![]() ![]() The concept of competing factions in conflict over the land itself is timeless, one that underpins not just the western but so much human drama. While The Tall Stranger is not a particularly ambitious movie, or certainly not one which sets out its stall to deal head on with big themes, it manages to incorporate some of those core ingredients of the genre into its compact form and structure. As such, everything is set up for a showdown between these competing forces and personalities, all of them looking to carve out and lay claim to a little corner of the world to call their own. We first learn that Bannon is headed back to the ranch run by his half-brother, a man who has sworn revenge on him for the death of his only son during the war, then there is another layer of conflict to come as the settlers, under the influence of a manipulative opportunist, make their minds up to stake out a piece of the sprawling ranch for themselves. A few of those plot elements are therefore seeded quite early, but the depths of the feuding and conflict are mined later. These two people find themselves drawn to each other, perhaps as a result of their shared status as outsiders, Bannon’s having been a Union officer adding to his otherness next to the Southerners. In among those is Ellen (Virginia Mayo), a woman bringing up a little boy on her own. However, Bannon is a lucky man and is rescued and nursed back to health by a wagon train of former Confederates heading west and hoping for a fresh start in California. As he lies on the ground seriously wounded and at the edge of consciousness, he glimpses the gold-plated rifle and fancy spurs sported by his assailant. That proves to be a mistake, costing him his horse and almost his own life at the hands of an unseen sniper. Ned Bannon (Joel McCrea) chances upon a group of men riding herd on some cattle and, out of curiosity, pauses to take a better look. The opening image is a staple of the genre, with a lone rider making his way across the wilderness, his eyes probing the horizon and beyond, searching for something. Still, just because a theme may not have been foremost in the minds of those making a movie does not mean it is not there, or that is any less relevant as a consequence.įrom feuds and fights to romance and reputations, The Tall Stranger has no shortage of ideas to bulk out its 80 minute running time. For one reason or another, I found myself mulling this over the other day as I watched The Tall Stranger (1957), a decidedly modest western and one which I doubt the filmmakers actively thought of in those terms. I reckon the western is primarily about seeking out a place of one’s own, either a spiritual or physical promised land, somewhere for characters to fulfill themselves, to add that last elusive piece to the puzzle of their own existence. Even that is a nebulous comment and open to all kinds of interpretations so I’ll try to nail it down a bit. Sure John Ford made one of the greatest movies of all time with that word and idea helping to form its title, but the concept of groups and individuals forever ranging towards a mythical west in search of something is at the root of so many stories. I frequently return to the notion of redemption and it naturally crops up time and again, but I’m inclined to think the western is all about searching. So many themes have been encompassed over the decades and plots have woven all types of ideas into the fabric of the genre. ![]() ![]() Thematically, what is the western all about? That’s a big question, bearing in mind the breadth and endurance of the genre. ![]()
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