Pursued
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Alan Hale, Dean Jagger, Judith Anderson, Robert Mitchum, Teresa WrightBrand: Lions Gate
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 101 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-01-21
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Republic Pictures
Movie Reviews of Pursued
Movie Review: Enigmatic Mitchum's suspenseful "Western Noir"
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't like most Westerns , but I do think that they did provide much family entertainment 1n the 40's and 50's. The problem with the genre is that it is exceedingly formulaic and simplistic with many stereotypes that at the time mostly everyone accepted: The sub human portrayal of native American as a savage "INJUNS", the portrayal of women as a relatively insignificant submissive "little lady," or as a dance hall girl, often a code word for prostitution.
Probably the worst element is a shameless promotion of shameless "frontierism,' which was only a cover for American imperialism and exceptionalism at the pinnacle of post world war II patriotic optimism (how sweet it was. Often this was not intentional. This was a simpler, somewhat bucolic time, compared today with our moral relativism and a postmodern lack of and dominant narrative (e.g.,a black and white code to live).
This film is different. There are no subjugated native Americans, women are not so submissive (like Joan Crawford in Johnny Guitar) ... Mitchum, who you were never sure if he was a "black hat' kind or "white hat" kind of guy (The Preacher and Cape Fear were exceptions- he was bad to the bone in those), and it seemed he often didn't know himself, a precursor of the identity confusion of our age.
The film combines the dark insecurity of many, soon to be considered un-american film noir's, and the rugged individualism of the- "shoot first and ask questions later"- Western. This was no easy task. "Pursued" is different, and very good and complex.
The Freudian touches, a film noir hallmark, was everywhere in the shadowy dream like texture coupled with Mitchum coming to terms with his
primal scene. Teresa Wright was excellent and multi-dimensional as Mitchum's adopted sister and love interest with her own agenda. Dean
Jagger, who like many noir stars (e. g, Richard Widmark, Richard Basehart, Raymond Burr..), went from being a well played vengeful character here to a mainstream American- high school principal (I thought he was better bad guy) Alan Hale, later the captain in Gilligan's island, played a brother who's sibling rivalry with Mitchum lead to his demise with a burning, jealous, intensity.
The story itself is quite engrossing with an almost too complex plot: a credit to director's Raoul Walsh's mastery. There is a lot of mystery here as well. I would say this was a noir placed in a western setting
(saloon, horses, ranch) with a Hayes act happy ending tagged at the end. The Hayes act happy ending was the only weak part, also an affliction of some of Hitchcock's greatest films. The "white hatted" cowboy, like the later Perry Mason, always, like the pre-Vietnam America, had, and did, win. Mitchum won and did get the girl but he never wore a "white hat or sold out.
This is a hidden gem a for people like myself, who are noir addicts.
It is a rare find, worth every minute of your time. Mitchum, as often, dominates this fascinating film- even though it is a western.
Summary of Pursued
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