the audience applauded

Powerful

I wanted to but couldn't!

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

I viewed this film as a historical piece on locations. It is footage of the town of the old mining town of Bodie, pre-fire which destroyed 90% of the remaining town in 1933. It is now a state park and the official ghost town of Calif. Having visited several times, it was amazing to see actual businesses and buildings that no longer stand. And the ones that do - 80 years later. The church that is seen in several of the exteriors is still there today, but none of the buildings seen between it and the main street exist. This would have been, in 1929, a long way to travel for a location shot with crew and equipment. I'm glad they did.

Regretfully, I only caught the last 15 minutes or so during its latest broadcast on TCM. I'm a Westerns buff and have seen both the later (Morris, et al & Wayne et al) versions, as well as the original silent. Ran across this one by accident when I got up too early on a Sunday morning. Despite having only seen its last 1/4 hour, I was ab-so-lutely blown away by how much better it was than any of those other productions. Wyler's direction is spectacular - visually spare while bursting with information. Does anyone know ANYWHERE I might be able to get a copy (DVD or VHS) for personal viewing? If I must, I will wait around for two or ten years 'til it shows up again on TCM (maybe Encore Westerns?), but I have got to see the whole thing. Thx for any help you can give. -peace

It's not the best, but not the worst movie ever made... interesting for the time. Best of all though, the beginning and end of the movie are shot in what is now a real ghost town - Bodie, CA.The story has been done over and over, but as I said, if you have ever been to Bodie, it's worth checking out this movie - just to see the town as it once was.

Although the manner of film narration dates this picture badly, it can be appreciated for its considerable merits, not merely as an historical curiosity. The juxtaposition of figures and landscape (particularly desert) is powerful, accenting the isolation and desperation of the outlaws. Its final scene, like that of "The Informer" (which it pre-dates), may be highly melodramatic, but works effectively within its context. Charles Bickford, in the early portion of the picture, is terrifying as a human rattlesnake: mean, ruthless, just plain down and dirty nasty to whoever crosses his path.