{"id":40049,"date":"2018-01-24T11:13:31","date_gmt":"2018-01-24T18:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=40049"},"modified":"2022-02-21T22:49:20","modified_gmt":"2022-02-22T05:49:20","slug":"man-from-laramie-the-1955","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=40049","title":{"rendered":"Man From Laramie, The (1955)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I&#8217;d push you right off the Earth if I thought it would help Dave.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Poster-193x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"193\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-40050\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Poster-193x300.jpg 193w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Poster-82x128.jpg 82w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Poster.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 193px) 100vw, 193px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA man (Jimmy Stewart) determine to avenge the death of his brother by finding the person who sold an Apache tribe repeating rifles comes to a ranch owned by an aging patriarch (Donald Crisp) with a psychopathic son (Alex Nicol), where the ranch-hand (Arthur Kennedy) is convinced his filial loyalty to Crisp should be repaid in property.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Anthony Mann Films<\/li>\n<li>Arthur Kennedy Films<\/li>\n<li>Donald Crisp Films<\/li>\n<li>Father and Child<\/li>\n<li>Inheritance<\/li>\n<li>Jimmy Stewart Films<\/li>\n<li>Revenge<\/li>\n<li>Westerns<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that in this &#8220;fifth and last of Anthony Mann&#8217;s westerns starring James Stewart,&#8221; Stewart is once &#8220;again a revenge hero&#8221;, though &#8220;one with no sense of guilt&#8221;. He notes that &#8220;the psychological dilemmas Mann usually reserves for his hero are shifted to the villains in this film&#8221;, which is &#8220;structured like a classical tragedy in which a powerful corrupt family is about to collapse&#8221;. Peary asserts that the &#8220;picture has excellent dialogue and &#8212; this being Mann &#8212; impressive, thematic use of the landscape (in this case, New Mexico)&#8221;, and further adds that what he finds &#8220;most compelling about the film is the presentation of violence&#8221;, which &#8220;is brutal and always comes impulsively&#8221;. He argues idealistically that &#8220;the film is saying that if men learned to control their volatile tempers and to act rationally, there would be much less senseless violence (in our world or Mann&#8217;s West).&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>I agree with Peary that this film is beautifully shot, and makes excellent use of natural landscapes as a backdrop for the revenge-driven storyline. The violence itself is indeed &#8220;brutal&#8221; and shocking; we&#8217;re not used to seeing heroic Stewart treated as unfairly as he is here (dragged along the ground by a rope, shot calculatedly in the hand). <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Dragged.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Dragged-1024x403.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"252\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-56070\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Dragged-1024x403.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Dragged-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Dragged-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Dragged-768x302.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Dragged-604x238.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Dragged.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Indeed, the psychopathy of &#8220;sadistic and crazy&#8221; Nicol &#8212; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Nicol.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Nicol.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1829\" height=\"719\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56074\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Nicol.png 1829w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Nicol-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Nicol-1024x403.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Nicol-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Nicol-768x302.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Nicol-1536x604.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Nicol-604x237.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1829px) 100vw, 1829px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and Crisp&#8217;s unwavering loyalty to his son despite all evidence that he should reject him &#8212; are quite disturbing. I find it challenging to watch the &#8220;family&#8221; dynamics playing out between Crisp, Nicol, and Kennedy:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Crisp-Kennedy.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Crisp-Kennedy.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"504\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56073\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Crisp-Kennedy.png 1280w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Crisp-Kennedy-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Crisp-Kennedy-1024x403.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Crisp-Kennedy-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Crisp-Kennedy-768x302.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Crisp-Kennedy-604x238.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This is a serious morass of denial and dysfunction, and it&#8217;s hard to have much sympathy for Crisp, who nonetheless is portrayed as deserving love (from Aline McMahon as his neighbor and former love interest):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-McMahon2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-McMahon2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1795\" height=\"763\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56075\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-McMahon2.png 1795w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-McMahon2-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-McMahon2-1024x435.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-McMahon2-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-McMahon2-768x326.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-McMahon2-1536x653.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-McMahon2-604x257.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1795px) 100vw, 1795px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and understanding (especially given his failing eyesight). Meanwhile, Cathy O&#8217;Donnell&#8217;s role as Nicol&#8217;s cousin and Kennedy&#8217;s would-be fiance is underdeveloped; she&#8217;s beautiful, but her performance feels oddly distant. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-ODonnell.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-ODonnell-1024x403.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"252\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-56071\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-ODonnell-1024x403.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-ODonnell-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-ODonnell-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-ODonnell-768x302.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-ODonnell-604x238.png 604w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-ODonnell.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>With all that said, there is enough brilliance here in staging, setting, and cinematography to make this outing worth a one-time look. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gorgeous cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Cinematography2-1024x403.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"252\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-40053\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Cinematography2-1024x403.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Cinematography2-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Cinematography2-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Cinematography2-768x302.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Cinematography2.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Cinematography1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Cinematography1-1024x403.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"252\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-40052\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Cinematography1-1024x403.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Cinematography1-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Cinematography1-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Cinematography1-768x302.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Cinematography1.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine sets and use of outdoor locales<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-from-Laramie-Sets.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-from-Laramie-Sets-1024x403.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"252\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-40051\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-from-Laramie-Sets-1024x403.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-from-Laramie-Sets-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-from-Laramie-Sets-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-from-Laramie-Sets-768x302.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-from-Laramie-Sets.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Outdoor.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Outdoor-1024x403.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"252\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-40054\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Outdoor-1024x403.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Outdoor-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Outdoor-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Outdoor-768x302.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Outdoor.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Outdoor2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Outdoor2-1024x403.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"252\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-40055\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Outdoor2-1024x403.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Outdoor2-128x50.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Outdoor2-300x118.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Outdoor2-768x302.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Man-From-Laramie-Outdoor2.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, but it&#8217;s recommended for one-time viewing. <\/p>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0048342\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1955\/09\/01\/archives\/screen-stewart-out-west-plays-heroic-stoic-in-man-from-laramie.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=10833&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s104laramie.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/21969\/the-man-from-laramie#articles-reviews?articleId=17925\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d push you right off the Earth if I thought it would help Dave.&#8221; Synopsis: A man (Jimmy Stewart) determine to avenge the death of his brother by finding the person who sold an Apache tribe repeating rifles comes to a ranch owned by an aging patriarch (Donald Crisp) with a psychopathic son (Alex Nicol), where the ranch-hand (Arthur Kennedy) is convinced his filial loyalty to Crisp should be repaid in property. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Anthony Mann Films&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=40049\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40049"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40049\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81571,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40049\/revisions\/81571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}