome religious zealot had gotten a bigger role. He might have made the movie memorable, so strong is his spotty presence. Something I don't usually notice in films is the movie score. But here the music is blended nicely into the screenplay, without overdoing it. Perhaps revealingly, this is Daves' final western. From here, he went on to teenage fare, such as the blockbuster A Summer Place (1959) that despite its teen angst of the day is not without notable compensations. Anyway, this film's a scenic delight at the same time the narrative unfortunately is not, which adds up to a very mixed result.

Gary, for that movie, was Doc Joe Frail. Maria, sister of Maximilian Schell, became Elizabeth Malher. Everything that happened to Frail seemed real. He healed Elizabeth's blindness but feared loving her because of his past. There was the guilt from the tragedy he carried, the fear of someone finding out. The jealousy and anger of people waiting and wanting to take Doc's life for his past and, mostly, the fortune.

Frenchy Plante is played by Karl Malden. He is a fortune hunter with a drinking problem. Karl was one of two directors who made this film. Delmar Daves was in charge of the beginning and middle. Karl did the finishing work. By that time, Mulden had 20 movies under his belt.

George C. Scott is Dr. George Grubb, a Bible toting, Scripture spouting fiend. He is not a particularly nice person. He targets Doc Frail and goes after him. This is Scott's first credited role and he carries it off very well.

Jerry Livingston does the title theme. "The Hanging Tree". It was sung in the movie by one of my favorites, Marty Robbins. He, also, made it popular to the public through radio and records. Now I have a CD of "The Best of Marty Robbins" that I have introduced to my grandson. I want him (and our other grandkids) to know about something besides today's music.

Just for some aside information: The only cast member, of this movie, still living is Karl Malden. He turned 94 in March of 2006. Wow, what a life he's had!

"High Noon", move over. "The Hanging Tree", in my estimation, is by far the better picture. The story, characterizations, acting, and musical score put this movie in the class of "Shane", "The Big Country", and "The Magnificent Seven". Cooper portrays Dr. Joe Frail as only he can. He is perfectly cast as a man with "frail hope" and, yet, has the strength and caring to help and protect others. As others have commented, this film is not even available new in vhs format, let alone dvd. The last time I checked The Western Channel and Turner Classic Movies it was not scheduled for viewing.

If you want to enjoy a realistic story and superb acting from a great cast I recommend the "Hanging Tree."

Travelers pass by the Hanging Tree on the Gold Trail in Montana, 1873. Joseph Frail (Gary Cooper) arrives at the small gold mining town of Skull Creek, Montana. He buys a home from an old prospector eager to sell. He treats Rune for a suspicious bullet wound. Frenchy Plante (Karl Malden) is a slimy local. George Grubb (George C. Scott) is a bitter drunken faith healer. Frail is a card-playing, hard-hitting, gun-slinging doctor with a dark history and a heart of gold. A stagecoach is attacked. The posse finds passenger Elizabeth Mahler barely alive and blinded.

It's an interesting western for the most part. I'm conflicted with the third act. I like some of it. I like the idea of Frail and Elizabeth. I don't see how Elizabeth would partner up with Frenchy with his slimy nature. Going wild is highly ill-conceived which is exactly why no one should partner up with Frenchy. If I hit the jackpot in that place, I would try to hide it for as long as possible and arm up. Still, I like a lot of the premise with Frail and Elizabeth. It's a good western.