Customer Reviews

The Iron Mistress

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's a great movie about the early life of James Bowie. We see the historical Sandbar Fight where Bowie was almost killed. The Sandbar Fight also gave rise to the famous Bowie knife. In the movie we see Bowie (Alan Ladd) design the knife and getting a blacksmith to forge it.
There's also romance in the movie, where the female part is played by the gorgeous Virginia Mayo.

We don't see anything of Bowie's life in Texas nor his death at the Alamo. The movie ends with Bowie going to Texas, but another movie picks up where Iron Mistress ends. It's called, "The Last Command", and it deals with Bowie's life and death in Texas, starring Sterling Hayden as Bowie.

But why pay $39.93 from an Amazon seller when you can get it for $19.95 from Warner Brothers?
The Iron Mistress is available on DVD through the WB web site. It's part of the Warner Archive
collection of DVD's and downloads you can order. I was just in there and and saw it listed For $19.95 You can also see a clip of it to check the picture quality. I did and it was first rate. Go to, [...] and click on Warner Archive.

1952's "The Iron Mistress", while certainly a 'B' movie, is romantic, violent, and wonderful entertainment, particularly if you're a fan of Alan Ladd. Based on Paul Wellman's novel of the life of legendary entrepreneur/adventurer Jim Bowie (of knife and Alamo fame), the film limits the story to Bowie's early life, from his impoverished days on the bayou with his brothers and mother, to his marriage to the Mexican Governor of San Antonio's daughter (the beautiful Phyllis Kirk). Along the way, he befriends famed artist/naturalist John James Audubon (George Voskovec), and falls for a petty, but beautiful New Orleans belle (Virginia Mayo), whose high station in society inspires him earn a fortune, to win her hand. Despite his success amassing riches in real estate speculation, his hopes are dashed, and he's the target of the dueling, aristocratic elite, ultimately inspiring him to design a revolutionary, deadly knife, forged from the steel of a falling star ("a bit of heaven...and of hell").

The film bears little resemblance to the historic Bowie's life (the famous knife was actually designed by his brother, Rezin), and ignores his slave-running, embezzling, and other less-savory pursuits. Still, Ladd (whose career was waning, before "Shane") gives an excellent performance, both as a man of action, and as the victim of Mayo's whims. Veteran director Gordon Douglas succeeds in making a modestly-budgeted film look opulent, aided by Max Steiner's wonderful, period-flavored score.

If you are looking for a film about Jim Bowie's life in Texas, and his death at the Alamo, Republic Pictures' 1955 release, "The Last Command", while not a sequel to "The Iron Mistress" in any way, does cover this period (with giant Sterling Hayden in the Bowie role). It is even more inaccurate (particularly relating to the famous siege), but is also a quite entertaining film.

Finally, this film is available from other vendors for far less; I prefer, Amazon, in general, however, as their reliability is unmatched!

Alan Ladd smiles a lot in this 1952 film in which he plays the famed Jim Bowie. Virginia Mayo plays her role as a bitch well. Since this film was made in 1952, the blacks are portrayed in a stereotypical very subservient manner. The film is alright, but it lacks the excitement found in modern western movies. The plot focuses on Ladd (Jim Bowie) falling in love with Mayo and she taking advantage of his feelings. As a result, eight people die. It also focuses on Bowie having a knife made for him from a meteor and using it in several fights. He becomes so attached to his knife that people call it his iron mistress. Bowie is depicted as a man who does not want to kill people, but is forced to do it. Viewers will watch to see if he is able to resolve his feelings for Mayo and if he gives up his iron mistress.

This is Alan Ladd's best (even better than Shane in this person's estimation). An excellent film! I gave a copy to both my son-in-laws for Christmas. They're young and have never come in contact with too many movies like this. The title is not that well known, for sure . . . but as far as this viewer is concerned . . . this is one my 20 best. I saw it in the theater when it first came out and never forgot it. GREAT MOVIE!

This movie is about the early life of Jim Bowie. If you love knives and appreciate American history you will love this movie! Alan Ladd and Virginia Mayo were both superb. The Bowie knife that was used in this film was the one that was used in John Wayne's Alamo, as well as other Hollywood films. They recently started making a replica of this knife that is for sale under the name "Hollywood Bowie". Yes it is a beauty and a beast. This film leaves me wishing, every time I watch it, that Hollywood would make a new up dated accurate film about the life of Jim Bowie.

Finally they have put this great Alan Ladd movie on DVD . It is one of his best movies . A real saturday at the movie type fims

It was years ago that I first saw the Iron Mistress and have wanted to add it to my video collection ever since. Although Historically inaccurate, the film is entertaining and the knife fighting scenes are worth watching. I don't know if the real Bowie Knife was forged from part of a meteorite but it adds a aura of mystery to the film. Anyone who likes Alan Ladd should enjoy this film for the action, Drama and the ending.

Who ever did the cosutmes in this movie was excellent! I love Alan Ladd in this role. Mayo was perfect too. You will like it I promise you that!!

[[ASIN:B001XUSZHQ The Iron Mistress - Movie Poster - 11 x 17]

Of course the Alamo is missing from The Iron Mistress. To include it would nullify the theme of the movie.

Who/what is the iron mistress should not be hard to determine. A prerequisite to determining the answer is to know what Jim Bowie was running from in the Iron Mistress movie and knowing what eventually happened to him.

Have the answer yet? The reviewers that I have read to date obviously missed the obvious.

I am tempted to give you the answer. Hint: It is not the knife. Even though one reviewer describes the knife as Bowie's "iron mistress," how can that be the answer, when by the end of the movie Bowie has rejected the knife and what it represents? Think beyond Bowie's control.

Jim Bowie (1796-1836) was a famous 19th Century pioneer and soldier, famous for his enormous knife, sometimes referred to affectionately as an "Arkansas Toothpick". He has been portrayed in films by Jason Patric (2004), James Arness (1987), Richard Widmark (1960), Sterling Hayden (1955), Stuart Randall (1953), and Robert Armstrong (1939). Scott Forbes played him in the TV series (1956-8). In this film he is played by Alan Ladd.

Time - 1820s. Location - New Orleans.

Think Alan Ladd (1913-64) and you think "Shane", a film he made one year after this film. He originally was propelled into fame as a result of "This Gun for Hire" (1942) and followed it with memorable performances in "Two Years Before the Mast" and "the Blue Dahlia", both in 1946. "Shane" cemented his A list credentials and he remained a top star until his death in 1964.

FWIW - This was Ladd's first film for Warner Brothers, after 10+ years with Paramount where he did his best work, including "Shane" which, though released after "The Iron Mistress" was actually made prior.

Ladd's co-star is the beautiful Virginia Mayo (1920-2005). She's best remembered for her role opposite Jimmy Cagney in "White Heat" (1949), one of more than 50 films she starred in. Mayo had an interesting career, often playing "not the girl next door", although I liked her best in comedies like "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1947) and "The Princess and the Pirate" (1944). She said that Ladd was her favorite leading man.

Joseph Calleia (1897-1975) appeared in more than 50 films, but is probably best known for playing Buldeo in "Jungle Book" (1942) and Orson Welles's sidekick in "Touch of Evil" (1958). I liked him best as the Italian lothario in "Riff raff" (1935).

Tough Anthony Caruso (1916-2003) plays "Black Jack", a crooked saloon owner. Caruso appeared in more than 100 films and an equal number of TV programs, almost always as the bad guy. He could play an Indian ("Saskatchewan", "Drum Beat"), a Mexican ("Passion", "Santa Fe Passage"), a gangster ("City of Shadows"), or a cowboy "("The Big Land"). Interestingly enough Caruso appeared in the TV series "Adventures of Jim Bowie" (1956).

Director Gordon Douglas (1907-93) was a studio director and as such had a varied career. His films range from comedies like Laurel and Hardy's "Saps at Sea" (1940) and Sinatra's "Robin and the 7 Hoods" (1967), to the sci fi classic "Them" (1954) and westerns like "The Great Missouri Raid" (1951) and "Yellowstone Kelly" (1959).

Austrian composer Max Steiner (1888-1971) does a great job. Between 1935 and 1956 he was nominated for an Oscar 19 times, and won for "Since You Went Away" (1944), "Now Voyager" (1942), and "The Informer" (1935). He was so well known that he appeared on a 33 cent stamp (1999) along with Dimitri Tiomkin and Alfred Newman.

The film is notoriously ahistorical, but nobody really expects this to be a history lesson. As a film per se it's pretty standard stuff, and at times a little boring. Virginia Mayo is the scene stealer as a scheming wench, and the Technicolor is spectacular as is the musical score for Max Steiner.

Fans of Alan Ladd can find much better films to watch, and fans of Jim Bowie can find much better film portrayals. The only real treat here is Virginia Mayo's performance, but even here she has so many better performances elsewhere it's hardly worth the time to wade through this film.