In the early '50s, a number of Westerns featured the names of guns in the title, such as
WINCHESTER '73 (1950),
COLT .45 (1950), and even
CARBINE WILLIAMS (1952).
Another example was SPRINGFIELD RIFLE (1952), which was just released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection.
Cooper starred in this Warner Bros. film immediately after making
HIGH NOON (1952). He plays Major Lex Kearney, a Union soldier dishonorably discharged for cowardice during the Civil War.
Kearney's wife (Phyllis Thaxter) and comrades (including Martin Milner and Guinn "Big Boy" Williams) are confused, but the viewer quickly learns it's part of a plot for Kearney to go undercover and solve the problem of ongoing raids on Union horses by Austin McCool (David Brian) and others.
The screenplay by Charles Marquis Warren and Frank Davis, from a story by Sloan Nibley, isn't particularly good, coming across a bit incoherently at times, as characters pop in and out of the story.
That said, while one wishes it were better, I still found it a pleasant enough 93 minutes, for two particular reasons. The first reason is the incredible cast, which also includes esteemed players such as Paul Kelly, Philip Carey, James Millican, Fess Parker, Alan Hale Jr., and Lon Chaney Jr. Chaney, film fans will recall, was also in HIGH NOON, in one of the film's more memorable supporting roles opposite Cooper.
The second reason is the movie's extensive Lone Pine, California location shooting. For someone such as myself who's well acquainted with the area, the movie is a remarkable "virtual tour" of key Lone Pine locations, including the "Hoppy Cabin," Anchor Ranch, and a cliff area off
Narrow Gauge Road, along with the famed Alabama Hills.
Snow scenes were likely filmed at a higher elevation above the Alabama Hills, up
Whitney Portal Road. The movie is a real visual treat, with so much beautiful scenery captured on film.
Cooper plays one of his typically stoic characters, with the supporting actors upping the film's energy quotient.
Unfortunately Thaxter doesn't have much to do but whine. One can understand her bafflement, but I was aching for her to trust her husband for a moment and ask "Is there maybe something you can't tell me right now?"
SPRINGFIELD RIFLE was directed by Andre De Toth. It was filmed by Edwin DuPar in WarnerColor. The score was by Max Steiner.
The very good-looking Blu-ray print is from a new 1080p HD master from a 4K scan of the original camera negative. WarnerColor is always variable, but given that, this must surely be the best the film will ever look.
This is a likely spot to insert a note that along with all the authentic location shooting, this film has one of the most obvious process shots in history, with Cooper and a couple other actors filmed in front of what was clearly a poster of the Lone Pine mountains. All I can guess is they had no choice but to pick up a missed or bad shot back in the studio. You'll recognize this short scene when you see it, as among other things the lighting completely changes.
Disc extras consist of the trailer plus the seven-minute cartoons FEED THE KITTY (1952) and RABBIT'S KIN (1952) and the 10-minute Joe McDoakes short SO YOU WANT TO ENJOY LIFE (1952).
Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.
In the early '50s, a number of Westerns featured the names of guns in the title, such as WINCHESTER '73 (1950), COLT .45 (1950), and even CARBINE WILLIAMS (1952).
4 Comments:
I saw Springfield Rifle in1952 on its initial release My attitude was that it was a dull but nicely played film and beneath its leading man
Seems like a pretty savvy take on it to me. I don't know I'd say "beneath" him, but the film definitely could have better utilized him, so we're not very far apart on how we view it.
Best wishes,
Laura
I just watched this film DVRed from TCM as a precursor to a potential purchase of the WA blu-ray. The TCM print was obviously unrestored. My goodness, Warners seemingly spent big dollars on this picture: all the horses, all of the extras. I absolutely agree about the writing; Charles Marquis Warren definitely wrote better screenplays. I found the Steiner score a bit too big in spots. And THAT PROCESS SHOT. An unintended comic interlude.
I still enjoyed the watch. DeToth’s hand with the action sequences! And Coop!
Bud, it sounds like we saw the film very similarly - including the process shot (grin). I wished the movie had been better yet enjoyed a lot of it. As you probably know, WarnerColor can be variable from scene to scene, with inconsistent color and graininess, but the Warner Archive Blu-ray is one of the better WarnerColor films I've seen.
By comparison, the WarnerColor look as seen in Cooper's THE COURT-MARTIAL OF BILLY MITCHELL (1955), released on Blu-ray this year by Kino Lorber, is all over the place, though I'm certain Kino Lorber did all they could with the print.
Best wishes,
Laura
Post a Comment
<< Home