À l'ombre des potences

A rather diverse cast was assembled for this fairly standard western. Cagney plays a loner, traveling towards a town in which he hopes to put down stakes when he runs into hotshot young 'un Derek. The two strike up a tenuous camaraderie and happen upon a passing train whose engineers mistake them for robbers. Soon the townspeople and the sheriff are of the same mind and a posse comes out to shoot Cagney and Derek for a crime they didn't commit! Cagney is grazed in the scuffle, but Derek is near death and has a badly mangled leg. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, Cagney stays on at a farm on the outskirts of town to look after Derek. The farm, run by old-world Swede Hersholt and his single daughter Lindfors, begins to grow on Cagney and he decides to stay in town despite the mentality of the citizens and eventually rises to Sheriff. Lindfors also begins to grow on Cagney and, after Derek is well enough to limp around, they fall in love. Things get sticky, however, when the local bank is held up and Cagney must confront the same attitude from the townsfolk as he encountered when he met them (and Derek proves to be a less able Deputy than Cagney had hoped.) What is a rather typical western storyline is given a small boost by the skill of the director and the beautiful (and surprisingly lush and varied) New Mexican scenery. Cagney gives a solid performance and is well-matched by the energetic and sometimes intense Derek. (Derek is a full six inches taller than Cagney, so he's hunched over in various scenes and Cagney is elevated in order to play down the height differential. One scene in the jail, however, has Cagney looking downright diminutive in relation to the townsmen who are one small step up, yet tower over him.) The always tan and handsome Derek provides a small hint of the teen angst that director Ray would give full attention to in his later "Rebel Without a Cause". Lindfors is attractive and creative in her thankless role, with perhaps a bit too much hand-wringing and hysteria in her voice. Also, on her fourth husband in real life, she is hardly typecast as the repressed and virginal farm daughter! Folks who've been curious to know who in the world Hersholt was from his yearly humanitarian award given out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences can get a healthy taste of him here. He brings a dry, but wry and understated quality to the stern, old-fashioned father. Borgnine is effective in a very small role as an outlaw. There's a very corny title song that gets the attention right off the bat, but things turn serious soon after. It's a simple, but diverting western with a mild surprise or two along the way.

This film is a criminally underrated old western. The acting, story, and cinematography are all great and it was extremely enjoyable to watch. This is one of James Cagney's later films but he is still full of energy and this is up there with his best performances. The movie has a lot of great lessons and themes about not jumping to conclusions, not trying to find the easy way out in life, and dealing with one's past. The cinematography is also spectacular throughout the entire film and I love the setting in the mountains. The story is suspenseful at times, emotional, and scattered with great action scenes. Overall this movie is a must-see for classic western fans and those who just like good films.

Wandering gunman Matt Dow (James Cagney) meets hot-headed young man Davey Bishop (John Derek) on the way to a small ranching town. They get mistaken for train robbers, and a posse seriously injures Davey. Once their identities are properly established, Davey is left to convalesce with Swedish farmer Swenson (Jean Hersholt) and his daughter Helga (Viveca Lindfors). Matt sticks around to mentor Davey, and Helga falls for the older man. The townsfolk hire Matt to be their new sheriff, and Matt chooses Davey to be his deputy, but trouble is on the horizon.

I liked this western despite its faults, which include some script implausibilities and a flabby final act. It was really nice seeing Cagney in something new to me, as there are now only three of his movies that I have not seen. He's a little thick around the middle but he still has screen presence in spades, and he seems natural in the western setting for a change. John Derek is someone I would never call a favorite, but he fit his role well. Lindfors was lovely and low key. One of the best things about this movie is the spectacular Colorado location cinematography, with director Ray making the most of the VistaVision format.

This was the last film of character actor Jean Hersholt, he of the eponymous Humanitarian Oscar. I was also moved by the appearance of early 1930's leading man Grant Withers. His major studio stardom was short-lived and he later moved over to Republic Pictures, mainly thanks to lifelong friend John Wayne. By 1955, Withers was in ill health, and despite only being 50, he looked a good 15 years older here. Here he has a small role as a bandit leader and shares his one big scene with Cagney. Cagney had made his film debut in 1930 in Sinners' Holiday in support of Withers, who was a leading man at the time.

"Run for cover" occupies a curious place in Nicholas Ray's brilliant filmography.Sandwiched between "Johnny Guitar" and "Rebel without a cause,it suffered accordingly.They say Ray himself disliked it.And however,in "Run for cover" he opened up as he never did before.

In "knock on any door" ,Ray had already displayed a "father" -"son" relationship between Bogart and John Derek (who takes on here roughly the same kind of part he played at the beginning of the fifties).Ray would reach his peak with the following work ("Rebel" ) where Plato wanted Jim to be his dad and began to think of a new family with his pal and Judy.

Davey is a tragic character .He seems to be born under a bad sign ,he is known to have a very bad reputation wherever he goes.It's obvious in the scene of the train:whereas Matt (Cagney) wants to give the money back to the town,Davey is thinking of the life he could lead if this loot were his.

Matt knows that Davey needs someone to become a man .Alone he would walk on crutches .His leg is a transparent metaphor.Maybe he thinks of a new family he would rebuild with Helga (Viceca Lindfords).The relationship between the mature man and the Swede is full of tenderness and human warmth,a permanent feature in Ray's canon (see the lovers of "they live by night" and the teenagers in " Rebel without a cause".Like Jeff in "lusty man",Matt had a raw deal and he wants to make the best of the years which he's still got to live.Jeff will help Wes become a man in the cruel world of rodeo,but it's a different matter with Davey Bishop (what a surname!).

It's remarkable that violence appears twice after scenes depicting children: the first time when Matt is making a wooden gun for a boy ;the second time in the church as a choir of little boys and girls is singing a canticle to praise the Lord.

"Rebel without a cause" is probably Ray's most underrated work.Davey remains his most moving character ;without any mawkishness ,the director paints the picture of the rebel with a cause,who cannot understand why he should work for eight dollars a week when there's plenty of money to take.

The last line is my favorite in any Ray movie.In its own special way,it preserves the viewer from despair.

Not a terribly deep western, but a satisfying one that makes some decent social commentary. Unfortunately, this is a VistaVision film, but the copy I saw was in Academy ratio. So I can't comment too much on the cinematography... I'll just say I didn't see anything there that hinted at greatness. I'm not the world's biggest Cagney fan, however I liked his performance here as a man of upstanding integrity. This might also be the film's biggest weakness, the protagonist is a little too perfect. But he's a hero that's enjoyable to watch interact with those around him, especially those of lesser character. The supporting roles by John Derek and Viveca Lindfors are unremarkable but solid. The movie keeps things moving at a steady pace, maybe too steady but quite watchable. There are a couple of interesting surprises as well. There are certainly better westerns out there, but you could do a whole lot worse.