|
Rating:  - Women's " liberation " into men's clothes
Robert Taylor's advice addressing the group of 100 future brides is to dress in men's clothes as he tugs on his own pants as a demonstration model. About 2/3 of the women are dressed in " drag " as cowboys while the other 1/3 keep their feminine garb on the wagon train.
Rating:  - Striking and unique Western
Robert Taylor -a prominent male star of its era -gets top billing in this exceptional Western but it it among the small number of genre movies that focuses primarily on women and their role in opening up the West .
It is blessed by having the experienced genre hand William Wellman in the director's chair and also by being able to call on the services of cinematographer William Mellor whose striking monochrome photography shows the rugged landscape to great advantage
It is 1851 and rugged Californian rancher Roy Whitman -played well by John McIntire -hires trail guide Buck Wyatt ( Robert Taylor )to guide a troop of 150 women from Chicago to his ranch to provide brides for his lonely cowhands and other residents of the area .The women who sign up for the venture are a cross section of society ;there is a a robust Massachusetts woman ,the widow of a deep sea fisherman ; a schoolteacher ;an Italian widow and her nine year old son ; a pregnant single woman ;and the main heroine of the movie A Frenchwoman of dubious past Fifi Danon ( Denise Dax ).These -along with many others embark on the perilous journey .Trouble flares with some of the men hired to accompany the party and Tylor does not scruple to enforce his rules reagarding his men who fraternise with the women -death .Most of the crew leave Taylor and the women to go it alone .This is where the movie shifts gear into a tale of a group of outsiders banding together to overcome great odds and the many perils of the trail-Indians , hauling waagons over mountains ,quicksand ,storms and freak accidents .It is greatly helped by having a cast of women who look capable of achieving these odds rather than a colection of people who would appear lost if they were out of sight of the beauty salon
Taylor is good as the misogynistic Wyatt who comes to moderate his views on his charges -" There are only two things that scare me and a good woman is both of them " is a key line from the early part of the picture and is spoken by Wyatt .He comes to regard his charges as great women and demand the waiting men to be worthy of them
It is useful to set this along side the best known wagon train movie John Ford's Wagonmaster which set out to achieve a mythic and archetypal quality ,right down to its self consciously mythologising main title song .The Wellman movie is a great deal more specific in its focus on one particular group and is a worthy tribute to the pioneer women , a group whose role in Western expansion has not received its due from the movie industry
Rating: - Great movie - even if you aren't Gloria Steinham
As a fan of the more "rough-and-tumbleweed" John Wayne and Clint Eastwood westerns, I am almost embarressed to admit that I really like this movie with wall-to-wall women. Most of the reviewers here have focused on the feminist empowerment aspects of this movie, but actually it is an enjoyable film even if your idea of a strong woman is a wife that takes out the trash. (Coincidentally, one of the actresses resembles Bella Abzug.) With a strong story, interesting visuals and enough "women-in-distress" scenes to keep any man interested, this admittedly unusual movie should not be pidgeon-holed as a niche market film.
Rating: - Next time, take the train
An all-girl wagon train? That's the idea, and somebody must have caught the great director William Wellman in a genial mood when he agreed to direct this. It's a measure of his tremendous talent that Wellman actually made something enjoyable out of an utterly absurd script. A motley assemblage of mail-order brides heading to California are abandoned by their hired male teamsters thanks to trail boss Robert Taylor's poor people skills. Instead of high-tailing it back to St. Joe the fiances push on by themselves, with mixed results. Several dozen make it across, however, and face the far greater perils of marrying complete strangers. Taylor, one of Hollywood's most under-rated talents, is absolutely great, and the large female ensemble acquit themselves very well. As usual with a Wellman picture, phenomenal photography.
Rating:  - Not the usual journey West for Robert Taylor.
This film depicts a classic westward journey. Not the usual family voyage, but single women yearning for home and family in a California valley. Their journey begins with the women, the train boss (Robert Taylor), and the men whose work it is to help get the wagon train and the women to their destination. One night, however, all but 4 of the men desert the train. The next morning, the boss decides to "make men out of the women", so they can complete the trip. The struggles, heartaches, and accomplishments of these women are lived out in their quest. The realism of this story is compelling. You, the viewer, will want to revisit this movie often and share it with your family and friends who admire bravery and strength when it shows up in ordinary people.
|
