Sorry, this movie sucks

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Undoubtedly one of the most accomplished and most interesting of Curtiz's later movies, this one re-united him with the brilliant cinematographer, Ted McCord. In fact the color photography is always so visually attractive that the players face an uphill battle to compete with the breathtaking scenery. That they actually manage to do this is a tribute not only to their own acting skills, but to director Curtiz. De Havilland handles her character role with total authority, Ladd plays with conviction and sincerity in what is possibly his best performance ever, while Dean Jagger is so memorably vicious as the heavy it's hard to believe it's the same guy who delivered such a ridiculously bland characterization of a Clayton's general in Curtiz's big 1954 hit, White Christmas.Nonetheless, it's young David Ladd who easily walks away with the movie's acting honors and deservedly won the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's 1958 award for the most outstanding performance by a juvenile. Technical credits are equally accomplished. Add to Curtiz's bravura direction and McCord's striking camerawork, the powerful music score of Jerome Moross.

Terrific western with David Ladd stealing the show as a lad whose vocal chords were paralyzed after he witnessed the death of his mother during the civil war.Dad Alan Ladd, who portrays David's father in the film, looks for every way possible for his son's voice to be restored.After meeting up with Olivia De Havilland in a chance meeting when he is jailed and the tables turned on him by an evil Dean Jagger and his sons, the latter trying to wrestle control of Linnett's farm so that they may extend their sheep herding.Lassie film lovers move over. The boy is enamored with his dog Lance and Ladd sells the dog to pay for an operation that appeared to be unsuccessful.Naturally, the dog was sold to Jagger who plots to kill dad Ladd after promising him that he can have the "worthless" dog back, only to want to kill the Ladd character as a dog stealer.Emotion abounds in the film as De Havilland comes to love the Ladd character and the boy.Co-starring Eli Mintz, of the television "The Goldberg's fame as a store keeper. Cecil Kellaway is appealing as a Quaker doctor.

The Proud Rebel is a touching tale, performed simply and effectively with the fine acting talents of Olivia De Havilland, Dean Jagger, Cecil Kellaway and Alan Ladd. The surprising winner is eleven year old David Ladd in his biggest film debut, playing Ladd's mute son, he gives an astonishingly professional and realistic performance. With outstanding cinematography and filmed on spectacular scenic locations in Utah and professionally directed by Michael Curtiz, The Proud Rebel deserves the title of timeless classic. I will not give a synopsis of this film as so many have already adequately done, but I do insist this heartwarming drama must be seen to be fully appreciated. This film will appeal to all fans of Alan Ladd, Olivia De Havilland, Western Films and anyone who enjoys a sentimental story about the love between a boy and his father and the forever loyalty of a beloved dog.

I have long complained because there must have been a million western movies made over the years by Hollywood and practically all of them are variations on the exact Fsame half dozen (or less) themes. As a result, most westerns are repetitive and dull. Fortunately, this one is a bit different--with enough that is not familiar to make it worth viewing.The film begins with a father and son (Alan Ladd and his real life son, David) traveling across the country. They are Southerners but have left Atlanta following the Civil War in order to locate a doctor who might be able to cure the boy. It seems that following witnessing his mother's death the child has been mute.In one of the towns, the father meets up with a couple dirt-bags who pick a fight with him. However, it is Ladd himself who is convicted of assault and is sentenced to spend 30 days in jail or pay $30--which he just doesn't have. A local spinster (Olivia de Havilland) takes pity on them and offers to pay the fine if the father comes to her farm to work off the debt.Once on this farm, it's obvious Olivia's having problems with the same dirt-bags that attacked Ladd earlier in the film. In this case, the men are trying to force her to sell them her struggling farm. Along the way, Alan comes to her aid in this struggle and it's also obvious that some real affection is forming--and it's hardly a surprise when the two decide to stay.While the story is not monumental in scope, it's a nice story about people. It helped that an exceptional director (Michael Curtiz) and many excellent actors appeared in the film. In addition to the main characters, veteran character actors such as Cecil Kellaway, Dean Jagger, Henry Hull and Harry Dean Stanton appeared in the film as well--giving it nice color. Plus the writing was very good and made for an appealing film.By the way, the sign language that David Ladd uses throughout the film isn't perfect, but it IS essentially correct. So, when he is trying to tell Alan that there is a fire, that IS what he is signing. It's actually funny, but several times during the movie the dad didn't seem to know what the kid was saying--and I clearly understood and felt like yelling out what he was signing! I especially liked when the boy was trying to tell de Havilland how much he liked her but no one seemed to understand that he was saying how much he liked her. The film makers COULD have just as easily had the kid just make some nonsense signs and hardly anyone every would have known. It's nice to see that they tried. Now here is the rub, however, the DVD is NOT captioned at all!!! So, deaf people who COULD understand the boy cannot watch the film and enjoy it.Also, while not a huge mistake, in one scene late in the film the three leads are in town and it's pouring down rain--so much so that they need to stay there until it clears. Yet, when they arrive back at the farm, it's 100% dry--the same dessert-like place it's always been with dirt, dirt and more dirt.