Texas Rangers (1936)

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Movie
German title Texas Rangers
Original title The Texas Rangers
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1936
length 86 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director King Vidor
script Louis Stevens
production King Vidor
music Boris Morros
camera Edward Cronjager
cut Doane Harrison
occupation

Texas Rangers (Alternative title: Border Police Texas ) is an American Western from the year 1936 , the King Vidor for Paramount Pictures turned; the screenplay by Louis Stevens is based on a story by King and Elisabeth Vidor and on information from the book The Texas Rangers: A Century of Frontier Defense by Walter Prescott Webb .

action

The outlaws Jim Hawkins, Sam Gillis and Henry "Wahoo" Jones have specialized in stagecoach robberies, with Wahoo always working as the coachman of the line to be robbed. At a nightly campfire in the evaluation of the latest coup they are surprised by law enforcement officers; they narrowly escape because Hawkins kicks out the fire in no time. Gillis has gone to his lover María in Texas, and the other two are belatedly trying to find him there, which is not easy because of the frequency of the name María. Since they are short of money, they try the old scam again, but the new Wahoo escort introduces itself to him as a Texas ranger who, by his own admission, shoots first and then asks questions. Wahoo is able to warn Hawkins at the last moment, and the two discuss their future after the carriage arrives at its destination. With the result that they are hired by the Rexas rangers of Division D in the border area with Mexico. Whether they are good, says their commanding officer, will be shown on duty.

Her first assignment leads her on the trail of cattle thieves; by a river they recognize Gillis as the leader of the bandits and look forward to meeting them again. The fact that they are now officially working for the law only shocked Gillis briefly - then he quickly recognized the advantages of such a constellation: The trio could make even richer prey through the information advantage. On their way back, Hawkins and Wahoo pass a ranch besieged by Indians. Both parents die, only little David survives and joins the Rangers in order to later find a new home with the commandant and his adult daughter Amanda. The two crooks then have to put their thief plans on hold for the time being, because the commander and his unit have been ordered to fight marauding Apaches. A confrontation with the same causes the orderly force several losses, and only a courageous act by Hawkins prevents the worst; Wahoo is wounded in the process. While this is recovering, his friend receives the assignment to hunt down the evil villain Higgins in Buckman commune, which he succeeds despite local resistance.

Jim is ordered to Kimball City to arrest a bandit. Before he even went on his way, he fell in love with Amanda. Jim brings law and order to Kimball City, whose residents bequeath him a ranch as a reward. This brings a change of heart with Jim, who cancels the planned raid with Sam.

After a while, the area is ravaged by a bandit who people call Polka-Dot because of a headscarf he is wearing. Jim realizes that the bandit is Sam. Major Bailey assigns Jim to arrest the criminal, dead or alive. However, Jim is still on friendly terms with Sam and refuses the assignment. He wants to quit, but Major Bailey arrests him for his previous offenses. Wahoo is loyal to Jim and goes to catch Sam. Young David wants to help him. Sam kills Wahoo and sends his body back to the Rangers. Then he kidnaps David. Jim is released, shocked by Wahoo's death. Jim can free David. He doesn't want to kill Sam, but has to shoot him when he doesn't want to surrender.

Reviews

The New York Times of September 24, 1936 considered the film a sentimental piece. The cheerful Jack Oakie and the pleasantly sinister Lloyd Nolan stand out, otherwise things happened in the film according to the typical archaic cinema formula.

The lexicon of international film describes the film as a “[r] outinized developed western, which captivates mainly through King Vidor's art of directing and the charm of the landscape”.

Norbert Grob praises: “It is part of Vidor's vision (and this up to his great Western Melo Duel in the Sun ) that under the surface of the tamed Westerner, the desire for the unbridled and wild is always seething. Whereby this wilderness is to be understood as a source of strength that arises from dealing with the threatening environment. "

Awards

Franklin Hansen was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Sound category at the 1937 Academy Awards.

background

The premiere took place on August 28, 1936. In Germany it came into cinemas in 1937. After the Second World War, it was first broadcast on television on October 28, 1981.

In addition to studio recordings at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, the film was also shot in New Mexico . Filming locations were Santa Fe , the Pueblo San Ildefonso and the Diablo Canyon.

The skirmish between the Indians and the Texas Rangers alludes to a historic battle of 1876 in which the Apache Vicorio, a nephew of Geronimo , fought with his men against Texas Rangers and soldiers. 500 Indians ( Navajo and Zuñi ) were employed for the film .

Little, uncredited supporting roles are played by Charles Middleton as a lawyer and Clyde Tingley , the then acting governor of New Mexico, as the executioner.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Norbert Grob: Texas Rangers. In: Bernd Kiefer , Norbert Grob (ed.), Marcus Stiglegger (collaboration): Filmgenres. Western (= RUB . No. 18402). Reclam, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-15-018402-9 , pp. 68-72, here 68.
  2. ↑ Critique of the New York Times (Eng.)
  3. ↑ Texas Rangers. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  4. ^ Norbert Grob: Texas Rangers. In: Bernd Kiefer , Norbert Grob (ed.), Marcus Stiglegger (collaboration): Filmgenres. Western (= RUB . No. 18402). Reclam, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-15-018402-9 , pp. 68-72, here 70.
  5. ↑ Article at TCM (engl.)