Duel at dawn

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Movie
German title Duel at dawn
Original title Gunman's Walk
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1958
length 90, 95, 97 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Phil Karlson
script Frank Nugent
production Fred Kohlmar for
Columbia Pictures
music George Duning
camera Charles Lawton Jr.
cut Jerome Thoms
occupation
synchronization

Duel at Dawn (original title: Gunman's Walk ) is an American western from 1958 directed by Phil Karlson . A story by the author Ric Hardman (1924–2009) is used as a template for the film. In addition to Van Heflin and Tab Hunter, the leading roles are cast with Kathryn Grant and James Darren .

action

The dissimilar brothers Davy and Ed Hackett meet the young half-Indian Cecily "Clee" Chouard in Jackson City, Wyoming , in the Purcell Avery store. Ed treats the young lady presumptuously, for which Davy apologizes to her. The father of the two, the rough, big rancher Lee Hackett, is proud of his sons, especially Ed, but also leads an iron regiment. Ed, like his father, is an avid marksman, but without his sense of responsibility for a weapon. The Hacketts accompany a cattle wreck for which they have hired additional workers. On the way, Ed stands out for his inconsiderate manner. When he desperately wants to catch a white Mustang mare, he ruthlessly pushes the half-Indian Paul Chouard, Clee's brother, aside. Paul then falls down a steep cliff with his horse. Two Indians watch the scene from a distance.

Davy has the task of bringing the news of her brother's death to the young woman. Davy learns from the shopkeeper, Avery, that Clee already knows that she is on her way to find out where and how her brother died. When Davy says it was an accident, Avery says it looks like murder. There is a judicial hearing. The Indians "Black Horse" ( Black Horse ) and "Blue Eagle" ( Blue Eagle ) describe what they have observed. Clee Choucard will also be heard on the matter. When the judge is about to set a trial for murder, a man stands up to testify in favor of Ed Hackett. He introduces himself as a traveling horse dealer Jensen Sieverts and contradicts the statement of the Indians. The warrant for Ed Hackett's arrest is lifted. The judge is of the opinion that the testimony of a white man in court outweighs the word of two Indians, who are also blood brothers of the dead.

When Ed tries to thank Sieverts, he blurts out that he was 100 miles away when it all happened, but he heard that his father was a very generous man if he was done a favor . While Ed gets drunk and does all sorts of things, Davy talks to Clee and asserts that he would give his arm if it could bring her brother back. He confesses his love to the young woman and she allows him to take her in his arms. Sieverts has now stolen ten horses from Lee Hackett, who knows what is being played, but is biting the bullet. Among the horses is also the white mustang that started it all. When Ed sees Sieverts with the horses and he does not want to surrender the mare, he shoots the man who first pulled his gun and injures him critically. Shortly thereafter, Lee and his people come to the saloon, where father and son have a conversation, at the end of which Lee takes Ed's gun off. He then threatens him indirectly. The doctor, who, like most people in town, is friends with Lee Hackett, lets him in to see the injured Sieverts. There, Lee puts the man under massive pressure that he has to stick to his statement.

In the meantime, Ed manages to get out of prison with a trick, regain his weapon and escape. He shoots the unarmed deputy Will Motely. On the one hand, he is now being followed by the sheriff and his people, on the other hand, his father really wants to find him first. Davy refuses his father's request to come with him, whereupon he disapproves. Lee finds his son, but he emphatically refuses to help. He is now going his own way and his name will be greater than his father's ever was. “I never had a father,” he hurls at Lee, because he always felt himself standing in the shadow of his father. When the pursuers approach and Ed does not want to give up, Ed forces his father to fight with a gun. Lee is faster. It is arguably the worst moment in his life when he embraces his dead son. Back in town, he approaches Davy and Clee with the words, “I'm bringing your brother's body home. If you and your future wife would come with me, I would be very grateful. ”Then his composure is over and he sobs uncontrollably. Davy and Clee take him in their arms.

Production notes and background

The shooting lasted from December 10 to December 23, 1957. Some scenes of the color film shot in Cinemascope are said to have been created in and around Tucson , Arizona and near the Mexican border near four large cattle ranches. It is a production by Columbia Pictures Corporation. The working title of the film was: The Slicks . The film premiered on July 23, 1958 in Los Angeles . It was shown in cinemas in the Federal Republic of Germany on September 12, 1958, and in Austria in December 1958. It was first broadcast on television on May 22, 1971 by ARD .

At the time the film was made, Tab Hunter was actually more focused on the character of the sensitive son Davy. He auditioned at Columbia studio boss Harry Cohn and got the role of Ed after a half-hour conversation, with which he prevailed against Robert Wagner , among others . Hunter saw this as his chance to bring a whole new Tab Hunter to the screen, and later referred to Duel at Dawn as one of his personal favorite films. The western addresses the difficulties that the tough rancher Lee Hackett, who once opened up the country together with others and also ensured peace and order with his pistol, has with adapting to changed habits and now applicable law. His son Ed emulates him with the same arrogance and persistently tries to outdo his father. In his memoir, Hunter also mentioned the work on Gunman's Walk . Working with Van Heflin was incredibly exciting and instructive for him. Heflin was so completely immersed in his role that he was no longer there himself. The final scene, in which the duel between father and son takes place, was for him the most powerful and emotional scene of his career so far. Heflin gave him the time he needed, not all colleagues would behave like that. Hunter also described the pleasant working conditions under which the entire crew could have worked with director Phil Karlson . There was a carefree, trusting atmosphere on the set.

The script by the former film critic Frank S. Nugent is exciting and multidimensional and mixes action, romance, a family tragedy and even a court drama. Two years earlier, Nugent had written the screenplay for John Ford's classic film The Black Falcon , in which he had also dealt with the racism of the settlers against the Indians. According to an anecdote by director Karlson, Columbia President Harry Cohn was so shaken at a preview of the film that he had to cry because he had two sons himself and could identify with the story. Cohn is said to have promised Karlson a great career at Columbia, but nothing came of that, as Cohn died only two weeks after the event described. At the time, cameraman Charles Lawton said of the actress Kathryn Grant that it was a dream to photograph her, that her beautifully shaped face was predestined for the screen, that she needed practically no make-up to correct anything. She has a perfect little nose that doesn't cause any problems with photography. Kathryn Grant, wife of Bing Crosby , was at the height of her short film career around this time.

The song I'm a Runaway , sung by Tab Hunter in the film, was also released on record.

synchronization

The synchronized version was created for the German cinema premiere in 1958 at Ultra Film Synchron GmbH, Berlin. Josef Wolf was responsible for the dialogue direction and script .

role actor German Dubbing voice
Lee Hackett Van Heflin Curt Ackermann
Ed Hackett Hunter tab Gerd Martienzen
Cecily "Clee" Chouard Kathryn Grant Margot Leonard
Davy Hackett James Darren Reinhard Glemnitz
Will motely Mickey Shaughnessy Werner Peters
Sheriff Harry Brill Robert F. Simon Wolf Martini
Purcell Avery Edward Platt Paul Wagner
Jensen Sieverts Ray Teal Alfred Haase
Bob Selkirk Paul Birch Hans Wiegner
Judge Will Wright Walther Suessenguth
doctor Harry Antrim Konrad Wagner
Mrs. Martha Stotheby Dorothy Adams Ursula War

criticism

Cinema audiences at the time liked Gunman's Walk, and some reviewers even compared the film to twelve noon and count to three and pray .

For the lexicon of international film , the film presented itself as a “formally remarkable, undercooled Western with good exterior shots”; "The characters in the conflict [are] not always sufficiently psychologically founded".

Cinema judged: "Captivating, dense father-son drama in a conspicuously sober staging." Conclusion: "Western drama without frills and blame."

The Los Angeles Times praised Heflin and Hunter for the "emotional power" they would bring to the screen. Nativeamerican's Chris Smallbone found in a movie review that Van Heflin was doing very well as the aging rancher Lee Hackett. It also said the film offers some very thought-provoking ideas and uses the genre to explore some very weighty questions. The film is brilliant and highly recommended.

TimeOut focused on the acting skills of Tab Hunter, who delivered a remarkable performance in this production. The film enables one to feel sympathy for father and son Hackett, men who are caught in the gears of history. However, the film's plot leaves no doubt about the relentlessness of change.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ric Hardman . August 19, 2009, ISSN  0307-1235 ( telegraph.co.uk [accessed February 18, 2018]).
  2. ↑ Gunman's Walk Notes at TCM (English)
  3. ↑ Live From Montecito, California, With Tab Hunter - C&I Magazine. July 9, 2018, Retrieved April 17, 2020 (American English).
  4. ↑ Cine Resort: PHIL KARLSON. Retrieved February 18, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Ric Hardman . August 19, 2009, ISSN  0307-1235 ( telegraph.co.uk [accessed July 28, 2019]).
  6. ↑ Duel at dawn at the German dubbing index
  7. ↑ a b Gunman’s Walk Articles at TCM (English)
  8. ↑ Duel at dawn. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 31, 2019 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  9. ↑ Duell im Morgengrauen sS cinema.de (with pictures of the film). Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  10. ↑ Chris Smallbone: Gunman's Walk Film Review nativeamerican.co.uk (English)
  11. ↑ Gunman's Walk timeout.com (English)