Le retour de Frank James

Return of Frank James, The (1940)

*** (out of 4)

Fritz Lang directed this sequel to Jesse James, which picks up right after the Ford Brothers shot Jesse in the back. Hearing that the brothers got off with murder, Frank (Henry Fonda) comes out of retirement to seek revenge. This film isn't quite as good as the original but it's still a very worthy follow up with strong direction and some really good performances. Fonda is good as usual but it's Henry Hull who steals the show as the grumpy newspaper owner. John Carradine, Gene Tierney and Jackie Cooper are all equally impressive. The ending is terrific but I personally thought the courtroom scene went a little too over the top in the comedy.

The sequel to the previous year's "Jesse James" (1939), "The Return of Frank James" is a perfectly entertaining, fast-moving Western that is historically important for two reasons: It was director Fritz Lang's first picture to be shot in color, and it served as the setting for the debut of one of Hollywood's most beloved actresses, Gene Tierney. In her 1979 autobiography "Self-Portrait," Gene tells us that Fox Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck had seen her performing on Broadway in 1940 in "The Male Animal," and immediately offered her a contract. After a previous stalled career in Hollywood, however, Gene--and her family--managed to finagle an unusually liberal deal from the studio chief: $750 a week, with a raise every six months, and the freedom to return to Broadway for half the year (an option that Gene never took advantage of), AND the right to make no changes to her hair or (soon-to-be-famous) teeth. In her first film for Fox, 20-year-old Gene played the role of Eleanor Stone, a liberated woman and nascent reporter on the Denver Star newspaper of 1882. She is duped by Frank James (Henry Fonda) and his sidekick Clem (Jackie Cooper, who had grown up a LOT since playing the role of kids a mere 10 years before, in films such as 1931's "The Champ") into writing a false story of the outlaw's demise, so that he might more easily track down the Ford brothers (John Carradine and Charles Tanner), who had just shot Jesse in the back and gotten away with it. Gene is excellent in her ingenue role, fresh faced and dewy eyed, and hardly deserving of Harvard Lampoon's "The Worst Female Discovery of 1940" citation.

As for the rest of the film, it is nicely shot and filled with amusing characters and situations. Besides Fonda and Carradine, Donald Meek returns in this sequel (a bit tougher than usual, as the conniving railroad man McCoy), as does Henry Hull (almost stealing the show as Frank's buddy Major Rufus Cobb). The film contains surprisingly little action per se, although a horse chase through the Rockies and resultant gunfight, coming at the picture's midpoint, are very well executed. Fonda, who had worked with Lang before, in 1937's "You Only Live Once," is very fine here as Frank James: sympathetic, cool and tough; a reformed badman with a conscience, and perhaps only 1/100th as nasty as he would be 30 years or so later, playing another Frank, in Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West." Tierney, apparently, absolutely adored working with Fonda, especially after he defended her against the director. As Tierney reveals in her book, she had the unfortunate habit of keeping her mouth slightly parted when she wasn't speaking (an adorable habit, sez me!), and Lang chastised her severely for it, yelling "You little bitch! When you have no lines, keep your mouth shut!" Little could Lang know that that mouth and those teeth would soon make Gene one of THE preeminent screen goddesses of the 1940s! Anyway, although "The Return of Frank James" has been faulted elsewhere for its many historical inaccuracies, it remains a fun enough diversion. Capped off by one of the most amusing trial scenes since The Three Stooges' "Disorder in the Court," the film is perfect for all ages, and most especially, of course, for fans of Miss Gene Tierney....

The Return of Frank James (1940)

The Western is back, as of 1939 when four big ones were released, including John Ford's "Stagecoach" with John Wayne, which has lasting critical acclaim, and also "Jesse James" which was the fourth largest moneymaker for that blockbuster year. Maybe it was the war breaking out in Europe, or just a realization that if you lifted a Western from its usual B-movie status the public would respond. Henry Fonda starred as Frank James in that one, and so this is really a sequel with the same chronology and feel as the first one. It is clearly A-list movie material with genuine Technicolor, a year after "Jesse James," "The Wizard of Oz," and "Gone with the Wind" had all made clear Technicolor was no passing gimmick.

Frank James is now out to seek the killers of the more famous outlaw. The fact we are rooting for the renegade through his surviving brother is slightly odd--the anti-hero or negative stereotype as protagonist wasn't really respectable (or possible) until the 1960s, full fledged. Jesse James was a brave Civil War guerrilla fighter but he became an uncommonly violent criminal and murderer after the war. Frank James was probably as ruthless and bad (he was part of the same gang), but after the death of Jesse he escaped prison (in real life) and lived into the Twentieth Century.

In this movie, Frank is not portrayed as a bad person. He just wants his brother's killers dead. And Henry Fonda is a kind of low key, determined fellow throughout. We naturally run into the standard assortment of types that are almost required in period Westerns--drunks and sheriffs and pretty girls out of place in this rough manly world. And there are shoot outs and a court trial and so on.

Of all people to approach this genre, and in color, you'd least expect Fritz Lang, the recent émigré with "Metropolis" and "M" and "Fury" all in his portfolio. He gets rising star Henry Fonda in the loner lead for this sequel, naturally, and Fonda is the meat of it, really terrific (in an echo, actually, of the loner lead in John Ford's "Grapes of Wrath" in the same year). And then there's Gene Tierney playing a pseudo-reporter in her very first film role, showing early on that she is mostly a pretty face, but a decent actress at least. There are other great character actors (like John Carradine, fresh off of "Stagecoach" as well as "Jesse James") but specially notable (to me) is the African-American farm hand Ernest Whitman, who has to suffer from some awful stereotyping, but who is malleable and likable (and turns a verbal mistake into a catchy little song without a hitch).

I love Lang's movies, even his weaker ones, and I really think he didn't quite "get" what a Western was about the way Ford did in the same period. It becomes something like a Hollywood drama that happens to be set in this post Civil War place west of the Mississippi. The stereotypes and archetypes are in play, but he misses the combination of grit and certitude that is part of the scene. Even Fonda comes across as slightly underplayed, a rather nice fellow who just happens to be out for blood.

The photography is strong and vivid even though trapped to some extent on being "pretty" because of the rich color and beautiful scenery and by the bright lights so often used to blast the scenes for the tri-pack film. And then there is the ridiculous plasticity of the facts--most of what happens in the movie didn't happen at all in real life. Everyone is really just cashing in on the folk hero status of this killer, and on the success of "Jesse James" the movie the year before.

Classic Western with very good cast , dealing with a relentless vengeance . Spectacular as well as exciting Western talks the life of Frank James , Jesse James's brother , who is the most colourful bandit who ever lived and both of whom rank with Billy the Kid as the most famous of Western outlaws . This is a slight and intelligent biopic about Frank James , featuring notorious interpretations by a popular group of known stars . Legend and folklore have cast them as modern Robin Hoods , good boys forced by circumstances to follow a criminal life . Jesse and his brother Frank joined the Confederate guerrillas of Quantrill and learned to kill in ruthless company . It is believed that took part in their first robbery in 1866 when a dozen men held up the bank in Liberty , Missouri . Jesse (Tyrone Power , who appears on the opening sequence showing his death from the final of the previous movie) , Frank and the Younger carry out a lot of hold-ups and attacks , as they move from Civil War to their territory becoming into semi-legends . So James Brothers wielding their six-guns commence to robbin' banks and trains to help out the poor folks who been done wrong . Pinkerton detectives were contracted to chase Jesse and Frank , the agents surrounded the home , believing they to be there , tossed a bomb and the explosion killed Jesse's young half-brother . As their fame grows , so will the legend of their leaders , a young outlaw by the name of Jesse James and his brother Frank James . On 1876 Jesse and Frank in company the three Younger Brothers , attempted a bank robbery at Northfield , Minnnesota , and walked in disaster . At the end , Jesse is betrayed by the Ford brothers , Charlie and dirty little coward Bob (John Carradine) . As the killer and his cohorts are eventually rounded up, but are pardoned due to political intervention . Brother Frank attempts to go straight , but eventually the happenings go awry . The picture provides a good portrait of Frank James who along with a very young headstrong Jackie Cooper set out in pursuit the Ford Brothers to seek his own form of justice . In the course of his revenge , Frank will become the object of the biggest manhunt in the history of the Old West . Along the way , Frank courts attractive young Eastern journalist (Gene Tierney film debut) who wishes to write James's true story to the world .

This is a sprawling and glamorous Western with first-rate Technicolor cinematography and excellent performances from Henry Fonda and Jackie Cooper . The film gets spectacular shoot em'up , thrills , fast as well as fierce action , exciting horse pursuits and many other things . Packs colorful scenarios , moving pace and slick edition . This is one of the strange occasions in the cinema history when a follow-up results to be as good as the original . Interesting and thrilling script by scenarist Sam Hellman . This is a decent look about the known story of the West's greatest bandits with acceptable interpretations and compelling direction creating some good action scenes . The yarn shows nice as well as impressive frames , breathtaking go riding and wonderful outdoors . The studio bought the rights to the James Brothers but changed the facts for entertainment . Although Frank surrendered 6 months after Jesse James' murder, both Ford brothers were already dead and Frank had nothing to do with their deaths . Magnificent acting by Henry Fonda as an authoritative but likable outlaw become a peaceful farmer when he takes his pistols to carry out a merciless vendetta . Support cast is frankly good such as Henry Hull , John Carradine , J Edward Bromberg , Donald Meek and Jackie Cooper gives an intensely sympathetic portrayal as an amiable young . Taut excitement throughout , beautifully cinematographed by George Barnes and W. Howard Greene , both of them photographed former film . The picture lavishly produced by Darryl F Zanuck was based on actual events and stunningly realized by Fritz Lang . The film is splendid and original , despite being a sequel , the reason lies mostly in the filmmaking by master craftsman Lang . Fritz directed masterfully all kind of genres such as Noir cinema as ¨Big heat¨ , ¨Scarlet Street¨ , ¨Cloak and Dagger¨ , ¨Beyond a reasonable doubt¨ , Drama as ¨Human desire¨, ¨You only lives twice¨, ¨Ministry of fear¨, Epic as ¨Siegfred¨, Sci-fi as ¨Woman in the moon¨, ¨Metropolis¨, suspense as ¨Secret beyond the door¨, ¨Clash by night¨ , Wartime as ¨Man hunt¨ , ¨Hangmen also die¨ and Western as ¨Rancho Notorious¨ , ¨Western Union¨ and ¨Return of Frank James¨

Other films about these legendary outlaws , Frank and Jesse , are : ¨I shot Jesse James¨ by Samuel Fuller with John Ireland as Bob Ford ; ¨Jesse James vs the Dalton (1954)¨ by William Castle with John Ireland . ¨The true story of Jesse James¨ (1957) by Nicholas Ray with Robert Wagner , Jeffrey Hunter , Hope Lange , Agnes Moorehead ; in which footage from the original 1939 production was used when Frank and Jesse go over a cliff on horseback into a river and when they crashed , on horseback, through a store window during the "Northfield Minnesota Raid" . And contemporary-style Western such as ¨Frank and Jesse¨ by Robert Boris with Rob Lowe as Jesse James , Bill Paxton as Frank James and Randy Travis as Younger ; ¨American outlaws¨ by Les Mayfield with Colin Farrell , Gabriel Macht , Terry O'Quinn , Harris Yulin and Ali Larter ; and ¨The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford¨ (2007) by Andrew Dominik with Brad Pitt , Sam Shepard , Mary Louise Parker , Casey Affleck and Sam Rockwell.

"The Return of Frank James" has a nice script, beautiful costumes, an accurate photography in gorgeous technicolor. Perhaps a further pair of gun-fights would be desirable: gun-fights in a western movie are like salt in the food. The film has a peculiar interest for cinephiles, since here the great director Fritz Lang confronts himself with the western genre for the first time. I think he makes a good job, even if does not seem completely at his home. Moreover we have the usual Henry Fonda's charisma and... OK... the main reason why I am interested in the movie is the presence of Gene Tierney at the very beginning of her career. I must confess that here her legendary beauty is still a bit unripe... let's say that Venus has just come out of the shell. No fear: within one year or two our eyes will rest on the highest beauty in movie history (in history at all, I dare say).