Customer Reviews

Blood on the Moon [VHS]

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4 star:		(1)
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Blood On The Moon is a western done right - a stalwart, tough-as-nails hero, a low-down, dastardly villain, a strong woman who loves the hero in spite of his faults and failings, and a great supporting cast.

Mitchum plays Jim Garry, a cowboy who great with a gun, who's brought to town by Tate Riling, played by Robert Preston. Riling is leading a fight against a cattleman who is expanding his turf, and moving a large herd of cattle through the town. Ostensibly, Riling is protecting the interest of the smaller ranchers in the area, but he shares with Garry his dark secret, which is that he is conspiring to force the rancher into selling all of his herd to himself at a bargain price. He needs good gunhands, which is why he called for Garry.

Garry goes along with the plan at first, but when he gets to know the rancher's youngest daughter, played by Barbara Bel Geddes, and when he sees the human cost of Riling's plan, as reflected by the loss of life incurred by the ranchers following Riling, Garry backs out, and the real war is on.

Mitchum is stalwart, Preston is evil, Bel Geddes is believably smart and tough as the young daughter, and Walter Brennan is his usual reliable self as a rancher who loses his son partnering with Preston. This is one of Mitchum's very best, and deserves to be on DVD as soon as possible.

At a time when Hollywood was turning out dozens of urban noirs like Force of Evil, European expressionism's moody style reached into even that most American of genres -- the Western. Films like Pursued, Roughshod, and Blood on the Moon, all contain strong elements of noir, particularly in the use of light and shadow. Though conventional in most repects, darkening landscapes nonetheless erupt in this film like some sinster version of John Ford's sunny pictorialism, while shadows creep menacingly across claustrophobic exteriors. No one is to be trusted. And in the middle of the murk lurks that icon of noirish ambiguity -- Robert Mitchum, fitting easily into the peculiarly passive role of saddle tramp caught in the middle of a range war. As could be expected, Robert Preston's aggressive villian makes a charming foil to the laid-back Mitchum; with Barbara Bel Geddes in an unusually strong female role. Overall, however, the movie represents an uneasy blend of outstanding location photography with shabby sound stage settings. The film really works best as a document of its time for those movie historians interested in the evolution of styles.

In looking at the entire film noir genre, no doubt Robert Mitchum is one of the all time Film Noir Leading Men. He also made a fair amount of westerns so he's the obvious choice for the Film Noir/Western "Blood on the Moon". Director Robert Wise is a very accomplished director comfortable in many styles and there is very good support from Barbara Bel Geddes (later of TV's "Dallas" and who always is good)) and Robert Preston.
To date, this original and unique film is not available on DVD or blu-ray and it is a great mystery why not. Fans of film noir, westerns, Mitchum and the rest of the talent here will surely enjoy this.

Robert Mitchum is in top form in this unusual western, when he is initially persuaded by his former partner to bilk some naïve landowners. But in the road he decides to seize up the whole situation and refuse. The highlight of the film is the fabulous gunshots in the barrooms and in the dark forest.

Robert Wise as always unbeatable, a talented director who walked for so many roads. Just after that he would make the classic of the classic Noir: "The set up."

This entertaining western full of atmosphere is one of Robert Mitchum's best. RKO made many great films in different genres and this one crosses boundaries, mixing elements of a standard western with a complex story and film noir undertones.

Director Robert Wise used rain and some moody lighting in some scenes to give a different feel to this oater. The script by Lillie Hayward is more complex than many westerns and Roy Webb's typically fine score give this one a unique mood and feel.

Mitchum is Jim Garry, a rider supposedly just passing through who in truth has been brought in as a hired gun by his old pal Riley (Robert Preston) to take over the huge herd of a man named Lutton and get rich. It is a complicated scheme involving army beef and Riley's duping of homesteaders into believing they are fighting Sutton to save their land.

But the methods of Garry's old pal leave a bad taste in his mouth which completely turns sour because of the sudden belief shown in him by Sutton's spunky daughter, Amy (Barbara Bel Geddes). Garry also becomes aware that Amy's sister, Carol (Phyllis Thaxter) is being used by Riley for information. Coupled with Garry's liking of Kris Bardin (Walter Brennan) and his regret that the widower loses his remaining son during the fallout, Amy's goodness begins to show on Jim, and it isn't long before a showdown with Riley and his other gunman is on the horizon.

Despite its noir undertones, this is a subtle and intelligent film in many ways. Amy's sensing the man inside Gary, and how she easily sees his shame and regret at most of his life is quite telling. A conversation between the two, when she gives him the revelation that he will be lost forever if he walks away from the fight, simply because no one believes in him, seems like a scene from a deeper and more complex film than a western.

There is a great ending involving a crusty Brennan, an injured Mitchum, and Amy pitted against Riley and his gunman. Both Bel Gedes and Phyllis Thaxter are excellent here. Mitchum is, well, Mitchum, which is about all you could want in a film such as this. This is a fine oater with a nice and old-fashioned romance and a good story with a bit of a noir atmosphere. A must for Mitchum fans.

This may be my favorite Robert Mitchum film - and that's saying a lot. I can't understand why this film isn't more appreciated. Mitchum is perfect as the saddle tramp who refuses to be a hired gun; Walter Brennan, as usual, is the best there is, or could be - with or without teeth; Barbara Bel Geddes is impeccable as the virginal, fiesty rancher's daughter; and, to me, Robert Preston is and always will be the quintessential amoral con man.

From the first shot when a bone-tired, lone cowboy lays down at a lonely fire, this is a perfect movie. Watch Mitchum's face when his offer to help Tom Tully's besieged rancher is initially rejected - that is Mitchum/film noir/acting at its best.

As a fan of supporting players, these are all great - Charles McGraw, Tom Tully, Frank Faylen, Phyllis Thaxter . But, of course, as good as they are, they are all overshadowed by the great Mr. Brennan.

Also, it's my belief, that black-and-white was perfect. It would not have been the same in color - Film noir!! And the camera work is fantastic.

My favorite scene - Walter Brennan's character "i always wanted to kill one of ya' and he was the handiest."

To me, this would be one of the top 100 movies.

RKO Radio Pictures presents "BLOOD ON THE MOON" (1948) (88 min/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -- Starring Robert Mitchum, Barbara Bel Geddes, Robert Preston, Walter Brennan & Phyllis Thaxter

Directed by Robert Wise

Mitchum is excellent as the brooding drifter with a conscience. Preston makes a despicable villain using all around him to attain his goals. Bel Geddes is good as the heroine but Thaxter takes the female honors as the gullible sister.

Mitchum is mesmerizing because you sense so much going on behind the cool, impassive facade. It's partly his film-style acting, which happens under the surface, not on the surface. But under-acting can't fully account for his mystery. There's something fundamentally inaccessible, unknowable about Mitchum's characters, and this is what makes them so real.

Completing the cast are wonderful character actors and familiar faces to western fans. Walter Brennan, Charles McGraw and Zon Murray play various homesteaders, Bud Osborne is Tully's trail foreman, Clifton Young and Tom Tyler play Preston's gunslingers and Richard Powers (aka Tom Keene) plays Tully's ranch foreman. If you watch closely you'll also see Harry Carey Jr., Iron Eyes Cody, Chris Pin-Martin and Hal Talliaferro (aka Wally Wales) filling in the smaller roles.

Fans of Robert Mitchum's noir catalogue will be aware that this western noir has a "companion piece" namely Pursued (1947)

From the novel by Luke Short - he also wrote Ramrod (1947), Station West (1948), Coroner Creek (1948), Albuquerque (1948), Ambush (1950), Ride the Man Down (1952) & Hell's Outpost (1954)

Special footnote: -- Check out my reviews on Ambush(Robert Taylor)

BIOS:
1. Robert Wise (Director)
Date of Birth: 10 September 1914 - Winchester, Indiana
Date of Death: 14 September 2005 - Los Angeles, California

2. Robert Mitchum
Date of Birth: 6 August 1917 - Bridgeport, Connecticut
Date of Death: 1 July 1997 - Santa Barbara, California

3. Barbara Bel Geddes
Date of Birth: 31 October 1922 - New York City, New York
Date of Death: 8 August 2005 - Northeast Harbor, Maine

4. Robert Preston [aka: Robert Preston Meservey]
Date of Birth: 8 June 1918 - Newton Highlands, Massachusetts
Date of Death: 21 March 1987 - Montecito, California

5. Walter Brennan
Date of Birth: 25 July 1894 - Swampscott, Massachusetts
Date of Death: 21 September 1974 - Oxnard, California

6. Phyllis Thaxter [aka: Phyllis St. Felix Thaxter]
Date of Birth: 20 November 1921 - Portland, Maine
Date of Death: Unknown

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 Stars
Performance: 5 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 88 min on DVD/VHS ~ RKO Radio Pictures ~ (March 24, 1993)

"Blood on the Moon" is as ordinary a western as you can find, apart from the fact that it attempts to blend film noir with the western genre, an attempt that fails apart from giving us a western shot mostly at night. Those who want film noir with westerns are better directed to Raoul Walsh's "Pursued" (1947) starring Robert Mitchum, the same actor who stars in this film.

In terms of film noir, there is a little female hanky panky (the daughter of a cattleman is having an affair with the man who is trying to undercut the cattleman's business), but it hardly rises to the level of the femme fatale we expect in most film noirs. And while there is a cast of bad guys, they hardly have the breadth and depth we come to expect from film noir characters.

Robert Mitchum (1917-97) stars as a drifter, and he is supported by a young Barbara Bel Geddes and the ever effervescent Robert Preston as the bad guy. Walter Brennan has a small part as a homesteader and Tom Tully plays the cattleman, Bel Geddes' father. Mitchum, of course, is the classic anti-hero and not unknown to film noir fans (e.g., "When Strangers Meet" in 1944, "Undercurrent" in 1946, "The Big Steal" in 1949, and most particularly "Night of the Hunter" in 1955). Mitchum enjoyed making westerns and made many among his more than 100 films, his best being "El Dorado" (1966) with John Wayne. Mitchum was nominated for an Oscar for his role in "The Story of GI Joe" (1945).

Robert Preston (1918-87) is best known for his musicals and especially for "The Music Man" (1962), but he also made "Mame" (1974) and "Victor/Victoria" (1982), for which he received an Oscar nomination. Preston also did several westerns, including "Union Pacific" (1939), "How the West was Won" (1962), and "Junior Bonner" (1972).

Barbara Bel Gedes (1922-2005) is best known for her work on the TV series "Dallas" (1978 - 91), although her best work was on stage. "Blood" was her third film, following a memorable performance in "I Remember Mama" (1948). She made only a dozen films, including "Panic in the Streets" (1950) and "Vertigo" (1958).

Frank Faylen (1905-85) appeared in almost 200 films, including "The Lost Weekend" (1945), "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946), and "Road to Rio" (1947). In the 50s he made the transition to TV where he appeared as the father in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" (1959-63). Faylen plays an Indian agent

Tom Tully (1908-82) appeared in more than 100 films, most notably in "Caine Mutiny" (1954) for which he was nominated for an Oscar.

Robert Wise (1914-2005) directs. Not known for westerns, Wise won Best Director Oscars for "West Side Story" (1962) and "The Sound of Music" (1966) and was nominated for "I Want to Live" (1959). Some of his other notable efforts were "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951), "Run Silent, Run Deep" (1958), and "The Andromeda Strain" (1971). Wise cut his teeth as a Director working with Val Lewton on "The Curse of the Cat People" (1944) and "The Body Snatcher" (1945) and he brought those sensitivities with him

Nicholas Musuraca (1892-1975) is the cinematographer, and this may be one reason "Blood" is mistaken for film noir - Musuraca was a master of the film noir visuals (e.g., "Stranger on the 3rd Floor" in 1940, "Cat People" in 1942). Musuraca was another Lewton graduate and worked with Wise on several films. Ironically he received an Oscar nomination for his work on "I Remember Mama" (1948).

The NY Times said the film "stands out from run-of-the-range action dramas" and "it is well acted". Variety said it "is a terse, tightly drawn western drama". Despite critical praise, it received no nominations for any type of awards, and, In fact, was originally released as part of a double bill with "Battle Hell", and re-released 5 years later with "Fort Apache".

The film is ok, and clearly unusual, but certainly not great, especially when you consider that films such as "Stagecoach" (1939), "The Ox Bow Incident" (1943), "Red River" (1948), and "Fort Apache" (1948) all come from the same era.

It is interesting to see film noir worked into the western, even if it is a failed attempt. But for Robert Wise fans there are much better films, and certainly this film would not be highlighted on a list of Robert Mitchum's film noir roles. And for western fans, there are much better films released that same year.