Le cercle de feu

Love it I am from Shelton Washington and even tho Oregon gets the credit and the opening I remember as a child watching it be made here in Mason County. My Dad was the real sheriff then and Ron Marston actually used his badge and hat in the movie and I have camped at the falls where they camped at the falls. A lot of Dad's deputies were in the film along with some of the people of the town. This movie holds a special place in my heart and I will always be partial to it. Even though it may be a B rated movie with lots of mistakes it shows what a beautiful country we have up her with the mountains. The actors did one heck of a job portraying their characters.

Just caught this little gem and I must say, I was quite surprised... and entertained. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a great or even good movie, but what it lacks in acting and direction it more than makes up in well, ingenuity and effort. The basic plot is fine and the story plausible until the protagonists emerge from the forest and all hell breaks loose. There's a forest fire of massive proportions, an evacuation of equally massive proportions and disaster upon disaster. The bad guys buy it the good ones survive the good townspeople get away. What was amazing though is how many people crowded that little Rocky Mountain town. And the cars, they must have each owned a dozen. During the evacuation people kept running around, cars kept honking, and they all kept coming at you, scene after scene, with no letup. It also seemed like other than the three teenage protagonists and our hero, the town was populated by the middle aged and senior citizens. Quite spry I must admit, but where did the younger people go? It looked to me like the producers made the conscious decision to hire older actors. And then there was the forest fire. It was massive, awful, mesmerizing, utterly gigantic in scope. This must have been actual footage of a forest fire. I witnessed an unstoppable force of nature in all its awesome finality.

As for the actors, the three principals were quite good delivering their cornball lines, especially Frank Gorshen and Joyce Taylor. David Janssen was well, David Janssen. Straight faced all the way, little emotion, the picture of composure in the face of utter despair. Gorshen was fun to watch but his character was too one dimensional. Joyce Taylor on the other hand was worth the price of admission. Saucy all the way, dangerously sexy and with more than enough complexity to make her character an interesting standout. And what a fox. I was sorry to discover that her career was quite limited. Nonetheless she impressed me and I'll be looking out for more films with her.

So there you have it. Another bad film that's actually quite fun.

The movie was shot mostly in and around my hometown, Vernonia, Oregon. I was in sixth grade at the time, and I was an extra, one of the townspeople running to catch the escape train. We would run the length of the town center, then walk back six blocks, and do it over and over again. Andrew Stone, the producer/director had a lot of cooperation from the US Army; in the climactic scene of burning the town, there were flamethrowers on top of all the downtown buildings. I had the misfortune of being outside when a soldier was setting off smoke bombs. I couldn't see one foot in front of me. In the 1920's Vernonia had the largest all-electric sawmill in the world. But they cut down all the trees, and the mill closed in 1957. They completely stocked the mill with new lumber for the movie; then they burned it all down. If anyone is interested, Vernonia Sentry Supermarket sells DVD's of the movie, and they will ship.

I've just seen the movie for the first time, on German television that is. Although they dub foreign movies with sometimes strange results (John Wayne and Indians speaking German...), they make sure not to compromise a film's integrity, so atmosphere, sound quality etc. are always perfectly preserved. And I must say, this film, of 1961, managed to do what only few films have in years - the grand finale with the escaping townsfolk made me hold my breath several times and had me moved to the edge of my chair. The rest of the film is also impressive, it all looked so very lifelike. No overacting, no exaggerated pathos, yet at times even poetic. A great film which makes your heart beat faster. And in spite of its age, amidst all the licked special effects block-busters of these days a refreshing experience.

Maurits Reijnen, Amsterdam

I saw "Ring Of Fire" as a kid growing up in Seattle and it stuck with me, though I couldn't remember exactly why. I kept looking and finally found a copy. (hint) You don't have to look too far.

If you want the plot laid out you'll find many great synopsis above and below . My point here is to say that even though it's dated the picture is fast paced and exciting. The characters are all archetypes: "Good Cops" versus "Bad Girl" and "Delinquent Punks" very crudely drawn but you find yourself caring about what happens to them. The other actors look like they might have been pulled in off the streets of Vernonia but it gives the film a realistic feel. The super real color cinematography reminds me of the boxes of Kodak slides and photographs us boomer's have stuffed in closets and attics.

David Janssen stands out as the big hearted cop. His shy mumbling affect is a sharp contrast to his large frame and ruggedly handsome face. Frank Gorshin is creepy as the ringleader and Joyce Taylor is, well, Joyce Taylor. Probably one of the worst actors to ever "grace" the silver screen. Watch her in "Atlantis The Lost Continent" and see if you don't agree. The opening scene with Taylor in the café is as comical as a Carol Burnett skit. Though the acting in this picture could be better it's well worth your time. The ending is very tense and will hold your interest.