The broken lance
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The broken lance |
| Original title | Broken Lance |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1954 |
| length | 98 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Edward Dmytryk |
| script | Richard Murphy |
| production | Sol C. Siegel / Twentieth Century Fox |
| music | Leigh Harline |
| camera | Joseph MacDonald |
| cut | Dorothy Spencer |
| occupation | |
| |
Broken Lance is an American Western by Edward Dmytryk from the year 1954. The film, whose script on a story by Philip Yordan is based, is a remake of the drama of Strangers ( House of Strangers ) by Joseph L. Mankiewicz in 1949 , for which Yordan wrote the script based on the novel I'll Never Go There Any More by Jerome Weidman. The western premiered on July 29, 1954 in New York, and it was released in the US on September 25, 1954. In Germany, the film was released on February 15, 1955. It also appeared under the alternative title Arizona .
action
Joe Devereaux, a half-breed, is released from prison. Shortly afterwards he is appointed governor, who was an old friend of his father's. The governor arranged a meeting with him and his half-brothers Ben, Denny and Mike. Father Matt has died and the ranch is to be divided between the brothers. The brothers offer Joe $ 10,000 if he forgets his stake in the ranch. Joe refuses and makes his way to the ranch.
Joe looks at a portrait of his father, his mind wandering into the past. Joe tells his father that cattle thieves stole some cattle. They go in search of the bandits and take six men prisoner. Among them are Mike and Denny. Ben complains about the bad wages. Matt leaves them the cattle, warns them of further theft. Joe's mother, Senora Devereaux, stands up for the two, even if they are not their biological sons. Mike, Denny and Ben are at a joint dinner at the ranch, the governor, his daughter Barbara, with whom Joe is in love, and Clem Lawton, the family lawyer, are invited. Ben suggests that his father open an office in town to get better prices for the cattle, but he wants to keep control of the business.
The Devereaux men find sick and dying cattle on their land. It quickly becomes clear that the water the animals drink is poisoned with copper residues. Ben asks his father to obtain an injunction against the owner of the copper mine. Matt and his sons find the mine owner MacAndrews and confront him with their allegations. MacAndrews wants to buy time, Matt calls for the mine to be closed. An argument ensues in which Matt Devereaux knocks down MacAndrews. When Matt and his sons are about to leave the premises, MacAndrews orders his men to attack the ranchers. Cowboys, led by ranch foreman Two Moons, arrive in time and attack the workers in turn. At the company, the mine is almost completely destroyed.
Joe reveals his Indian ancestry to Barbara. The governor, Barbara's father, strongly warns Matt against a lawsuit. He also wants Joe to avoid his daughter. Matt is upset about the governor's reservations. Attorney Lawton suggests that Matt divide his property among his sons so as not to overpay in damages in the subsequent lawsuit.
The trial begins with Matt's interrogation. He says that water is vital to him and his business. Van Cleve, the miners' attorney, asks if his people's attack was planned, which Matt denies. Joe realizes that his father is threatened with prison and wants to help him, but his brothers refuse any help. To save Matt from going to jail and to prevent the land from falling to the miners, Lawton lets Joe confess that he planned the fight. Joe is charged and convicted. Later, Matt has the rest of his sons come. He wants everyone to cut a piece of land for Joe. Ben refuses and is beaten by Matt. Matt has a heart attack and collapses.
Matt needs to rest after the heart attack and loses control of his sons. When Ben visits him, his father opposes his plan to sell land to an oil company, which Ben thinks is a brilliant business. Matt wants to forbid this and accuses him of being jealous and hating his younger brother Joe. Ben denies the accusation. He leaves the ranch to do the sale. Matt wants to ride after him, although his wife and foreman Two Moons warn him about it out of concern for his health. Matt doesn't listen to her and follows Ben. During the ride he dies of his weak heart. At the funeral, Joe refuses to shake hands with Ben. In front of the grave he sticks a lance into the ground, a symbol of blood feud according to Indian custom.
When his mother sees Joe standing in front of his father's picture, she tells him to leave the country with Barbara. On the way to Barbara, Joe meets his brother Ben, who is determined to kill Joe: Since Ben has killed his father through his actions, he fears Joe's revenge. A fight ensues between steep rocks above a pool of water. When Ben gets Joe's rifle, Joe tries to save himself by jumping into the water. Ben is able to track him down and aims at him, sure to have won the fight, when he is shot by Two Moons.
Joe and Barbara get married. After the wedding, Joe drives to his father's grave, lays the wedding bouquet on the grave, takes the lance and breaks it.
background
The production budget was estimated at approximately $ 2 million.
The costumes for the film were made by William Travilla . Lyle R. Wheeler and Walter M. Scott were responsible for the film equipment, Roger Heman Sr. for the sound. Russell Saunders and the Swiss born John Epper were the stuntmen.
After this film, Jean Peters only stood in front of the camera once for a cinema production. Katy Jurado, who plays Robert Wagner's film mother, was actually just six years older than Wagner. Jurado's role was to be played by Dolores del Río first . According to the "Hollywood Reporter" of March 5, 1954, the role had to be re-cast because the Mexican del Río could not get a visa in time.
20th Century Fox processed the substance in 1961 for a third time, the action moved in the one time in the German circus milieu: The big attraction ( The Big Show ), directed by James B. Clark .
Reviews
The lexicon of the international film about the film: "The sharp contoured character study of Spencer Tracy, the careful camera work and the well-built screenplay raise the film far above the average of the genre". The magazine Cinema draws the following conclusion: "Mighty pictures and a huge Tracy". "Variety" found the film to be a "great western drama". The flashback is unnecessary, but the direction and the presentation are powerful enough to keep the interest. The “Time Out Film Guide” describes the film as a “gripping but hardly original Western”. The strong presentations and the skillful camera work are emphasized.
Awards
In 1955 , Philip Yordan was awarded the Oscar for best original story. Katy Jurado was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
In the same year the film was awarded the Golden Globe for best film that supports international understanding .
literature
- Wolfgang Grundmann: The Broken Lance / Arizona / Broken Lance in Film Genres - Western / Ed. By Thomas Koebner . Reclam junior, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-15-018402-9 ; Ss. 190-193
Web links
- Broken Lance in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The broken lance in the online film database
Individual evidence
- ↑ Broken Lance in the Internet Movie Database (English) , accessed on 4 May of 2019.
- ↑ Broken Lance (1954) Notes. Turner Classic Movies , accessed May 4, 2019 .
- ↑ The Broken Lance. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 4, 2019 .
- ↑ THE BROKEN LANCE Cinema . Retrieved January 24, 2018.
- ^ Broken Lance Review. In: Variety . Archived from the original on February 9, 2010 ; accessed on May 4, 2019 .
- ↑ Broken Lance. In: TimeOut. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013 ; accessed on May 4, 2019 .