I viewed "The Tall T" recently and enjoyed it very much. It starts out
quite sunny but soon gets pretty dark, suddenly and irreversibly.
On Thu, Aug 20, 2009 at 2:52 PM, tomarmstrongmusic <
tom@tomarmstrongmusic.com> wrote:
>
>
> Sorry for using that troublesome word in the title of my post, but...we've
> had discussions about the overlap between typical rara-avis material and
> Westerns before, and I watched a couple of films this week that fit the
> topic. I highly recommend both, currently in rotation on Encore.
>
> "The Day of the Outlaw" stars Robert Ryan and Burl Ives, directed by Andre
> de Toth. "The Tall T" is a Budd Boetticher/Randolph Scott cheapie. They have
> somewhat similar stories about tense standoffs with dangerous creeps holding
> hostages. Both are largely character-driven. Of the two I preferred the
> former for its unique winter-time setting, stark direction with a lot of
> wide angle shots that emphasize the vulnerability of the people within the
> setting, a more flawed protagonist, and the scene where the gang dances with
> with the town women - all they are doing is dancing, and yet the
> psychological violence that's being done is thoroughly quease-inducing.
> Highlights of "The Tall T" are the well-developed villain characters played
> by Richard Boone and Henry Silva.
>
> Neither of these movies is really a full-on noir, in the classic sense that
> the protagonist is screwed from page one and goes downhill from there -
> although the Ryan comes close. But both might appeal to any cross-genre fans
> on this board.
>
> Oh and "The Ride Back" starring William Conrad and Anthony Quinn is an
> understated gem too.
>
> Tom Armstrong
>
>
>
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