Yellow Sky
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Movie Reviews of Yellow Sky
Movie Review: Yellow Sky
Summary: 3 Stars
Gregory Peck was cast against type for his role in Yellow Sky. His character, Stretch, is the leader of a gang of outlaws. It's a gang of seven & they rob a bank in a small Western town getting away with about $6,000. As they're making their escape a cavalry patrol (don't know where they came from) gets in the chase. One outlaw is killed. They're forced to escape across a salt flat that's about 60 miles across. The cavalry patrol decides not to chase them. As Stretch & his band of outlaws trek across the salt flat one outlaw loses his horse. They finally get across the salt flat & stumble upon a ghost town by the name of Yellow Sky ("The fastest growing town in the territory" a sign proclaims). The only inhabitants of the town are an old man & his daughter. To make this short, they have been prospecting for gold & have about &50,000 worth. Of course, the outlaws want it.
Gregory Peck is good in the role of Stretch. Unlike most of Peck's portrayals that are urbane & suave, in Yellow Sky he has a beard & he's dirty. Anne Baxter portrays Mike, the granddaughter, & says Stretch smells bad, worse than an Apache. Other members of the gang include Richard Widmark as Dude, a gambler who wants only one thing: the gold. Dude causes an insurrection within the gang against Stretch. The gang wants the gold but Stretch is more worried about making an escape. John Russell (star of ABC's The Lawman in the late fifties) is a member of the gang also. It's a good role for him also sporting a beard. All he really wants is the woman. The only other member of the gang the general public will be familiar with would be Harry Morgan (Col. Potter of M*A*S*H) as Half-Pint. His role is minor & he also sports a beard.
This isn't a bad movie. It was filmed mostly in Death Valley. Unlike most Hollywood Westerns of this era (1948) it's stark, bleak & dirty. This isn't a romanticized account though the character of Stretch does have a change of heart & direction by the conclusion of the story. The other odd thing about the movie is the lack of a musical soundtrack. Only the beginning & conclusion of the film do we hear any music. This isn't a bad movie but it's not an outstanding one, either. The main attractions are Anne Baxter in an early role & Peck's casting against type. Yellow Sky is the type of movie, if it had been made in the seventies or later, would've really been a gritty & filthy portrayal of realism. The near rape scene of Anne Baxter's character would've been considerably more graphic. It's unfortunate, at times, that today's movie makers don't allow us to use our imaginations more instead of the graphic violence & sex scenes that they show us.
Movie Review: Some standout moments but not great
Summary: 3 Stars
Gregory Peck was a marvelous actor, one of my alltime favorites. I had seen this movie many years ago and remembered loving it. I waited for years and years for it to come out on DVD and when it did, I bought it that day.
Sadly, it was not as terrific as my aging memory wanted it to be. There are some very good moments in the film but it doesn't really hold together all that well. The black and white photography is lovely in spots. Anne Baxter is ravishing as a six-gun-toting miner's daughter. Richard Widmark gives one of his less-grating performances (that's a compliment).
Overall, it's not one I'll watch over and over.
Movie Review: A Good Little Western
Summary: 3 Stars
YELLOW SKY(1949)---Gregory Peck, Richard Widmark, Anne Baxter
Although I'm not a particularly big fan of Gregory Peck, I do like him in this movie. It's a good little western, directed by William Wellman. Peck is the leader of a band of bank robbers on the run. They end up in a "ghost town" called Yellow Sky, which was once a mining center. There they encounter Anne Baxter and her grandfather, who still live in the town and have built up a store of gold. The movie is fast-paced and Widmark plays one of the gang who eventually challenges Peck for leadership of "the boys". If you like westerns, I think you'll enjoy this one.
Movie Review: Disappointing
Summary: 2 Stars
With the talent involved in this film, I had high hopes. But there's a reason why this western can't be found on any "great westerns" or "classic westerns" list: it's not very good. On the plus side, it has some excellent location work in and around Death Valley, some great photography and some striking imagery. The first 30 minutes are very good. But it goes downhill after that, with a story that falls into total predictability and ridiculousness. It's hard to root for the outlaws, and we don't see any redeeming qualities in Gregory Peck until far too late in the story. By then, it's hard to care. There's actually a scene where he explains to Anne Baxter and her grandfather that he's actually a decent guy -- this despite the fact that he's robbed a bank, is willing to let one of his own men die of thirst, and plans to steal all of Baxter's and her grandfather's gold! Yeah, right! The final gunfight is poorly staged with no suspense, and the denouement is beyond ridiculous. There are dozens of fine westerns on DVD, but this isn't one of them. Technically, the transfer is very good. For special features, there are some still galleries, trailers for other films, but no commentary.