Perhaps more famous for being the first three strip Technicolor film shot completely on location rather than in the studio, this Henry Hathaway directed vehicle doesn't let the stunning outdoor vistas (shot at the Big Bear area of California) overtake the film's storyline. An engineer (Fred MacMurray) arrives in backwoods country to secure land rights for a railroad company and finds himself smack in the middle of a decades old blood feud between two rival families. Sure, it's a gorgeous looking film but the film's three players: MacMurray, Henry Fonda and Sylvia Sidney (
never looking more beautiful) were still fresh at this early stage of their careers and give natural and appealing performances. There are several winning moments that stand out like Sidney's arrival home after her transformation and emotional peaks like a child's funeral or even Fuzzy Knight's lovely rendering of
Twilight On The Trail. With Beulah Bondi, Nigel Bruce and Fred Stone.
Such a beautiful...and sadly, forgotten...film. My great-great-grandfather was a movie location scout back in the '20s and '30s. I'm told that this is the one he was proudest of.
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