Rancho Notorious (1952)

Nicely done Western with a very interesting story-line. I like the way it unfolds and how we follow the main character as he ups his game and his skills. This is the first time I have seen this approach to a western i.e. a detective type build-up that captures the viewer and holds them. I also like the Ranch that appears in the story. Beautiful with surrounding mountains, plenty of space and secluded. We have good guys, bad guys, bank robbers, love interests, saloons, lots of whiskey drinking, shootings, horses and even some flashback too. I am a Arthur Kennedy fan and he is one of the most under-rated actors out there. He always delivers a quality performance making you believe he is the character no problem. His Invasion of the Body Snatchers did it for me and of course he has done fine Westerns, dramas and all the rest. Good supporting cast. On Marlene Dietrich, anyone could have played the role she played and I wasn't thrilled to see her act it out but she does. Good movie to eat a burrito or steak sandwich plus a tasty drink. Mount-up all you pards and lets ride on this one.

After seeing the charming Western Rachel and the Stranger,I took a look at the TV listings,and found out that the BBC were following the screening with a Western from Fritz Lang. Previously only knowing Lang for his Sci-Fi,Film Noir and late Adventure movies,I excitingly got set to enter Lang's Western metropolis.The plot:Working as a ranch hand, Vern Haskell finds his peaceful life to be left broken when his fiancée Beth Forbes is killed during a robbery. Finding no help from the law,Haskell leaves his peaceful life behind,and goes in search of the outlaws. Finding one of the robbers dying on the ground after being betrayed by his former pal,Haskell is told of a game called Chuck-a-Luck. Locating the main salon where the game is played,Haskell crosses paths with Altar Keane,who along with getting lucky on Chuck-a-Luck,is now wearing some of Forbes jewellery.View on the film:Locked from giving a full crack of the whip by studio owner Howard Hughes taking control of the editing and his relationship with the lead actress being so "frosty" that they ended up not speaking to each other during production,director Fritz Lang & cinematographer Hal Mohr are still able to find a saddle which allows them to enter the Wild West with style,as expertly delivered overlapping images cast an evil under the sun Film Noir atmosphere under the West,with the burning hot sun dimming as Haskell takes another step to finding Forbes killers. Possibly spurred on by the production "issues" Lang shootout with a peculiar comedic side,which steps into view as all the dames take the cowboys on in a piggyback ride contest.Being a diva on set (with her demanding Mohr to make her look younger) Marlene Dietrich wonderfully transfers her off-screen confidence to the screen,via giving Altar Keane a brashness which keeps all the boys in line. Haunted by the sight of his dead wife, Arthur Kennedy gives a marvellous performance as Haskell,whose sweet heroic smile is tainted by Kennedy as loner who finds himself unable to stop the transformation into an outlaw,as Haskell gets his revenge with a game of Chuck-a- Luck.

Rancho Notorious (1952) *** (out of 4) Offbeat but entertaining Western about a man (Arthur Kennedy) who goes searching for the man who raped and killed his fiancé. He eventually meets up with an outlaw (Mel Ferrer) who takes him to a notorious, secret ranch ran by Altar Keane (Marlene Dietrich). This ranch hides criminals wanted by the law and our hero hopes that the guilty man is hiding here. I had never heard too much talk about this film, which seems to be hidden from conversations when one discusses the work of Lang or even Dietrich. I found the storytelling here to be quite different than what you'd expect and this is one reason why the film comes off so fresh even though the actual story isn't anything we haven't seen countless times before. The first thirty minutes shows Kennedy ridding from town to town trying to find out anything about the killer or this mysterious ranch. When he arrives to a new town we then hear the story, which is shown to us in a flashback. This approach makes for a rather offbeat form of storytelling but I found it unique enough to the point where I really enjoyed it. The final hour is when we finally get to the actual ranch and all the drama begins to happen with Kennedy searching for his man while at the same time starting a relationship with Dietrich. Lang's direction is top-notch from start to finish with some very good touches and some even more impressive editing. I really enjoyed the cinematography as well because Lang constantly keeps his camera moving and perfectly picking up all the action that is going on. I like how Lang lets the action start and then he slowly zooms in on the characters. Apparently there was a lot of production problems with Dietrich "demanding" to look as young as she possible could here and she does look attractive here. Her performance is also pretty good as she really digs deep into the character and makes us believe the changes she goes through. Kennedy is extremely good as well as he plays the anger and hatred of his character quite well. The two have a nice chemistry together and their relationship works rather well. Ferrer, Jack Elam, George Reeves and Frank Ferguson round out the supporting cast and turn in good work. There are a few problems besides the predictable story and that's a pretty silly song that is constantly playing throughout the movie and we even get a break in everything for Dietrich to sing a tune. These items we could have done without but overall this is an impressive little gem.

60/100. You would think the combination of Lang and Marlene Dietrich would be amazing, but this is my fourth viewing of the film over a 35 year period, and not once was I impressed with this movie. The score is a little overbearing and it just rarely rises above an ordinary western from the 1950's. I was disappointed in the art direction, the sets looked very obvious to me. It's a fair story given an okay treatment. I am in the minority on this one, but the film to me went from one cliché to another. Arthur Kennedy is a bland choice and lacks the fire needed for the role. Certainly it has some good visuals, so at least one of Fritz Lang's trademark touches came through.