The Man from Colorado (1948)

It is a performances centric movie

I'll tell you why so serious

Good start, but then it gets ruined

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Producer: Jules Schermer. Copyright 20 May 1948 by Columbia Pictures Corp. New York opening at the Capitol: 20 January 1949. U.S. release: December 1948. U.K. release: 10 January 1949. Australian release: 18 November 1948 (sic). Sydney opening at the G.U. circuit's flagship, the State. 9,011 feet. 100 minutes. NOTES: A top favorite in cinemas from Gilda (1946) to Advance to the Rear (1964), Glenn Ford could virtually do no wrong. COMMENT: Ellen Drew is certainly one innocuous player. We had Stars in My Crown with this one at our Hollywood Classics screening last night and I didn't even realize until writing up my reviews this morning that both films starred the same actress! True, the female roles in both movies are strictly support. Here it's Glenn Ford in the unaccustomed role of irredeemable heavy who commands all the attention. Although Ford was criticized at the time for over=acting, he does such an excellent job as the villain, we wish he'd displayed the same fervor in some of his other roles. As Ford's goody two-shoes subordinate, Holden has little to do but look reasonably ingratiating, if mildly imbecilic. At least he - or rather his stunt double - figures in some memorable bits of action, including his jumping astride one of the lead horses of a runaway coach. A number of our favorite character players help out, including Ray Collins as the local magnate, Edgar Buchanan the sympathetic doc, James Millican as the victimized renegade and Frank Ferguson as the wounded stage-driver. Produced on a grand scale, The Man from Colorado is one of the first so-called "psychological westerns". In this one, however, the villain's neuroses are not allowed to overshadow the plot, simply provide a reason for it. There's still action a-plenty. If anything, there's even more than usual.

If you like the old westerns this is a must see. Glenn Ford delivers remarkably in his role as Federal Judge and Marshall. Returning from the Civil War and remaining conflicted he seeks to return to the small town to find solace. Unfortunately, Col. Devereaux, (Ford) he soon heads down a path towards insanity and madness. Very quickly Devereaux finds himself at odds from his long time friend and companion. Great action! Enjoy. I think the same issues of PTSD exist in the world today. Our veterans who sacrifice their time and honor the USA with their service. Just because we live in a modern era does not mean the psychological impact of war is any different. Let us learn from the past and present to become humanitarians.

The film begins in the last days of the Civil War. Glenn Ford is a colonel in charge of Union troops and they've backed a company of Confederate soldiers in a canyon. The Confederates have no choice to surrender but even though Ford sees them waving the white flag through his binoculars, he pretends not to have seen it and orders an attack and the group is massacred! Then, the end of the war is announced--just after this killing.In the next scene, Ford is asked to become a federal judge in this territory. While he says he's reluctant to take it, upon assuming the post he seems to enjoy being the same sort of martinet he was in the military--and his decisions are sometimes cruel and harsh. You also can slowly see that he's insane--a sadist and very paranoid. Ford also makes his friend (William Holden) the Marshall, but soon they are butting heads as Holden can't accept Ford's heavy-handed ways. In particular, when land is virtually stolen from soldiers who are returning from fighting for their country, Ford sides with the dishonest miners. Holden cannot understand this and this and other decisions by Ford trouble him. You know that a major showdown is going to eventually occur between the two friends.The film is filmed in very nice 1940s Technicolor--and the DVD print was lovely. In addition, the outdoor scenes were all shot on location and the film looks nice. As for the acting, it's good--and not surprising considering Holden and Ford are in the leads. And as for the plot, it's original--and that is a rare thing with westerns! As a result it's worth seeing.By the way, early in the film you can catch a quick glimpse of Denver Pyle in a tiny role as a Union soldier before he gained fame. In this same scene, I thought I saw Sterling Hayden playing one of the Confederate soldiers. Also, shortly after this scene, you hear everyone shouting that the war is over because Lee surrendered. However, this is inaccurate. After Lee's surrender, some Confederate forces and many of the Confederate states continued fighting for another two months. And, given that the film takes place in Colorado, the men certainly would NOT have just been sent home right away, as Texas and the western region continued seeing some minor skirmishes.

Throughout my 30+ years on earth, I have always appreciated the few certainties in life and held the firm belief that some things always remained constant. The sun will rise in the east and set in the west, night will always follow the day, I've always enjoyed the twice daily ebb and flow of coastal tides and I knew that Glenn Ford will always play the 'good guy' in a movie.I have just watched 'The Man From Colorado' and my view of life has been left completely skewed and severely dented, because in this movie, Ford plays nothing short of a complete nutjob.Victorious from the civil war, union Colonel Owen Devereaux, (Ford), and his lifelong best friend, Capt. Del Stewart, (William Holden), return to their home town to pick up their lives where they left off three years previously.Devereaux, however, has come back a different person. His war experiences have left him with an insatiable appetite for killing things and a sadistic streak as wide as Colorado itself.Unaware of his newly acquired 'personality issues', the Governor of the state appoints Devereaux as Federal Judge of the town, leaving him with the power of life and death over every man in it. (I think you know what's coming).His buddy Del Stewart is offered the job as Marshall of the town, but before he can accept, Stewart and Devereaux, are ambushed by a crazed confederate officer, who had witnessed Devereaux's new found rage first hand during the war, when he butchered over 100 rebel soldiers that were flying a white flag of surrender. Devereaux easily, (maybe too easily), overpowers the assailant, and foaming with rage, pumps a million bullets into him, instead of adopting the more orthodox 'arrest followed by trial' format favoured by most sober judges.From this moment on, Stewart's eyes have been firmly opened to the Jekyll & Hyde personality that has developed within his friend, and he reluctantly accepts the Marshalls job hoping that his influence as Marshall can bring Devereaux back from the 'dark side of the force'.Due to the pre-war Gold Rush, the town had experienced a population explosion, and many of the claimers had volunteered for army service with Devereaux & Stewart when the war began, safe in the belief that their claims would be protected should they return.In their absence, however, all the land had been taken over by a greedy Gold mining company, who uses a loophole in the law which stipulates that all claims that have remained dormant for three years or more, are null and void and fair game for any new claimants.Devereaux, openly expresses his personal support for the veteran claimers, but in his capacity as Judge, rules in favour of the Mining Corporation who rightly or wrongly has the law on their side.Because of this decision, the relationship between Stewart and Devereaux quickly begins to sour. It doesn't help matters either when Devereaux announces his engagement to Caroline (Ellen Drew), who until then had been the the object of Stewart's affections.The hard done to claimers, decide that if they can't reclaim what was their's through the courts, then they will take it back by less legal means and after some are captured, it's not long before Devereaux's blood lust comes to the fore. He shows no mercy to any of his former comrades in arms, and orders enough hangings to create a rope shortage. In consequence, Stewart's friendship with Devereaux, deteriorates by the day and so does Devereaux's grasp on reality.When Devereaux needlessly hangs one young man on weak circumstantial evidence, A furious Stewart finally decides it's one death too far, and angrily confronts Devereaux, declaring him self Devereaux's enemy until the power of life and death that he is constantly abusing is taken from him 'one way or the other'.After turning outlaw, it doesn't take long before Stewart's name is at the top of Devereaux's 'to hang' list. and his capture becomes Devereaux's psychotic obsession.No longer able to 'keep a lid on it' the townspeople have now become fully aware that their Judge is a complete 'wacko', and when he torches the entire town in order to get the town-folk to reveal Stewart's whereabouts, it becomes painfully evident that the last dregs of Devereaux's sanity has finally dwindled away.The film turns out to be a great mesh between a standard western and a 'Hitchcockesque' psychological thriller, with both Holden and Ford turning in great performances, but once again, it's Glenn Ford who steals this movie with his portrayal of the evil Devereaux, a role COMPLETELY in contrast to his 'good guy cowboy' image we're more used to seeing, which proves what a powerful and versatile an actor he actually was.During Glenn Ford's lifetime, I was one of the many ardent campaigners who would have loved to see Ford live to receive some long overdue honour or award. Sadly, this wasn't to be and after seeing the 'Man from Colorado' I am convinced now more than ever, that Hollywood has committed a monumental injustice, by failing to recognise Glenn Ford as one of the greatest actors of all time.This movie, has sadly debunked one of the great beliefs of my life, so I go now to reconstruct my injured viewpoint. I wonder if the Earth is STILL round?, are the Stylistics STILL crap?. God I hope so! Enjoy!!