Tonight's Movie: Pillars of the Sky (1956) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Jeff Chandler stars in PILLARS OF THE SKY (1956), a Cavalry Western which is part of the Western Classics II Collection from Kino Lorber.

The set, released last month, also includes REDHEAD FROM WYOMING (1953), reviewed here, and GUN FOR A COWARD (1957), to be reviewed at a future date.

In PILLARS OF THE SKY, Chandler plays the hard-drinking Sergeant Emmett Bell, who gets away with constantly breaking military decorum because of his unique skills heading up a group of Indian scouts.

Col. Stedlow (Willis Bouchey), who commands the Oregon outpost where Bell serves, has orders to build a road across an Indian reservation, which breaks the spirit, if not precisely the letter, of a treaty.

Some of the Indian chiefs are Christians and open to peace discussions, but Kamiakin (Michael Ansara) is outraged and set on war.

During the conflict Calla Gaxton (Dorothy Malone) is kidnapped by the Indians and rescued by Bell. It's an awkward situation, as Calla is married to Captain Tom Gaxton (Keith Andes), yet she's been hung up on Bell for years.

This 95-minute movie was directed by George Marshall, a sure hand on many Western films, and beautifully filmed in CinemaScope by Harold Lipstein. Much of the film was shot outdoors in Oregon, which is a real plus.

Overall I had mixed feelings about the film. Action scenes and violence go with the territory in Westerns, but the fighting in this film is so extensive that it became a little much for me.

Chandler plays a complex character, boozy and insubordinate, a decommissioned officer who's willing to contemplate adultery, while usually hiding a more sensitive side which allows him to extensively quote the Bible from memory. Honestly, I like my Chandler Western heroes a little more honorable and gallant, but it must have been an interesting challenge for him to play.

Malone likewise spends much of the film as an annoying harpy, who made her bed and now doesn't want to lie in it. Near movie's end she finally starts to realize what a mess she's made of three people's lives.

The film's strong point, along with the beautiful scenery, is Ward Bond's excellent performance as Dr. Joseph Holden, a missionary doctor who works with the Indians. Holden has a fine grasp of character and situations but sits back and lets people find their own ways to decisions; his insight for Indian tactics also paves the way for the Cavalry's escape at a pivotal moment. The film is worth seeing for his work in this alone.

I thought at first that Col. Stedlow was going to be one of the intractable martinets such as Richard Carlson played in SEMINOLE (1953), but I was pleased as well that his character proved to be more nuanced than expected. He has orders to carry out, but when things fall apart as a result, he's wise enough to listen to Bell and Holden.

The large supporting cast includes familiar faces such as Lee Marvin, Martin Milner, Olive Carey, Sydney Chaplin, Charles Horvath, Alberto Morin, and Walter Coy.

The extras on this Blu-ray disc are a commentary track by Toby Roan; the trailer; and two additional trailers for other Jeff Chandler films available from Kino Lorber.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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