Review of Saddle the Wind (1958) by David H — 28 Aug 2010

Saddle the Wind is a Cain and Abel story about two frontier brothers on such opposite planes it?s hard to believe they could be related. It stars Robert Taylor as the older, wiser brother, Steve Sinclair. John Cassavetes plays the younger, cocky, uncultivated Tony Sinclair. The two are significantly apart in age. I?d estimate that Steve is in his 40?s, while Tony looks to be somewhere around 25. However, Steve states that their parents passed away when he was young. Steve is a reformed gunslinger turned open range cattle rancher. Tony still sees Steve as the gunfighter he once was, and which Tony probably barely remembers, and has idealized that lifestyle his whole life. The two conflict when Tony starts playing badass gunfighter for real.

Before Steve could turn around Tony became a young man. Tony believes he has come of age. He is fast on the draw of his pistol. Fast enough that one day when a notorious gunfighter comes to town looking for Steve, Tony is able to gun him down. Tony also brings a woman home for the first time, a saloon singer, Joan Blake (Julie London). Tony surprises everyone when he introduces her to Steve and their ranch hands as his fiancée. She was probably the first girl to give him the time of day, and he held her up like a prized trophy. It?s later revelled that she just wanted to get out of that saloon. Tony believes that all this makes him a man. Steve has lived long enough to know that being a man is a state of mind. It has nothing to do with being the toughest, or the easiest with women. He wants Tony to understand that, but it is beyond him. Tony suffers from a bad combination of wanting to prove his manhood to everyone, and himself. As well as letting his gun belt do the thinking.

I like Robert Taylor as the leading man in this movie. He has a bit of a charm that?s a cross between Jimmy Stewart and Robert Mitchum. Julie London as Joan is terribly underused. In the same year she gave what is considered to be the strongest performance of her career in another western, Man of the West (1958). Her character in this movie was written only to fulfil a need for a female presence. We are led to believe that a romantic situation develops between her and Steve. But nothing is ever shown onscreen. Just before the climax where Steve rides off to what may be a fatal confrontation between Tony and him, he tells her ?wait for me,? She replies, ?I Will.? It is an unnecessary complication written into the script. If there had been a romance building between the two onscreen that would have been one more complication in the relationship between Steve and Tony. There already is quite a bit packed into this 84 minute movie. But what?s worse is that the romance is suddenly introduced, and then nothing is done with it.

Even though London doesn?t make much of an impression in the movie as a whole, her character is well-written. All that is her character (and most of her dialogue) is condensed into one monologue. It is during a confrontation with Steve, when she is first brought to the ranch. It may be brief, but we believe her to be a real person with real problems.

That is true for all the movie?s characters, and is what makes the movie successful. All the characters, no matter how big or small, we believe could be real people. Steve and Tony occupy much of the screen time, but there are numerous small characters who come and go, all of whom I found to be interesting, and are round enough that they could be the star of their own movie. The dialogue between the characters is also well-written. The exchange between the characters has a certain flow to it that is admirably crafted, and a pleasure to watch.

I?m not sure how this western was received when it first hit theatres in March of 1958, but today it?s mostly forgotten. It?s kind of amusing how this movie is an eclectic collection of talent that was then, mostly yet to come. The movie was partly directed by John Sturges, who didn?t receive a credit. Sturges later went on to become one of the western genre?s essential directors. He also directed Bad Day At Black Rock (1955), The Magnificent Seven (1960), and Joe Kidd (1972), written by Elmore Leonard and starring Clint Eastwood. Rod Sterling, who wrote the screenplay later went to on to become the distinctive voiced host of The Twilight Zone. Julie London was a famous singer of the time, most remembered for her single, Cry Me a River. She developed a legitimate acting career also; this was one of her early roles.

There was a theme song composed for this movie, which London herself sings during the opening credits. It?s an enchanting song, which I unfortunately haven?t been able to find to download. London describes her own voice perfectly as, ?a kind of oversmoked voice, and it automatically sounds intimate.?