Four Faces West (1948)

Copyright 21 May 1948 by Harry Sherman Pictures, Inc. Released through United Artists Pictures. New York opening at the Globe: 3 August 1948. U.S. release: 15 May 1948. U.K. release through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer: 21 February 1949. Australian release through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer: 24 February 1949. 8,196 feet. 91 minutes. (Available on an excellent Republic Pictures DVD).U.K. and Australian release title: THEY PASSED THIS WAY.COMMENT: A western that admirably captures the unique atmosphere and flavor of the original novel, thanks not only to its engrossing script but breathtaking location photography, efficient direction, and most capable acting. Production values are "A" plus.Expansively produced with extensive location filming, beautifully photographed and stylishly directed (yes, Virginia, old Alfred E. can be stylish when he has the mind - which admittedly is none too often), They Passed This Way is a treat for western and non-western fans alike. The atmosphere of the novel is superbly captured with all its irony (McCrea robbing the bank just a few yards away from a rostrum on which Pat Garrett, of all people, is delivering a lecture on law and order) and religious overtones (McCrea rides a white horse branded with a chalice. He is sheltering under the Blood. But when he chases the horse away, he is immediately bitten by a rattle-snake/serpent) intact. The whole theme of the novel - "Nothing worthwhile is achieved without sacrifice," a line spoken by Nurse Dee - is vividly and indelibly realized. Nonetheless, it takes more than a worthwhile theme to make a picture really great. What's needed are memorable and fascinating characters - and that's what we have here. In spades. McCrea and Bickford are perfectly cast. McCrea does a wonderful job building up sympathy, whilst Bickford makes his Garrett a marvelous contrast. Miss Dee emerges a little colorlessly, but the support cast, headed by Joseph Calleia, is absolutely first-rate. Even the smallest roles are expertly played. The script comes across as a model of what screenwriting should be. The dialogue rings with plenty of bite and even humor; while the plot moves forward with taut precision, yet engages plenty of action.

An unfairly unsung western,almost completely devoid of violence ,of fights,of your average western clichés;the subject is the second chance ,the free will,without preachy moral.A subject Delmer Daves would resume in "the last wagon" in the fifties.This is to my knowledge the only western in which bullets are used to relieve the suffering:this scene where Joel McCrea opens them to get the sulfur ,his struggle against diphtheria ,injecting more tenderness you might think possible when he talks to the sick children are among the most moving in the western genre .The female part (played by Frances Dee who has wonderful eyes) is not decorative:as a nurse,whose duty is to heal the pain,she shows Ewan the way when she calls him coward before leaving him:had the hero not met her,he would probably have ignored the dying family and gone his way.The rock gives this tale a legendary side ;Ross becomes a legend in his own time .Oddly ,the following year,Joel McCrea would play another character ("Colorado Territory" ,Raoul Walsh)whose (tragic) legendary tale is told by a priest.

Warning: Possible spoilers. An absolute gem, this wonderful western - shot in black and white on rugged, interesting locations, is a sheer pleasure from beginning to end. It is something to cherish. The quiet, handsome Joel McCrea - playing the most thoroughly decent outlaw I've ever come across in a western, has never been more appealing as the bank robber on the run.Using his pointed gun as collateral, Ross McEwan (McCrea) makes a $2000 "loan" from a bank - right under Pat Garrett's (Bickford) nose. The furious bank manager puts up a reward of $3000 for his capture: dead or alive. So Garrett - a pretty good guy who is going to make damn sure no one shoots Ross in the back, and a posse set off in hot pursuit. The crafty McEwan jumps on a train and evades capture with a help of a baby and a blanket. He meets the honest, attractive railway nurse Fay Hollister (Frances Dee) and the mysterious Mexican gambler Monte Marquez (Joseph Calleia) while on the train. Fay realizes that Ross has broken the law and is a wanted man, but she falls in love with him anyway - hell, she's ready to sacrifice her job and follow him to the ends of the earth. Of course, every bounty hunter in the territory is now also searching for Ross. With Monte's help, Ross continues to evade the determined Garrett and eventually travels across the desert - on a bull. On the way, however, Ross stops to find a horse and comes across a poor, sick Mexican family at their little homestead. The father, his wife and their two small boys are desperately ill. They will all surely die if Ross doesn't stop to help. But if he stays and tries to save them, the law will catch up with him and he won't make it across the border... Seeing Joel McCrea and his wife Frances Dee romantically paired is rather lovely; they have real chemistry (it's no surprise their marriage lasted for over 50 years). The four leads are all pitch perfect in their roles, but a marvelous Joseph Calleia deserves a special mention. If this exciting, unusual, uplifting and richly romantic western (in which not one shot is fired or a single punch thrown) doesn't touch you, you have an ice-cold, cynical heart of stone. Based on a story by Eugene Manlove Rhodes called "Paso por Aqui" ("They Passed This Way"). Highly recommended.

Joel McCrea and Francis Dee are exceptional people. They made this one of the best family westerns of all time. To bad there are not anymore actors or actresses like this anymore. We have hit a low in good clean acting, and good movie plots.