Romanzo nel West

I think this is a top-notch film. First, and perhaps most importantly, this film cannot be categorized as belonging to any particular, well identified genre. Indeed, the film is best described as a very original mix between a Western, a thriller/detective story, a love story and a romantic comedy with strong existentialist overtones. I am not kidding, you have to see it to believe it! All this perfectly integrated in as perfect a script as there ever was.

Second, the movie is very well executed. All actors are quite good, starting with the young Duke, who delivers a very solid and typical performance. The directing is also first-rate, as is the cinematography (as far as be judged from the rather good Laserdisc and DVD transfers); only the editing does perhaps leave something to be desired, but not to the point of preventing appreciating the other qualities of the movie.

I'd like to finish this review by emphasizing that my rating (7/10) is actually pretty conservative and prudent. If I were to go by my heart and forget about my "brain", I would rate this movie a 10/10.

Trust a movie buff and rent or buy "Tall in the Saddle"; you will not be disappointed.

One of the best of John Wayne's westerns is Tall In The Saddle which came out in 1944 for RKO. Good characterization with a little more plot than the usual western.

Wayne is the straight arrow Joel McCrea-Gary Cooper like hero who's come to town because he's been sent for by Red Cardell, a local rancher who's concerned about an outbreaking of cattle rustling. When Wayne arrives he finds Cardell murdered and a few others occur before the truth comes out.

Wayne has two leading ladies, prim and proper easterner Audrey Long and hard riding Ella Raines. Raines in those tight cowboy outfits is something to see. Her scenes with the Duke have some real spark to them. Raines had a Lauren Bacall-like appeal and should have risen higher as a movie sex symbol.

Old friends of the Duke like Ward Bond and Paul Fix are in the cast as is Gabby Hayes. Hayes, who was the quintessential cowboy sidekick was never better than as Dave, the old stagedriver who befriends the Duke and sticks with him when it gets pretty dark for him. I remember Gabby Hayes with his television show for kiddies in the 1950s and supposedly he was anything but the illiterate old coot he normally played. During his pre-Stagecoach period, Hayes appeared in several films with Wayne. In fact my title quote is one of two favorite lines he says in Tall In The Saddle.

The other favorite line is a piece of wisdom that's just as valuable today as in 1944. When the Duke asks Gabby how he feels about law and order, Gabby replies "depends on who's dishing it out."

There are better Westerns than 'Tall in the Saddle', but very few that are as much sheer fun. The plot is conventional, but the performances elevate the film above the ordinary, especially that of Ella Raines as the wild-spirited ranch operator. Raines is simply a hoot to watch, especially in the three way meeting between her, John Wayne, and Audrey Long in which she makes it clear that Wayne's expectation that no woman is going to "hogtie and brand him" is already in trouble. Watch her face; she manages to pack coyness, bravado, sensuality, wit, and smugness into a comparatively brief scene without ever overreaching herself. She's handy with a gun, with a knife, and with Wayne. The result plays off and balances Wayne's traditional laconic approach very effectively, and thus helps give Wayne's character more depth than was often the case in his mid-40s Western programmers (notice his reaction after his first encounter with Raines; for once in a Western you feel that there's a genuine reason for the hero ordering a whiskey in the middle of the day). I recommend this film highly; it's unpretentious, crisply made, and very enjoyable.

Perfectly paced film. Many older films as well as new ones are not as successful as they could be due to poor pacing. It's hard to define pacing - it is maybe in the editing, the director rushing or slowing down the actors, or the way the camera shots are set up. Whatever "pacing" is, this film is a good example of it.

This film makes very good use of character actors (Fix, Gabby, and the others). The producers trusted them enough to really feature them in some scenes, and they deliver. It seems that most producers (in the 1940's as well as today) are afraid to take the camera off the film's star for fear of not making big box-office.

Wayne does a great job in a no-nonsense, straight-arrow role. It is amazing how he could make such a character charismatic, rather than wooden. Ella Raines and Wayne should have made more movies together because they had good chemistry. More importantly Raines was capable of portraying one of the major character traits of the western United States expansion- strong women.

Film buffs can view "Tall in the Saddle" as good movie-making, but anyone can just view it as good entertainment and not even stop to analyze anything. Perhaps that is the genius of a film like this.

You might want to look into the work of director Edwin Marin if you're not already aware of the man. While not in the first line of star moviemakers like John Ford or William Wyler, Marin kept busy with a steady stream of lesser-known but immensely-viewable films throughout the 1930's and 1940's (Marin died in the saddle in 1951).

Check out "Tall" for a good taste of Marin's style. You'll find plenty of John Wayne, hellcat Ella Raines, wonderful Gabby Hayes (who gets knocked down twice while Wayne punches out a villain in one hilarious scene) plus Wayne/Ford touring company regular Ward Bond who plays the heavy in this one.

There's a lot going for this film--a love triangle around the nonchalant Wayne, a full quota of western chase scenes, a showdown in the streets and some snappy dialogue to boot.

It's a fun film and worth catching the next time it rolls across the small screen on "John Wayne Theater."