The hell of the red mountains

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Movie
German title The hell of the red mountains
Original title Red Mountain
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1952
length 84 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Wilhelm Dieterle
script John Meredyth Lucas
George W. George
George F. Slavin
production Hal B. Wallis
music Franz Waxman
camera Charles Lang Jr.
cut Warren Low
occupation

The hell of the red mountains (original title: Red Mountain) is an American western from 1952 directed by Wilhelm Dieterle . The leading roles are cast alongside Alan Ladd with Lizabeth Scott , Arthur Kennedy and John Ireland .

action

“1865: The Confederacy of the Southern States was nearing its end after the losses suffered by General Sherman in the Shenandoah Valley . The armies of the north strove towards the inevitable victory ... But in the vast no man's land of the west, fate was not yet sealed. There General Quantrill , a master of guerrilla tactics, tried to realize his dream of the victory of the south in the battle in the red mountains. "

When the ore inspector Jim Braden is shot dead in Broken Bow, the men of the small town suspect from the cartridge found that it was the rebel Lane Waldron. Together with Marshal Roberts, they pursue him and take him prisoner. Waldron denies the allegation and says that he only wanted Braden to estimate gold that he had found. At the last second, Waldron already has the rope around his neck, someone shoots the rope and Waldron's horse goes through with him. A wild chase begins, but without result for the pursuers. His savior introduces himself to Waldron as Brett Sherwood. The men assure each other that they want to forget the ruling war . It turns out that Sherwood shot Braden. Waldron wants him to surrender. Sherwood refuses, however, ties Waldron and rides away. Chris, Waldron's bride, frees him from his predicament, and together they pursue Sherwood and after a while catch him. They want to take Sherwood to Broken Bow. A conversation reveals that both men feel they belong to the Confederate States of America . Chris, however, assures Sherwood that her fiancé has nothing more in mind with the southern states , that he has realized what they really are, mean and cowardly murderers. Chris lost her family to the war, as did Sherwood. When Chris asks why the south is not finally making peace, Sherwood replies that the southern states would not surrender, never. As the night progresses, Sherwood turns the situation in his favor. Waldron breaks his leg in a men's fight. A violent thunderstorm forces the three to seek shelter in a cave. The next morning, when a cavalry patrol passed the valley of the Red Mountains, Sherwood went there and was greeted by General Quantrill, who had requested him because he was a good tactician. The troops wear the uniform of the enemy. Quantrill explains to him how he intends to proceed, Sherwood says thoughtfully that he has set his goal very far. Quantrill also has many Indians in his retinue, one only has to understand how to exploit them, later one can still see, is his opinion.

When Quantrill tries to shoot Waldron because of a failed maneuver, Sherwood saves his life again by telling Quantrill about his gold discovery and that he knows a place where more can be found. You could use that to buy rifles and equipment for further combat. For Sherwood it is becoming more and more clear that Quantrill acts for selfish motives. But also Quantrill trusts Capt. Brett Sherwood no longer. Meanwhile, Dr. Terry has been brought under threat of violence from Broken Bow, who is supposed to restore Waldron to the point where he is able to provide information about where the pot of gold is. Quantrill frankly explains to Sherwood that he will have the prisoners shot shortly. This is the last occasion for the captain to stand up against Quantrill. Unfortunately, the endeavor to have the Doctor ride back to Broken Bow for help goes wrong. He is cruelly killed. Sherwood decides to give it a try and find the much needed help. He manages to get through to Broken Bow and convince the men there to come with him. In addition, reinforcements are requested to come directly to the red mountains. With united strength, it is possible to beat Quantrill's people. But a bitter fight is still pending, the one between Quantrill and Sherwood, who is injured by the latter. Waldron, aware that he lost Chris to Sherwood, does not survive any of this and even undertakes to kill Jim Braden. Sherwood, however, tells the Marshal what it really was like. Before the civil war broke out, Braden illegally appropriated a large amount of gold that belonged to him. When he faced him, the officer was the first to pull the gun. Roberts says he's not the first to steal from Braden. From Chris, who watches over his stretcher, Sherwood learns that the South capitulated two weeks ago and that American unity has been restored.

Production notes and background

The exterior shots of this Paramount Pictures production were filmed (with interruptions) from January to May 1950 in Gallup (New Mexico) . The interior shots were taken from October 25 to November 29, 1950 at Paramount Studios Hollywood. Red Mountain premiered in New York (Globe) on April 25, 1952, and opened in Los Angeles on May 30, 1952 . In the Federal Republic of Germany, The Hell of the Red Mountains was first shown in cinemas on September 4, 1952 in Berlin (crank).

The working title of the film was Quantrell's Raiders . The name Quantrill has been misspelled almost everywhere in the American media, namely Quantrell. Burt Lancaster and Wendell Corey , who appeared in Wallis' three later films, were cast for roles in this film, according to The Hollywood Reporter . Corey, who suffered from liver inflammation, was replaced by John Ireland in late October 1950. Gilbert Roland and Charlton Heston were also in discussion for the film . As extras for Red Mountain were Navajo - Indians hired from a nearby reserve, one of them took over the role of interpreter. John Farrow , who is also partly named as the director of this film, only took over the substitution of Dieterle for a few days when he was canceled due to a virus infection.

History: William Clark Quantrill (1837–1865) was a notorious partisan leader in the Civil War . He was the founder of the initially irregular guerrilla group Quantrill's Raiders , which was characterized by particular brutality and ruthlessness. During the American Civil War, the unit was recognized by the government of the Confederate States of America ( Southern States ) as an official auxiliary force of the Confederate Army. Quantrill died in June 1865 from serious injuries sustained in a gunfight with a Northern unit in March.

criticism

Cinema's conclusion on "William Dieterle's only excursion into the western genre (apart from the co-director of ' Duel in der Sonne ')" was: "A little confused, but fast-paced."

The lexicon of international films saw the tense relationship between two men from the warring civil war camps as an amalgamation of the plot that took place in the final phase of the American Civil War, and certified the film: “A combative western with an authentic historical core ( 'Quantrill's Raiders' ), in a painterly design with good actors and magnificent color photography. "

Bosley Crowther of the New York Times wrote that if you can forget that the film does not take history exactly, you can experience an "exciting film". Crowther went on to say that Alan Ladd played his part with great ease and the grace of a gentleman who asked for tea. John Ireland's portrayal of the Quantrill as a dark villain with unpredictable moods was also highlighted. Arthur Kennedy, as a renegade gold digger, had the limitation that he would spend most of his time twitching painfully because of his broken leg.

Dennis Schwartz said that there were no surprises in this film, but that it was worth seeing and the price of admission. There are villains in abundance in the film. His favorite is Jeff Corey, the soldier who wants to rape Chris, where she shoots him in self-defense.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wilhelm (William) Dieterle - actor, director . In: CineGraph - Lexikon zum Deutschsprachigen Film , Lg. 22, F 37 f.
  2. ↑ Red Mountain , original print information at TCM - Turner Classic Movies (English)
  3. ↑ Red Mountain , Notes at TCM (English)
  4. ↑ The hell of the red mountains. Western about the legendary Quantrill's Raiders. In: cinema.de. Retrieved July 19, 2015 .
  5. ↑ The hell of the red mountains. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed September 10, 2018 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  6. ↑ Bosley Crowther: Red Mountain. In: New York Times. April 26, 1952, accessed July 19, 2015 .
  7. ↑ Dennis Schwartz: There's nothing special about this oater. In: homepages.sover.net. Retrieved July 19, 2015 .