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Rating:  -
I enjoyed these two good actors as they romped through this cowbboy movie.They looked as though they were having so much fun playing their roles. I could not imagine Glenn Ford as this tough soldier and then playing the part to the end ...so unlike him. Ellen Drew was so pretty and pert in her portrail.
Rating: -
I added The Man from Colorado to my netflix cue after watching the original 3:10 to Yuma. I was not disappointed. Several other reviewers highlight the fact that this Western is a little different than others since it focuses so heavily on the frail mental condition of Glenn Ford's character. As a viewer you are provided a glimpse into the psyche of the "hero" at the beginning when he refuses to accept a Confederate white flag of surrender. William Holder does an excellent job as Glenn Ford's friend who recognizes that he is really struggling after the Civil War's end.
I enjoyed the movie, because the plot was interesting to follow. As I discussed with my sons it is hard to really figure out who are the bad guys in this one which makes the storyline all that much easier to believe. Like most Westerns there are still plenty of gun fights, intense dialogue, and drama. The acting is good, and the story moves along at a good pace. The music is a little over the top at times, but usually helps add to the drama.
If you are looking for a little different flavor of Western, then I recommend this film. The combination of Ford and Holden works well, and you will be entertained. The Searchers is the film that comes most to mind in comparison to this one.
Rating: -
The Man From Colorado(1948) is one of the first Noir/Adult Westerns of the post-war period. Where the first wave in the late thirties and early forties had a very epic and fun feel, this second wave was alot more psychological, dark and depressing.
This film is in many ways a subtly made anti-war picture that is a clear allegory on the War that had just wrapped up a few years prior to this film. It may be the very first Hollywood film to deal with what we know now as "Post-Tramautic Stress Disorder" and it's reflection here is intelligent and disturbing.
In the picture, Glenn Ford plays a Union Cournal who is slowly losing his mind, evidenced in the opening shots as he orders the deaths of an entire platoon of Confederate soldiers who have raised a white flag. The war ends that very day and him and his command return home. Ford and his men are treated to a warm welcome and the town appoints Ford as Judge of the area. William Holden, his best friend and his second in command, acts as Federal Marshall.
However, carpetbaggers have stolen the land and gold mines of many of his returning troop and Ford sides with the men who took the mines, causing many of the men to resort to robbery and violence to regain there rights. Ford becomes tyrannical and the strain becomes too much for both Holden and his newly-wed wife(Ellen Drew) who feel they must stop the madman from his own personal vengeance and mania.
Ford's performance is chilling and very real. His calm demeanor makes his bursts of violence all the more upsetting and creepy. Holden offsets him well as his Best Friend, who knows too well that his friend is long gone.
Drew dosen't have as much to do as she should, but makes the most of her part as the love interest of both men and her compassion for Ford is touching and adds more to his Drama. Edgar Bucchanan is memorable as the town doctor, who along with Holden, suspects the worst of Ford, especially after a confrontation with a Confederate Officer in the streets turns bloody.
This is an intelligent and well written western overall. If there are any faults, it's pace quickens too much towards the conclusion and the plot is wrapped up so simply and unfortunately, conventionally. No one can deny that the finale is very cinematic and certainly symbolic, but the journey there could have used some more insight and padding.
These are minor quibbles however of what is essentially a very fine first class Western.
Extras include several trailers and one for this film. The print quality is decent, but it would have been nice to have some commentary for this overlooked gem.
Rating: -
Glenn Ford was as good as anyone playing an intense psychotic, which he does here in this above-average western.
Ford, playing "Col.Owen Devereaux," gets elected to the position of "judge" right after his distinguished career in the Civil War. Unfortunately, he has mental problems and this position carries too much weight for an unstable sort such as him to be carrying. His best buddy, "Capt. Del Stewart" (William Holden) sees his friend as he is and tries to reason with him and help him out but winds up being alienated, too, by the paranoid judge whose problems escalate as the story goes on.
There's not a tremendous amount of action in here, but it still moves pretty fast and looks really nice on DVD. This is one of the few color films of the 1940s.
Ellen Drew, Ray Collins and Ed Buchnan provide good supporting help in the story. If you like some of the Anthony Mann-James Stewart westerns of the late '40s/early '50s, you should like this one, too.
Rating: -
This is a taut, well crafted psychological western directed by Henry Levin. The Man From Colorado assembles some of the same cast from Texas. The Man From Colorado was released eight years after Texas & is a better movie. The two films have similarities in plot: William Holden & Glenn Ford are friends from the civil war, they both love the same woman & they end up in conflict with one another. It's there the similarities end; where Texas had a more lighthearted touch, The Man From Colorado is unrelenting & quite serious. The Man From Colorado was released in 1948, just three short years since the end of WWII. Many of the themes examined in this film were affecting the veterans of that brutal war.
Col. Owen Devereaux (Glenn Ford) leads a small detachment of volunteers in Colorado. At the very close of the war (the opening scene of the film) Col. Devereaux has an even smaller band of Confederates trapped. The Rebs raise a white flag but Devereaux orders his cannon to fire killing all except for the Confederate commanding office who escapes without anyone noticing. Capt. Del Stewart (William Holden) is Devereaux's second in command & friend for years. Capt. Stewart finds the white flag, choosing to bury it & not raise any issues. Stewart has suspected for a while that his best friend has been adversely affected by the war but chooses to remain silent & stand beside him. There's also a scene in which Devereaux is writing in his diary questioning his own sanity & his lust for killing.
The conflicts between Devereaux & Stewart are obvious but well done. They escalate throughout the film until the final showdown. Devereaus becomes more & more deranged & less in control of his urges until he sets fire to a town that jeopardizes many innocent people just so he can root out Stewart.
One of the most interesting facets of this film is the appearance of Glenn Ford. There's something about his face & head that's completely different from his normal appearance. I recognize the difference in his hair style but can't figure out what the other subtle differences are, even his eyes seem to set closer together. The Man From Colorado is a very good film, one of Ford's finer efforts in his early career.
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