Dan Ballard, a respected citizen in the western town of Silver Lode, has his wedding interrupted by four men led by Ned McCarty, an old acquaintance who, as a US Marshal, arrests Ballard for the murder of his brother and the theft of $20,000. Ballard seeks to stall McCarty while tracking down evidence that will prove his innocence.
Filón de plata, Quatre étranges cavaliers, La campana ha suonato, Stadt der Verdammten, Homens Indomáveis, 银矿, سیلورادو ( شهر نقره ایی )
USANR
USA
Doesn’t even bother to disguise its communist/McCarthyism allegory, naming the villainous marshal McCarty and having the protagonist denounce the mob for “judging people by lists” at the finale, plus the fact it’s all set right before July 4th. But the fact is Dwan sells his allegory damn well, perhaps with a bit more arsenic than High Noon (if less grace—Kelly or otherwise) and a lot more plot. Film is a very strange cat and mouse game as Ballard does everything he can to clear his name except speak the truth honestly, as “no one will believe me.” Plenty of delightful cinematic moments that feel like Dwan’s doing: a truly awesome tracking shot shootout, a great little hold on Dolores Moran…
After watching several of the Western entries spoken about in his “Personal Journey Through American Movies,” I’m convinced Martin Scorsese is a camp king.
“Silver Lode” is a spiritual genre partner to “Duel in the Sun,” which Scorsese speaks of fondly as the first movie he remembers seeing in a theatre. Both were apparently fundamental to imbuing one of the greatest ever directors with a love of cinema.
Both are also unbelievably hokey.
You know “Lode” is going to commit to its own silliness when the glamorous Lizbeth Scott first shows up in it riding in a carriage while wearing a bright pink tulle dress. It looks like something that Molly Ringwald would have worn to prom in a John…
CERCA DE ALLAN DWAN
Es realmente increíble. Cada vez que echo un vistazo (y eso es un decir, cada vez que contemplo intensamente) un par de películas de Dwan me asombra más y más lo poco reconocido que sigue siendo su talento. Y me parece tan evidente que es uno de los grandes genios de la dirección cinematográfica que no comprendo las razones de la ceguera dominante acerca de él. Por supuesto, es el verdadero maestro subterráneo, que nunca ha puesto en primer término su punto de vista ni su estilo, ni se ha promocionado a sí mismo. Y sin embargo, a nadie que mire y piense un poquito se le puede escapar cómo en sólo 87 minutos, aunque con…
Competently and creatively directed by Allan Dwan, Silver Lode is a western which is conceivably the high point of the filmmaker's filmography which includes over one hundred and forty-seven westerns he helmed over four decades commencing in nineteen eleven. Formed from a robust screenplay by Karen DeWolf and delightfully engaging cinematography by the terrific John Alton (The Big Combo), the film delivers substantial usage of its limited sets, props and location. Dwan manipulates angled shooting to commandeer the appearance of a whole town with the merest of backgrounds which represents the overall propensity of the film, and it feels substantially removed from many of the low budget westerns he's generally associated with, some of which starred Ronald Reagan. This is an entertaining film where the varied camera tilts accentuate character loyalties, and it is plainly a critical commentary on McCarthyism.
Há muita coisa impressionante aqui, mas a circularidade dos eventos e os retornos circunstanciais às casas, ao saloon, ao celeiro... Verdadeiros ciclos epistemológicos. Os cenários como pontos cardeais de um diagrama mutante através dos quais corpos vagueiam com suas vontades oscilantes de vida ou de morte. Uma geometria dos espaços reduzidos que surgem e somem e reaparecem para desaparecer, num percurso em espiral traçado pela ação e sujeito aos desejos errantes dos homens, com as imagens sempre ressignificadas. Um teto vira toca e uma mesa se torna escudo e um barril um disfarce e o telégrafo o suposto juiz de uma existência, com a profusão do longo travelling lateral sendo superada apenas pela linha vertical que os cadáveres descrevem quando…
Cinema contemporâneo (espero perder uns cinco seguidores com esta postagem).
A western drowned by cold sweat and overlapping lies. 4th of July, the best day for a McCarthyist witch hunt: blind turmoil amidst mediatic control of public opinion, on the dangers of communitarian belief and private trust. Dwann’s control of tension and sense for rhythm makes this a rollercoaster of emotions, and the script’s very intelligent discourse is really breathtaking.
Our house move and my work patterns are destroying me both physically and mentally right now. 12 hour nightshifts, trying to catch enough sleep to function properly, and the joys of riding a motorcycle to work in December has challenged me towards insanity. Constantly tired, cold and wet traveling home, and then being faced with the numerous issues a new house entails, time for watching films has been at a premium. I've also decided that rewatches are the order of the day right now, as concentrating fully on a new release in my weakened state would be pointless. So back into my collection I go, and Allan Dwan's Silver Lode, featuring Dan Duryea and the lovely Lizabeth Scott.
This Technicolor…
There’s a lot of overlap between this and Andre DeToth’s Riding Shotgun, made during the same year. Both feature towns that turn on one of their own with minimal reason or pressure, and both play upon the very slight possibility that our hero might just be as bad as the worst of the stories suggest.
Here, the accused man is Dan Ballard (John Payne) who finds his wedding (his fiancé is played by the criminally underused Lizabeth Scott) interrupted by Marshal Fred McCarty and his deputies, carrying a warrant for Ballard’s arrest on a murder charge. It quickly becomes clear that there’s something shady about the marshal — we as viewers knew it immediately, since he’s played by Dan Duryea…
There are some Western actors that can be relied upon time and time again to entertain, and Dan Duryea is certainly one of them. Although never a major star, Duryea carved himself a fine career as a supporting actor, most notably as villains in Westerns or noirs in the 1940's and 1950's. He had one of those faces, had one of those smiles, and a glint in his eye that suggested mischief. Tall and gangly, he suited the roles thrown his way by Jesse Hibbs, George Sherman, and even Anthony Mann, and his skill in supporting the likes of Audie Murphy and James Stewart in various films did his reputation no harm at all. Duryea made a lot of films,…
Existe uma cidade plena de celebração que é desmontada apenas pela presença de um personagem: o Fred McCarty de Dan Duryea. Fácil entender que esse homem significa problema, pois está escrito tanto em sua testa quanto na câmera. Consegue jogar toda uma cidade contra uma pessoa, transformando a celebração do quatro de julho em uma sanha à bala por um homem. Porém, nada é simples em Dwan e seu aviso é de que tudo é ambíguo. Desconfie do ponto de vista estabelecido e não se deixe enganar pelo artifício. Duas frases que poderiam muito bem constar numa provável lápide de Dan Ballard, o protagonista do filme interpretado por John Payne.
Essa ambiguidade será apenas desmistificada por um ângulo de câmera.…
Basicamente um “A History of Violence” sobre o macartismo.
Pra além do comentário político, o filme estabelece uma relação muito interessante com o pacto ficcional. A comunidade que precisa escolher no que acreditar. O espectador que, até certo ponto, é conservado dentro de uma ambiguidade sobre os fatos da história.
Mesmo a resolução no ato final lida com esse ideia. O documento que é forjado para depois ser legitimado pela mensagem real. Ele articula um jogo muito econômico em vários sentidos (tudo se passa em um dia e em um espaço limitado), mas está constantemente jogando com as possibilidades dos fatos que estão implícitos ali.
