davidgarnes

This 1949 film, just before Roy Rogers and Co. moved on to TV, has some fine color cinematography, particularly of the Iverson ranch (used in countless westerns) and great, sweeping shots of the wild horse herd that figures importantly throughout the film. It's quite lovely in that regard and captures the beauty and speed of the supposedly "untamed" steeds.

The plot is a bit more complicated here than in most RR films, with several unexpected turns, all tightly directed. Roy and Dale are engaging as always, though Pat Brady's appeal eludes. There are fewer musical numbers in this film than usual, though the Sons of the Pioneers are featured.

See it for the scenery and the beauty of the horses, and for more drama than is usually served in a Roy/Dale flick.

I like both Joseph Cotton and Joan Fontaine and happened to pick up a VHS copy of this film (beautifully transferred). It is excellent on all accounts: well produced; sumptuously photographed; literate; well-acted; and moving. The story line is wildly romantic but keeps within the bounds of possibility, and Fontaine and Cotton are the perfect pair to play these mature lovers-- they're both subtle actors who manage to convey (especially Fontaine) the sub- text that lies beneath the situation in which the two find themselves. Jessica Tandy is also excellent. The location scenes filmed in Florence and Rome, while commonplace now, were not back in 1950, so it's a treat to see them here, with the cast actually roaming the streets of the two cities. Without giving the plot away, suffice it to say that the ending satisfies in a way that is believable as the story progresses. The beautiful "September Song" serves as a romantic motif throughout the film and is sung/played several times.

This film has so much going for it--exquisite art direction, beautiful costumes, wonderful cinematography, and a loving and meticulous attention to detail in depicting a turn of the century (1900) wedding in a small Italian town--that I would rate it higher but for the somewhat implausible screenplay.

Without giving plot details away, suffice it to say that the film begins with an interesting premise as it explores the betrothal rituals of this particular time and place that reduced women to objects essentially bartered away to the highest bidder. The heroine of the story, played by the absolutely exquisite Ines Sastre, rebels on her arranged-marriage wedding day, and the plot continues from there.

Diego Abatantuono, no slouch himself in the looks department, plays a long absent stranger who, having made his fortune in America, returns to the town and ends up participating in the ceremony. Things get more complicated from there.

Both actors are outstanding in their roles, but in the end a willing suspension of disbelief is needed to accept the film's conclusion. However, the visuals are so stunning, the period detail is so layered, and the principal actors (as well as the those who play the townspeople, all given their moments) are so fascinating to watch that almost all is forgiven.