Terreur dans la vallée

GUN GLORY reminds me once again what a pleasure it is to watch Stewart Grainger and Rhonda Fleming. Grainger took a relaxed approach to his roles, much like Van Johnson but without as much smugness. Grainger plays a family man who has become a drifter, a gambler and a gunfighter. Coming home after learning the futility of "chasing rainbows," he returns to his ranch, only to discover his wife is dead and his son wants no part of him. He hires Rhonda Fleming to keep house for him, and she works to bring father and son together. Fleming is, without doubt, the most beautiful and shapely redhead to ever grace the movie screen (yes, including Maureen O'Hara). Here, once again, she proves she can act as well. It's a pity Hollywood didn't take her more seriously. All of the adults are top notch; however, the actor who play the son is only OK, and the actor who plays the young gunfighter is laughably bad. Top acting honor goes to Chill Wills as a wise, nonjudgemental reverand. Exquisitely photographed in Metrocolor and Cinemascope, GUN GLORY is always easy to watch. The story could have used a few more twists, and the climax seems a bit too easy. However, this is a movie that can, for the most part, be enoyed by the entire family.

Gunslinger Tom Early (Stewart Granger) returns to his hometown without much welcome. His beloved wife is dead and his abandoned son is angry with him. Most in town ostracizes him. Only Jo (Rhonda Fleming) shows him any acceptance. Cattle baron Grimsell and his thugs run roughshot over the the town and he's the only one who has the ability to fight back.

I really like the story of the returning gunslinger. The son is an issue. He's written all over the place and the acting is really broad. The melodrama gets a bit much. On the other hand, Rhonda Fleming is great. I also like the Priest character and his flaws. As for Tom Early himself, I like the idea of the character. I imagine Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven. Stewart Granger is not as hard as that, but he's good enough. The ending has some of that. I would like it to be harsher. All in all, the story is great western fare with a simple confrontation and some minor issues.

The story of peace-loving farmers and townspeople fighting for land, water, law and order, and the respect and ultimate subjugation of the long entrenched cattle interests and their hired guns had been worked over better in earlier (Shane) and probably later films as well. There's some good action scenes and the general layout of the story, excluding a disappointing ending, is well executed. Law and order and religion have established roots in the town, but the old order of cattle drives, cowboys, and gunslingers is still around as well. The clash of the two occurs in a nicely staged ambush scene where the townsmen ride right into a trap. Granger, an ex-gunfighter, plays the guy who is shunned by the very townspeople who need his expertise with a gun.

Highly watchable Western about confrontation between cattlemen and homesteaders . This Western is a superior outing because it displays emotion , shoot'em up , brawls , intrigue , riding pursuits and many other things . It deals with Tom Early (Stewart Granger) , a gunfighter and card player returns home after thee years to find the town would rather not have him . In his farm Tom finds his surly son Tom Early Jr. (Steve Rowland , director's son) who lives alone . As the cattlemen led by Grimsell (James Gregory) threaten to destroy it by stampeding cattle through the farmlands . Early regains the town's respect when he stops a murderer from invading the town with his cattle herd . At the grocery Tom meets Sam , the shopkeeper grocer (Jacques Aubuchon), who humiliates his labourer Jo (gorgeous Rhonda Fleming) . As Tom is fighting to stifle the conflicts between homesteaders and cattlemen who hire gunfighters . In the meantime , it is developed a loving triangle between the daddy Tom , his son and a good girl (Rhonda Fleming) . At the end , Tom has to face various professional killers alone , after being abandoned to his fate by the gutless townspeople who disagrees with taking up weapons .

The movie gets Western action , shootouts , a love story , thrills and results to be quite entertaining . It's a medium budget film with good actors , technicians , production values and pleasing results . It's an exciting western with breathtaking gunfight between the brave protagonist Stewart Granger against the heartless James Gregory and his nasty hoodlums ; in addition , a stirring ending fight into a narrow pass , including explosion and a spectacular stampede . This movie is a lot of fun to watch . It's an acceptable story with a touch of peculiarity , some great characters , and an amazing music score . Here filmmaker Roy Rowland delivers a decently-paced film , however he could be counted on to deliver solid "B" pictures which, at MGM , were often better than most other studios' "A" pictures . Interesting as well as moving screenplay by William Ludwig and uncredited Ben Maddow , being based on novel: "Man of the West" by the prestigious Philip Yordan . The picture is a tale of justice , redemption and about a particular relationship between a gunslinger father and a grumpy son . The basic plot is typical classic Western fare , but what makes this movie stand out is its style . Nice acting by Stewart Granger as the relentless Pistolero turned farmer , he is the ultimate hero figure , his sheer presence overwhelming . This ¨Gun glory¨ seems to be one the most exciting of his long career . Although Granger was tops at Britain's box office during the Forties , he was taken by Hollywood and a whole group of Westerns and other posse of adventures , action movies to turn Stewart into an international star . Support cast is pretty well , such as Chill Wills as Preacher , James Gregory , Jacques Aubuchon and the young Steve Rowland who usually plays films directed by his father , Roy Rowland . Colorful cinematography in glamorous Technicolor , showing splendidly the spectacular outdoors . Adequate musical score by Jeff Alexander , including a wonderful theme song , being sung by the notorious actor Burl Ives .

The motion picture was well directed by Roy Rowland . Roy sharpened his directing chops at MGM with a series of shorts starting in the 1930s, then moved up to features in 1943 . Roy spent quite a bit of time at the studio, from 1943-51 and again from 1954-58 ; he had the good fortune to marry the niece of Louis B. Mayer and was the father of actor Steve Rowland . While not one of the studio's top-rank directors , he was a good professional who had a considerable success . Most were B-movies, but he occasionally handled such A-graders . His greatest hit was , of course , the fantasy movie titled The 5000 fingers of Dr T (1953) . Rowland made an action picture for independent release based on a Mickey Spillane "Mike Hammer" novel starring Spillane himself (Girl hunters (1963)) . He specialized in a variety of genres, including musicals : ¡Viva Las Vegas! (1956) The seven hills of Rome (57) , Two weeks with love (50) and dramas : Our wines have tender grapes 45 with Edward G Robinson (1945). He was also responsible for the tough, fast-paced Rogue Cop (1954), one of the few MGM films that could be considered "film noir" . Roy was a Western expert , as the last film he made at MGM was this "B" western with Stewart Granger, Gun Glory (1957) ; besides , he filmed Outriders with Joel McCrea , Bugles in the afternoon with Ray Milland and Many rivers to cross with Robert Taylor ; after which and then he traveled to Europe for a string of Spanish/Italian-made westerns such as Los Pistoleros De Casa Grande and Ley Del Forastero . His final film as director was a somewhat cheesy pirate movie (he was uncredited ; his Italian co-director Sergio Bergonzelli got sole credit) called El Tigre De Los 7 Mares and its sequel : Tormenta Sobre el Pacífico (1966) . He was associate producer on Nathan Juran's Spain-shot Western : Al Infierno, gringo (1969), after which he retired .

Westerns were in fashion after the surprise smash of "Fastest Gun Alive", 1956.

"Gun Glory" opens with a gunfighter (Stewart Granger), facing community rejection upon returning home to settle down... He finds his wife dead and his son resentful...

Granger's personal magnetism is fair enough to carry a tedious story... He manages to be quiet fast in the gun... Strong, warm, sure and tender while remaining a father and a man in love...

Rhonda Fleming comes out graceful but her character loses some of its translation to Western lead... She seems more comfortable with her lighthearted love interest...

Despite a few pretentious action moments, "Gun Glory" - photographed in color and CinemaScope - is, on the whole, good only for its two stars...