The Man from Colorado
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Movie Reviews of The Man from Colorado
Movie Review: The Man From Colorado 1948
Summary: 5 Stars
Glenn Ford (1916-2006) Delivers a mesmerish performance as Owen Devereux , a sadistic civil war veteran who has deep-rooted psychological damage due to his experience during the war . William Holden (1918-1981) is oustanding as Del Stewart , Devereux's marshal and ex-army pal who tries to restrain the judge's violent nature . When Devereux's psyhotic behaviour force the town's people to take up arms against him , the former friend are pitted against each other in a brutal conflict with fatal consequences . The suspense never falters in acclaimed director Henry Levin (1908-1980) tighly woven tale which delves into devastating psycohological effects of war .Movie Review: Very good, early Ford/Holden western
Summary: 4 Stars
Moody western set in post Civil War Colorado. Glenn Ford stars as the tightly wound Union colonel who, immediately after the war ends, returns home and is elected judge for his corner of Colorado. Ford's first official action is to appoint best friend William Holden a federal marshal.
THE MAN FROM COLORADO begins a little before these happy ceremonies take place, though. The movie opens with Colonel Ford forming his men into line of battle against a small contingent of whipped confederates. At least we in the audience, and Ford with his field glasses, know they're whipped - we both see them waving the white flag of surrender. Even so, Ford orders the cannons to open fire, and the enemy forces are annihilated. Okay, so Ford ISN'T going to play the hero in this one. The likelier candidate, Ford's aide Holden, finds the white cloth tied to the end of a bayonet after the `battle', puts two and two together, and promptly buries the evidence before anyone else can see it. All this happens in the movie's first five minutes, so these aren't spoilers.
The emotional core of the movie is the Holden/Ford relationship. Holden's friendship with and loyalty to his old commander, and life long friend, is severely tested by Ford's increasingly erratic, and violence prone, behavior. The movie's engine can be found in a secondary plot thread. After mustering out, the enlisted men in Ford's old regiment find their gold claims have been - legally but unethically - taken over by a big mining concern. The mine owners have grown fat and rich while the men were off fighting, and the owners attempt to use the law, through their newly appointed judge, to hold and retain their ill-gotten pelf. There's fodder enough in that situation for two western's worth of violent conflict, and the movie delivers plot-wise.
I liked THE MAN FROM COLORADO, but I don't think it's a classic, and I'm not going to put it into the heavy rotation, Must Rewatch file. It's probably more than an interesting coincidence that this movie about displaced and cheated Civil War veterans was made and released four short years after the end of World War II. The movie stops just short of endorsing the violent and illegal acts committed by the mis-used vets. Plus there's something brave, or courageous, about a movie from that era that'll set up a plot with a scene of a war crime committed by an officer in the US Army, a crime the officer is never brought to justice for committing. Another of the movie's strength is Holden's character, who moves from wary loyalty to disillusionment and beyond, is well conceived and wholly credible. The weakest link in this movie is also its boldest creation played by, arguably, the movie's best actor. Don't get me wrong, Glenn Ford was very good at playing moody, introspective characters, and he IS very convincing playing someone trying to keep a lid on his explosively violent temper. The problem he is that's ALL he plays. The movie spends no time showing Ford at ease, so it's up to Holden and Ellen Drew (wasted here as Ford's bride and underdeveloped triangle love interest of Holden) - it's up to these two to tell Ford "he's changed" and for us to believe them. Blah - the movie's in the showing, not the telling. As interesting as villains can be, they usually aren't when their kettle's on the boil 24/7. The movie tells us, rather than shows us, that the Ford character went bad and the war done it to him. As fine an actor as Ford was, he can't escape a tediously imagined character. Granted, it's a quibble to complain about Ford's character's one-dimensionality, but with so many other pieces in place it's a frustrating disappointment. Instead of great, THE MAN FROM COLORADO is just very good.
Movie Review: Stark, psychological Western with great performances.
Summary: 4 Stars
The Man From Colorado(1948) is one of the first Noir/Adult Westerns of the post-war period. Where the first wave in the late thirties and early forties had a very epic and fun feel, this second wave was alot more psychological, dark and depressing.
This film is in many ways a subtly made anti-war picture that is a clear allegory on the War that had just wrapped up a few years prior to this film. It may be the very first Hollywood film to deal with what we know now as "Post-Tramautic Stress Disorder" and it's reflection here is intelligent and disturbing.
In the picture, Glenn Ford plays a Union Cournal who is slowly losing his mind, evidenced in the opening shots as he orders the deaths of an entire platoon of Confederate soldiers who have raised a white flag. The war ends that very day and him and his command return home. Ford and his men are treated to a warm welcome and the town appoints Ford as Judge of the area. William Holden, his best friend and his second in command, acts as Federal Marshall.
However, carpetbaggers have stolen the land and gold mines of many of his returning troop and Ford sides with the men who took the mines, causing many of the men to resort to robbery and violence to regain there rights. Ford becomes tyrannical and the strain becomes too much for both Holden and his newly-wed wife(Ellen Drew) who feel they must stop the madman from his own personal vengeance and mania.
Ford's performance is chilling and very real. His calm demeanor makes his bursts of violence all the more upsetting and creepy. Holden offsets him well as his Best Friend, who knows too well that his friend is long gone.
Drew dosen't have as much to do as she should, but makes the most of her part as the love interest of both men and her compassion for Ford is touching and adds more to his Drama. Edgar Bucchanan is memorable as the town doctor, who along with Holden, suspects the worst of Ford, especially after a confrontation with a Confederate Officer in the streets turns bloody.
This is an intelligent and well written western overall. If there are any faults, it's pace quickens too much towards the conclusion and the plot is wrapped up so simply and unfortunately, conventionally. No one can deny that the finale is very cinematic and certainly symbolic, but the journey there could have used some more insight and padding.
These are minor quibbles however of what is essentially a very fine first class Western.
Extras include several trailers and one for this film. The print quality is decent, but it would have been nice to have some commentary for this overlooked gem.
Movie Review: The Man From Colorado
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a taut, well crafted psychological western directed by Henry Levin. The Man From Colorado assembles some of the same cast from Texas. The Man From Colorado was released eight years after Texas & is a better movie. The two films have similarities in plot: William Holden & Glenn Ford are friends from the civil war, they both love the same woman & they end up in conflict with one another. It's there the similarities end; where Texas had a more lighthearted touch, The Man From Colorado is unrelenting & quite serious. The Man From Colorado was released in 1948, just three short years since the end of WWII. Many of the themes examined in this film were affecting the veterans of that brutal war.
Col. Owen Devereaux (Glenn Ford) leads a small detachment of volunteers in Colorado. At the very close of the war (the opening scene of the film) Col. Devereaux has an even smaller band of Confederates trapped. The Rebs raise a white flag but Devereaux orders his cannon to fire killing all except for the Confederate commanding office who escapes without anyone noticing. Capt. Del Stewart (William Holden) is Devereaux's second in command & friend for years. Capt. Stewart finds the white flag, choosing to bury it & not raise any issues. Stewart has suspected for a while that his best friend has been adversely affected by the war but chooses to remain silent & stand beside him. There's also a scene in which Devereaux is writing in his diary questioning his own sanity & his lust for killing.
The conflicts between Devereaux & Stewart are obvious but well done. They escalate throughout the film until the final showdown. Devereaus becomes more & more deranged & less in control of his urges until he sets fire to a town that jeopardizes many innocent people just so he can root out Stewart.
One of the most interesting facets of this film is the appearance of Glenn Ford. There's something about his face & head that's completely different from his normal appearance. I recognize the difference in his hair style but can't figure out what the other subtle differences are, even his eyes seem to set closer together. The Man From Colorado is a very good film, one of Ford's finer efforts in his early career.
Movie Review: Unconventional Western
Summary: 4 Stars
Henry Levin's post-Civil War western, shot in Techincolor, features real-life best friends Glenn Ford and William Holden (both RIP) as former Union officers who find themselves on opposite sides after Owen Devereaux (Ford) becomes town judge, and who begins to abuse his power to punish anyone who opposes him. Del Stewart (Holden) is made town marshal but he sees that his friend is slipping more and more into insanity (which today would be referred to as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), brought on by his experiences during the war. Enemy lines are drawn more strongly as Devereaux marries Carolyn (Ellen Drew), with whom Stewart is also in love. As Owen's mind deteriorates and his madness intensifies, the town is thrown into a uproar and his sadistic, murderous tendencies only grow. Of course, there has to be a showdown that only one man can win.
Ford's son has referred to this film as "an oddball production", perhaps because it was a rarity of the time, a psychological western. As Ford served in WW2, he had many of his own experiences to draw from; as offbeat of a role this is for him (similar to his Don Jose in "The Loves Of Carmen" of the same year, he sports the same longer hairstyle, but the gray on his temples here doesn't quite give the distinguished effect that was intended), he portrays a tortured, jealous man quite well, never more evident in the scenes paranoia sets in, thinking that his wife loves Del and not him. Ellen Drew is effective in her role, although I find her much easier to believe as Holden's love interest, but after seeing Ford with Rita Hayworth, the chemistry would be hard to compare. Different but compellingly watchable, and interesting to see these lifelong friends on screen together for the second and last time (they previously costarred in "Texas", in 1941), in another worthy addition to the Columbia Classics collection. With the recent passing of Glenn Ford, this is another film that adds richness and variety to his legacy.