Saddle the Wind (1958)

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 08/26/2008 Rating: Nr Product Description

Saddle the Wind

Excellent DVD !!!! Sous-titres en français, comme promis !!!! Je suis enchantée de mon achat!!!! MERCI à l'excellent vendeur dont l'envoi fut rapide!!!
Christiane September 30, 2008

Neat Little Western

MGM's 1958 Cinemascope production SADDLE THE WIND is a reasonably good
character driven drama set in the American west just after the Civil War.
With this - his first effort for the big screen - television writer Rod
Serling provided a stylish screenplay concerning sibling rivalry and peppered it with a fair share of psychological undertones. Beautifully photographed in Cinemascope and Metrocolor by George J.Folsey in scenic Colorado it was solidly directed by Robert Parrish.

An ageing Robert Taylor plays ex gunfighter Steve Sinclair who is now - and has been for some years - content in managing a large cattle ranch.
His younger brother Tony (John Cassevetas) arrives back to the ranch one day with his fiance (Julie London) in toe. While he was away he picked up some skill with a six shooter to the chagrin of Steve who becomes very concerned when Tony displays a distinct leaning to be a gunfighter just like he was years ago. To Steve he demonstrates his skill with the quick-draw and his prowess as a marksman. The story quickly develops and really gets nasty when inadvertintly Tony outdraws and kills a gunman in town. The gunman (Charles McGraw) was an old enemy of Steve's who had come looking for him to square an old debt. After another killing by Tony, this time a squatter (Royal Dano) who refuses to move his family off the land, and later the shooting of the kindly land owner (Donald Crisp) it behoves Steve to take some action and do something about his wild and out of hand brother. The picture ends with the two siblings confronting each other in an inevitable and tragic final reel.

A nice neat and entertaining little dramatic western well written and directed with a good cast. Robert Taylor is fine in the leading role but he had been in better westerns than this in the past such as "Westward The Women" (1951) and "Ride Vaquero" (1953). John Cassavetes is excellent as the errant and self absorbed younger brother. But Julie London has little to do in a weak under written part. She gives a very subdued performance in a role that is little more than cosmetic. However, she does give an arresting rendition of the haunting Jay Livingston / Ray Evens title song.
The picture was originally scored by MGM staff composer Jeff Alexander but for some reason his music was rejected and Elmer Bernstein was brought in to rescore it. This was one of Bernstein's early westerns. A
genre he would excel in later after his phenomenal success with his brilliant score for "The Magnificent Seven" in 1960.








September 15, 2008

"Robert Taylor Series ... Saddle the Wind (1958) ... MGM (2008)"

MGM presents "SADDLE THE WIND" (20 March 1958) (84 mins/Color) (Dolby digitally remastered) -- Our story line and plot, Steve Sinclair (Robert Taylor) is a former world-weary former gunslinger, now living as a peaceful rancher --- Things go wrong when his wild younger brother Tony (John Cassavetes) arrives on the scene with his new bride Joan Blake (Julie London) --- when Cassavetes gets a gun for the first time he winds up killing a gunfighter Larry Venables (Charles McGraw) who was looking to kill Taylor --- Cassavetes thinks he is top man around the ranch now and has an itchy trigger finger --- Things get really bad when Clay Ellison, Owner of Strip (Royal Dano) and his family move onto the land and want to put up a fence and things turn violent --- Elmer Bernsteins haunting and driving score fits this oater like a fine glove --- Taylor in one of his best performances gives this film the depth our story deserves.

Under the production staff of:
Robert Parrish - Director
Armand Deutsch - Producer
Rod Serling - Screenwriter
Thomas Thompson - Screen Story
George Folsey - Cinematographer
Jeff Alexander - Composer (Music Score)
Elmer Bernstein - Composer (Music Score)
Ray Evans - Songwriter
Jay Livingston - Songwriter
John McSweeney, Jr. - Editor
Malcolm Brown - Art Director
William Horning - Art Director
Henry W. Grace - Set Designer
Otto Siegel - Set Designer
Helen Rose - Costume Designer

the cast includes:
Robert Taylor ... Steve Sinclair Double S Owner
Julie London ... Joan Blake, Tony's fiancee
John Cassavetes ... Tony Sinclair
Donald Crisp ... Dennis Deneen
Charles McGraw ... Larry Venables, Gunfighter
Royal Dano ... Clay Ellison, Owner of Strip
Richard Erdman ... Dallas Hanson, Saddle Tramp
Douglas Spencer ... Hemp Scribner - Double S Foreman
Ray Teal ... Brick Larson - Deneen's Foreman
Stanley Adams ... Joe, the Bartender
Jay Adler ... Hank, Saloon cleanup man
Wes Fuller ... Cowboy
Nacho Galindo ... Manuelo, Double S Cook
Kelo Henderson ... Cowboy
Lars Henderson ... Jamie
Irene Tedrow ... Mrs. Mary Ellison
Henry Wills ... Cowboy

SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
1. Robert Taylor
Date of Birth: 5 August 1911 - Filley, Nebraska,
Date of Death: 8 June 1969 - Santa Monica, California

2. Julie London
Date of Birth: 26 September 1926 - Santa Rosa, California
Date of Death: 18 October 2000 - Encino, California

3. John Cassavetes
Date of Birth: 9 December 1929 - New York, New York
Date of Death: 3 February 1989 - Los Angeles, California

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- If you're into the memories of B-Westerns with high drama, this is the one you've been anxiously waiting for --- please stand up and take a bow Western Classics --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 84 mins on DVD ~ Warner Home Video ~ (8/26/2008) August 28, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...