blc-27425
This film must have been shown as a sneak preview. Although the release date was Jan. 7,1955,I first saw it in the summer of 1954 in Roanoke, Virginia. I was 9 years old and was visiting my grandmother. It was the last time I visited my grandmother until I was grown. I consider this movie one that would appeal more to adults than children, yet it had a profound impact on me. It's psychological action and dealing with racial discrimination has stuck in my mind since. This is one of, if not the best movie of the 1950's. A few years ago I saw a copy for sale and jumped on it. It is a prized possession. The cast is of the highest caliber. This was Lee Marvin's first substantial role among some of the best actors ever. Many of them went on to make more movies together. This kind of movie with this type of cast will probably never happen again. A must see for the TRUE movie lover. ENJOY!
frankwiener
One year after she appeared in this modern western, Anne Francis starred in the iconic science fiction film, "Forbidden Planet". The town that serves as the setting for this film is so isolated that it could be on some similar, distant planet. I have been to actual towns in Montana and Wyoming with even fewer than 15 residents, but there always was the presence of at least some kind of activity, business, or industry in these towns. Even if the road through one of these towns wasn't paved, there was always an occasional visitor passing through, including myself. In Black Rock, on the other hand, no one person or business seems to be there for any particular reason, other than for some sinister purpose. Aside from occasional hunting for subsistence, no one appears to do much of anything other than hanging out in the only hotel's lobby. A hotel for whom? Liz (Anne Francis), the only female resident for miles, runs a service station, but for whom? For Coley's (Ernest Borgnine's) old crate or for Smith's (Robert Ryan's) dilapidated wagon? From a purely economic perspective, in order for these establishments to exist, they need customers, and there just aren't enough of them to justify their survival as "going concerns". It is as if this town lives only in the world of science fiction because it could never subsist in reality. Or could it?The scenes of the train speeding through the remote wilderness, filmed in CinemaScope, are among the most effective segments of the movie. From the very start, by the very presence of the train and even more by its actual stopping for the first time in four years at the town's "station", the viewer immediately senses the sudden, physical encroachment of the civilized world that lies somewhere far from Black Rock.The central character, Macreedy, played very well by a prematurely aging Spencer Tracey, has business with Mr. Komoko, a Japanese-American farmer who supposedly lives outside the town in an area called Adobe Flats. Is it only a coincidence that Lone Pine, California, the film's actual locale, is near the site of Manzanar, one of the largest Japanese-American internment camps during World War II? From the minute he steps off the invasive train, Macreedy is met with intense suspicion, and the discomfort of the townspeople grows even more when he seeks information about Mr. Komoko, of all people. Do the town's mostly idle inhabitants have a problem with the farmer's ethnicity or rather with the fact that he might be the only resident for miles who actually produces anything? Maybe a combination of both.The excellent acting by a very talented cast is one of the most positive aspects of this film. For me, there was too much inactive loafing in the hotel lobby by the mostly disagreeable characters to maintain my interest, but I was surely jolted awake by Mr. Tracy's improvised Molotov cocktail, an experience that is not to be missed."This is my town, Mr. Macreedy, like it or not!" snaps Liz. What's to like here, Liz? Poor Anne Francis. She always ends up in the creepiest places, not only on distant Altair-5 and as a victim of a mean pranks by the thugs of North Manual High but now as a prisoner of this remote, rotten town, consisting of nothing but very unlikable folks. The woman never seems to catch a break.Despite the bone dry sense of total isolation and relative inactivity, see this one for its very able cast. You can't go wrong there.
DKosty123
This film is more than just an excellent cast. It is well directed by John Sturges and has just the right amount of tension. The viewer can not be really sure when it takes place as the film is set in a modern west. The jeep might be newer than the car, and the gasoline pump, but there is no sense getting picky here, it is a tight story.A one armed WW 2 vet arrives in a small town looking for the father of a US Vet from the Italy campaign who died in the service after receiving a silver star. He wants to give the metal to his father because the man gave his life to save him. A twist here is the US soldier was Japanese and so is his dad. When Spencer Tracy is the one armed man and he is hated in the town from the moment he arrives asking for the Japanese-American father. The longer he is there, the more a conspiracy to kill him forms. Lee Marvin plays one of the bad guys. Walter Brennan plays a Doctor/ Funeral Director. Robert Ryan is the guy who is very concerned that the stranger in town is going to expose the murder of the Japanese father he committed. This is a very good one, I enjoyed it.
msmith-87318
This movie is a thrill ride from start to finish, full of suspense and drama. The film feels like a traditional western but its actually set in WW2 Arizona. I think it would be fare to compare this film with High Noon another classic western. However in High Noon where McCreedy (played by Spencer Tracy) faces sociopathic bullies and the locals won't help him, Bad Day at Black Rock deals with racism against Japanese Americans. I must say John Sturges does an excellent job in creating this film and the screen play works in such a way you don't think somebody is preaching at you. Spencer Tracy does a really good job playing the part of a 1 armed inquisitor. Robert Ryan, Ernest Borgnine, and Lee Marvin all play excellent supporting parts. Good colour and really good use of widescreen. Well worth watching. Fantastic.
