The Kentuckian (1955)

This film somehow gives me a lame feeling about the slow tempo of the screenplay, the soundtrack even a lit bit of annoying like all of the films in that era. Lancaster was so handsome in his prime. I like the dog, so smart and so cute. But I don't like the son character created in this film, more like and half-wit retard, just couldn't keep his mouth shut to get his father and the kind Hannah in trouble. The screenplay is too loose to keep the movie at a faster pace. Watching these kind of films with nowadays point of view, you really need patience to sit tight and watch along. All the bad guys in this film looked more like cartoon characters.

It was not Matthau's line, but Glen Strange's: "Who dast?" That's all I have to say and am only writing on because I have to have a minimum of ten lines. Well, then, I'll say I enjoyed the film, found the choice of Matthau odd until I found that some of his earlier roles were in Westerns(is this a Western, really?), thought the young boy as Little Eli was very good and always enjoy John Carradine. Once I realized that Lancaster directed this film, I started watching it differently, looking for evidence of a novice. Actually, as I watched, I didn't care; I just enjoyed it. If anyone is interested, I would recommend reading some of the Old Southwest humorists like George Washington Harris and Augustus Baldwin Longstreet for insight into the period and types. Enjoy.

I agree with one of the persons who commented on this movie that this is a good period piece. This movie is true in showing the speech, habits, attitudes, clothing, and just life in general, in the backwoods of the Kentucky/Indiana area of the 1820's. I should know. My family moved across the Ohio River into Indiana from Kentucky, near where this movie was filmed, during this same time period of the 1820's, and I have family correspondence showing the life of this areas people of the 1820's.I love this movie, but then, I might be prejudice. It was made in 1954 just before my 12 birthday, and my family and I were in it. My brother and I played school kids, my dad was a farmer, and my mother was one of the ladies on the river boat. I loved being on the set in the Lincoln Village in Rockport, Indiana and watching Burt striding around in his period costume. He always acted as if he knew exactly what he was doing. Everybody give Walter lots of room while he got lessons from Lash LaRue, an expert bullwhipper from old Hollywood westerns, on how to use the bullwhip. He learned some but, it was Lash who did the big scenes. Miss Lynn was kind and sweet to all of us kids when we did the schoolroom scenes. John Caradine was always golly and cheerful and seemed to love everybody, and what he was doing.I could go on, and on. I have tons of behind the scene pictures my dad took, a lovely picture of my lovely mother in a beautiful period costume on the boat, and a copy of "Gabriel's Horn," the book from which the movie was taken, as well as a copy of the movie.As an adult 53 years later, I look at this movie and see a decent, true, period movie, with lessons to be learned, that anyone of the 1950's would have enjoyed. Some of the parts could have been cast better, but, do not judge it by today's standards. Lancaster, et al, worked hard and stayed true to the times they were portraying, and credit is due.

BURT LANCASTER stars as THE KENTUCKIAN who has a yearning to go where the grass is greener and wants to leave Kentucky for a new life in Texas with his young son in tow. DIANA LYNN is a pretty schoolteacher at the schoolhouse cabin and DIANNE FOSTER is the other female lead, an indentured servant, with a yen for Lancaster.Good supporting roles for WALTER MATTHAU (making his screen debut) and JOHN CARRADINE. JOHN LITEL makes a welcome appearance as a riverboat man, but the story lacks a strong enough plot to maintain interest in the rather pedestrian proceedings. Filmed in widescreen color and CinemaScope, it looks as though a lavish budget has been expended on a tiresome script.Fortunately, the film picks up interest toward the last fifteen minutes when Lancaster and his son have to defend themselves against badman Matthau and his cohorts. There's also a confrontational bullwhip scene with Matthau and Lancaster that is well staged and effective.But the story is rather trite and there's nothing special about Lancaster's performance or his direction. I would have preferred a more appealing youngster for Young Eli than DONALD MacDONALD who walks through his role without ever inhabiting it.