Broken Lance (1954)
Broken Lance (1954), directed by Edward Dmytryk.
I had never heard of this before it appeared on Blu-ray. As the commentary track says, it is an example of the lavish results Fox could get with a fine cast and crew and when using Technicolor and the new CinemaScope 2:55:1 aspect ratio.
The story is one of those Shakespeare-in-the-West efforts: a tough patriarch is at war with his older sons. The youngest -- from his second wife, an Indian princess -- is his favorite, and will suffer the most.
The range lands are vast and beautiful, the mansion-sized ranch house rich and comfortable. It has darker elements: race hatred against Indians and half-breeds, murderous anger within the family.
The cast:
Spencer Tracy: tough, inflexible, and pretty good on a horse.
Katy Jurado: only six years older than Robert Wagner who plays her son.
Robert Wagner: skin toned to make him look half-Indian.
Richard Widmark: the eldest, smartest and most ambitious son. Not a villain at first...
Jean Peters: the young love interest and Howard Hughes protégé. She co-starred with Widmark in Pickup on South Street (1953).
Hugh O'Brian and Earl Holliman: the middle sons.
Twilight Time Blu-ray, with an excited, wide-ranging interview on the commentary track between Nick Redman and Earl Holliman, recorded over 60 years after the film was made. Not much about this particular title, but a wealth of good stories.
