Sexyloutak
Absolutely the worst movie.
Kamila Bell
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Brooklynn
There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.
JohnHowardReid
NOTES: The character played by Paul Harvey, Solomon Waters, was originally called Solomon Warner in the script. The name was changed for obvious reasons. Jean often calls him Sol or Wat in the actual movie. Also changed was a bit of dialogue in which Jean refers to him when overcharging her 25 cents for a needle as "an old Jew". This became "an old Scotsman". (Mind you, in my opinion the film would be improved a whole lot if most of the Harvey-Arthur material, which is dull both in the writing and in the acting, were cut out completely).
Norman Deming, who is billed here as assistant director, co-directed with this movie's 2nd unit director Sam Nelson, two Columbia 1939 serials, Mandrake the Magician and Overland With Kit Carson. (I'm glad to say that the action material in Arizona is a vast improvement over Mandrake. I particularly like Nelson's pleasing habit of riding horses and wagons over the camera).COMMENT: An attractively rolling title introduces this long, lavishly-budgeted epic western in which the players do wonders to overcome their somewhat cliched dialogue and formularized roles (though in 1940 they were probably less familiar as stock types of western characters). It's good to see George Chandler in a fair-sized part as Hall's henchman. William plays the villain with his usual smooth assurance and Porter gives us his delightful characterization as a small-time crook. Holden is effective too and even gets to sing "I Dream of Jeanie" (which is then used as a romantic theme throughout) right through and a few bars of "Kiss Me Quick and Go" in a pleasing light tenor all his own. Miss Arthur repeats herself from The Plainsman. There's plenty of action superbly directed by Sam Nelson with lots of running inserts as Indians bite the dust. Ruggles makes a commendable attempt to spice up the over-talky Jean Arthur scenes with tracking shots and often lots of extras milling around in the background. In fact, the opening series of tracking shots as Holden and his wagon train come into Tucson is a classic sequence which belongs on anyone's list of memorable scenes. No expense has been spared to recapture the epic sweep of Cimarron, though non-Arizonians might well be bored by the constant plugs for the ideals and aspirations of the Arizona Territorians. It all comes to an effectively directed shoot-out climax though many western fans may feel cheated that it is shown through Miss Arthur's eyes and not through that of the protagonists. I thought it effective anyway. Paul Harvey has a major role which he plays somewhat indifferently. Addison Richards does not seem to be in the 127-minute release print. However, it is most attractively photographed, with realistic sets that convey the primitive squalor of the early west.
jazerbini
This is a great value western. It is worth to review Arizona, especially Jean Arthur, beautiful, and William Holden early in his career, in a nostalgic and authentic Western. The film shows the colonization of the American West with the intense conflicts between cattle ranchers, cowboys, gangsters and all sorts of adventurers who have moved to that wilderness of the USA, many paying dearly for their daring: with their own lives. What we see in Arizona is certainly no different from what has happened in the vast majority of American states. The images are perfect, people dress with what was possible in a backward and resourceless region. The physical types, all indications, are perfectly displayed, dirty, with ragged clothing. Violence prevailed in a region without law and without a minimum of justice. Everything here was very uncertain, one never knew if it would be possible to return to the place where one was and even if there would be a day after. Relations were too superficial and life too short. But it also shows the spirit realized of the people of the Wild West, and the character of Jean Arthur fully incorporates this spirit of struggle, of achievement. It is a magnificent film, worthy of being among the best westerns of all time. I believe that if it had been produced in color, surely today it would be appearing among the great westerns.
BigJohnPilgrim
I don't normally write reviews, but this movie really caught me up watching it on TCM. Jean Arthur, though older, is such a sympathetic character, a tough old gal whose heart is captured by a younger William Holden. I watched it for a while before checking out the credits and it struck me that the young man's voice sounded so much like William Holden but his youth had me fooled. Edgar Buchanan's Judge Bogardus was a nice change from the tool of the bad guys to a simple town drunk full of himself as the 'chosen' judge passing judgment on the streets for a drink at the bar.I just loved the plot and dialog in this movie, and the way it stuck to the actual history of Arizona through the Civil War from the goods to the weapons. After reading the Trivia section, I was surprised to see it was also later on the set for Rio Bravo, one of my favorite John Wayne westerns.Just a wonderful and authentic treatise on the early days of Arizona, everyone in it did it justice. Nothing was wrong with it, everything was right.
segstef
This movie has every thing a western lover wants-shoot-out,cattle drive,Native American conflict,Calvarymen,strong leading lady character who is independent,but falls for the hero. and a hero who takes a supporting role,but grabs my attention every time he is on the screen. Different from most characters that William Holden plays, not cynical. The suspense at the end was so real; I could feel the same emotions as the character played by Jean Arthur.
