Pursued **** (1947, Teresa Wright, Robert Mitchum, Judith Anderson, Dean Jagger, Harry Carey Jr, Alan Hale Sr) – Classic Movie Review 6350

Director Raoul Walsh’s brooding, gritty and very impressive 1947 Western boasts tremendous performances from a fine, off-beat team and startling noir-style black and white cinematography by the masterly James Wong Howe, with breathtaking outdoor shooting at Gallup, New Mexico.

Teresa Wright and Robert Mitchum are excellent, while Judith Anderson is on commanding form as  Ma Callum, the farm family matriarch whose adopted eldest son Jeb Rand (Mitchum) leads the hunt for the killers of his foster father Grant (Dean Jagger). Wright plays Jeb’s foster sister Thor and John Rodney plays her brother Adam.

Niven Busch’s wordy, Freudian-minded screenplay leads to a big, exciting action finish and Walsh directs with an eye for mood, tension, and especially authentic Western atmosphere.

At the centre of it all, the languorous hero Mitchum broods and glowers splendidly.

Also in the cast are Harry Carey Jr, Alan Hale Sr, Clifton Young, Ernest Severn, Charles Bates, Peggy Miller, Norman Jolley, Ray Teal, Ian Wolfe, Lester Dorr, Tom Fadden, Ian MacDonald, Lane Chandler, Elmer Ellingwood, Jack Montgomery, Crane Whitley, Eddy Waller and Virginia Brissac.

Milton Sperling produces for Warner Bros, it is scored by Max Steiner and designed by Ted Smith.

It has gone down in macabre legend as the film The Doors lead singer Jim Morrison watched on the night he died on 3 July 1971.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6350

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com