The Hanging Tree (1959)

the audience applauded

So much average

Best movie of this year hands down!

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

This film is pretty good, though I'm somewhat hard pressed to say that it distinguishes itself much from its peers. That's not to say that it isn't likable. It is. Though when I stack it against other films, and even just other Westerns, it's own distinctiveness fades in the shadow of its contemporaries. Gary Cooper is good in it, frankly everybody is with Maria Schell being the notable standout. He is Gary Cooper though. With the only other film I've seen where he is the star being High Noon, it's difficult for me not to see that he doesn't really separate his characters with the way he performs them, with the same stern, serious demeanor, reluctant to show his softer side. I honestly think the character he plays so naturally is only as good as it's written. And while this one is played close to High Noon's, it is written to be different, and so the familiar nuances carry new and interesting meanings. So in the end, Gary Cooper's performance, while good, seems to owe more of its credit to the writer than to Gary Cooper. Of course this isn't a one man show. All others present are good too. Like I said, Maria Schell is more so the standout than Cooper. She performs her role with a range of emotion and body language. As the film progresses her character grows, and her performance with it. Her's is a character that we understand fully, and who's personality and ambition is laid bare before us. Honestly, she can be a bit more relocatable than the protagonist at times. The story can feel like it is her's, not Coopers. That's not really a bad thing. Beyond the two stars no one else really stands on their own, and are really the most interesting when playing off of Cooper or Schell. Piazza's Rune being the best example. The reason for my putting so much emphasis on the performances without really getting into the other aspects of film-making is because there isn't much to talk about. It's kind of average. The cinematography, the score, the editing. It's average. That isn't to say it's bad. Beyond punches obviously not connecting when characters are fighting, and some confusing editing during a certain confrontation, you'll know which it is when you see it, everything is competent. Being competent is not the same as being exceptional however. So when I say that this film really doesn't distinguish itself that's mostly what I'm talking about. To Cooper's credit, if he and Schell weren't leading the charge on the acting front, this film might be a bit forgettable.If you would allege that you're a fan of Westerns, you'll probably like this film. If you don't like Westerns than I honestly wouldn't recommend it. If you're somewhere in between, I would advise you check it out. It is a good film. It is worth watching.

An excellent cast tells an excellent story. Gary Cooper is a doctor with a past, afraid to face the future. He portrays himself as a very hard man, yet he gives aid to people in distress. Carl Malden is so creepy in his role you may never see him in another movie without thinking of him in this role. It captures the idea of the power gold can have over people. There is romance, but it is more a story of people finding themselves as they search for a new and better life. I have watched all of Gary Cooper's movies. This is one of his finest. Don't miss it.Music by Marty Robbins is an added bonus.

Everyone here seems to agree..a hidden gem. Saw it on TCM recently, and could not have enjoyed it more. It's from a different era of Hollywood film making. It's from when they took their time with a scene. Imagine that.One example of this, was when Maria Schell, who had earlier been found badly sunburned and blind, was about to find out, by removal of her bandages, if she could see or not. Part of what made this suspenseful was that when she was first found, her eyes were closed, and then she was bandaged for the ensuing scenes while recovering. We had not seen her eyes.We were also about to see her cleaned up...so in essence, we had little idea what she looked like. Cooper takes time getting the lighting in the room right, and then explaining things to her, while she sits there with her bandages on and listens. The removal of the bandages seemed to take forever. Great suspense! Not Hitchcockian, but a different kind of suspense, wondering, not only if she would see, but what she would look like. You just hoped that she was going to be beautiful when you finally saw her.And of course, with those blue European eyes, she was angelic. The music didn't hurt this moment either. I was certainly tearing up. Maria Schell was just a beautiful woman, and played a sweetness to her role that made you fall immediately in love with her.Cooper played a flawed man, which made his role as a doctor who genuinely cared about his patients, very real. Also interesting, was watching the edgy relationship between him and his 'servant' develop. You could tell this young man did not like him at all at first, but was slowly becoming very fond of him. Somehow, you wanted that to happen.Gary Cooper just got better and better as he aged. There was something about his tiredness, coupled with his strength as a man, that made him just fascinating to watch. He had one of those Hollywood voices that most male actors today don't have (I'd hate to be an impressionist today), that made you hang on every word.George C. Scott had his chops early on, even though this was one of his first roles. Very scary part. You just knew, that somehow, he was going to do something awful later in the picture. His tiny role, in the beginning, had that impact. He probably could have played Patton the week after this film was done. He was that powerful already.Karl Maldon must have had fun doing this one, playing such an erratic, manic, ultimately unsavory guy. You just never were sure if he was going to turn out to be good...or bad. Good script writing there, but the acting also made that happen.I could go on, but let's just say that it's so cool to watch an old movie you've never seen before, and feel like you just want to tell everyone about this new great movie that YOU just discovered.

I watched my share of westerns when I was a kid, but as an adult, it's a rare western that can hold my attention. This one did.Gary Cooper plays Joseph Frail, a strange mix of a doctor, a gambler, and perhaps a gunslinger. As he rides into a new town he rescues Rune, a sluice robber, from Frenchy (a dirty and nasty man played well by Karl Malden), and makes the young sluice robber an indentured servant. A stagecoach robbery results in the disappearance of Elizabeth Mahler (played well by Maria Schell). She is found by Frenchy (as part of a search party), and he has immoral designs on her. Her time in the wilderness led to skin burns, temporary blindness, and dehydration from overexposure. Dr. Frail treats her, but, as he has a tendency to do, he becomes possessive, and eventually Mahler leaves his protection and teams up with Frenchy and the sluice robber, and they strike gold. Frenchy attacks Mahler, and Frail kills him, resulting in Frail being on the verge of a lynching. Mahler saves him by offering the lynching party all their gold. Cooper is superb here...perhaps one of his best performances. In fact, it's difficult to find a less than good to great performance in the whole film. Definitely one to watch!