disinterested_spectator "Devil's Doorway" is one of those movies about Indians that is not much fun, because the movie cares more about showing us the mistreatment of the Indians at the hands of white men than with entertaining us in the traditional manner, such as by having the Indians scalping, raping, and otherwise terrorizing white settlers.Robert Taylor in redface plays Broken Lance, a Shoshone Indian who has just arrived back home in Wyoming after service in the Civil War fighting for the North, where he won the Medal of Honor. In other words, this movie lays it on pretty thick. He intends to return to his peaceful ways as a free range cattle rancher, but he finds he is beset by a bunch of white people that intend to homestead on his land and raise sheep.This is an interesting twist. First, in most movies where there is a clash between men who want an open range for their cattle and families that want to homestead, it is the homesteaders that are good and the cattlemen that are evil, as in "Shane" (1953). Second, in most movies where sheepherders come into conflict with cattlemen, it is the sheepherders that are good and the cattlemen that are, once again, evil. Glenn Ford seems to show up in a lot of these movies. He is said by villain cattleman Rod Steiger to have the smell of sheep about him in "Jubal" (1956), is the title character in "The Sheepman" (1958), and intervenes as a pastor/gunslinger on the side of the good sheepherders (some of whom are Indians) against the bad cattlemen in "Heaven with a Gun" (1969). So, it is strange that the good guy in Devil's Doorway is a free range cattleman pitted again evil homesteading sheepherders. In fact, if this good guy had not been an Indian at a time when audiences were ready for movies about how Indians were good and white people were bad, the reversal might not have worked. Actually, not much works in this movie in any event. It is tedious and boring, as are all moralistic, preachy movies.As long as the movie was going to be about injustice toward Indians, I suppose the producers figured they might as well put in a word for gender equality as well, though they would hardly have termed it as such in 1950. And so, Lance's lawyer ends up being a woman, who goes by the name of Masters (Paula Raymond). Actually, being a pretty white woman, her real function is tantalize the audience with a little unconsummated miscegenation.When Lance finds out from Masters that the law does not allow Indians to homestead, he berates her for her faith in the law, as a kind of religion, saying that when you have the law, you don't have to worry about your conscience. It tells you what is right and wrong and no more thinking is required. He sarcastically says he wishes he had something like that.This is immediately followed by a scene in which a pubescent boy staggers and then crawls toward Lance's house. It turns out that, like all boys, he had to go into the mountains with only a knife, no food or water, go above the snow line wearing only moccasins and a loin cloth, and come back with the talons of an eagle within three days, or he is not a man. When Masters says that this practice is cruel, Lance justifies this custom, saying it is necessary so that the tribe knows whether the boy can be depended on to fight.Needless to say, a lot of boys probably die in making this attempt. I just knew Masters was going to say, "It looks as though I have faith in my laws, and you have faith in yours. Neither one of us has to bother about our conscience." And Masters could also have noted that white men are pretty good at fighting, and they don't do that to their children. Amazingly enough, she makes no such remarks. There is probably a kind of bigotry of low expectations at work here. White civilization is held to the higher standards of reason and justice, whereas there is a tendency to think of the customs of primitive peoples as too precious to subject to any serious criticism, the result being that the people who made this movie seem to be oblivious to the irony of these scenes, even though they put the one right after the other. Maybe they were being extra subtle, allowing us to have a laugh at Lance's expense, but it sure doesn't feel that way.Before the movie is out, the chief villain, played by Louis Calhern, who was the one that instigated the sheepherders' attempt to homestead, is killed off. And Lance is killed off too, in part to show that he is too manly to yield or compromise, and in part to keep him and Masters from exchanging bodily fluids across racial lines.

ma-cortes Sensational western , deemed as the first Hollywood film to side with the Indians , along with ¨Broken arrow¨ by Delmer Daves and starred by James Stewart . It deals with Lance Poole (offbeat cast of Robert Taylor who surprisingly is pretty well) , an Indian Navajo who won a Medal of Honor fighting at Gettysburg , goes back to his tribal territory intent on peaceful cattle ranching . Returning home and finding a bleak situation : his people living in poverty . As usual , crooked settlers and mean traders (Louis Calhern) thwart peace . Some people and State laws attempt to take possession his lands . Then Lance hires an advocate at law (Paula Marshall) . The solicitor attempting to find truce among feuding white man and Indian people.This picture acclaimed like one of the first to deal the Indian with understanding and justice . The film contains agreeable depiction about Indian habits as it actually was , including adulthood initiations , complex mythology and peculiar culture .¨Devil's doorway¨ along with ¨Broken arrow¨ marked in the cinema field a trail of consideration and empathy toward native indigenous to North America, and lift the troublesome relationships between native and colonizers , then it would go on other films until reach its climax in the great and magnificent "Dancing with wolves" (Kevin Costner, USA 1990). Good acting by Robert Taylor as an Indian Navajo who served in Civil War and must fight to right the injustices against his people ; his perfect interpretation as "Lance Poole" remains one of the highlights in his prestigious career. Furthermore , an attractive Paula Marshall as a kind advocate and Louis Calhern as the intriguing lawyer "Verne Coolan" makes an adequate character of the evil . Support cast is frankly excellent such as Marshall Thompson as Rod MacDougall , the recently deceased James Mitchell as Red Rock , veteran Edgar Buchanan as Zeke Carmody , Rhys Williams and Scotty MacDougall and Chief John Big Tree as Thundercloud . Evocative and imaginative musical score by Daniel Amfitheatroph . This good film packs a splendid photography in atmospheric black and white by John Alton, another European -Austro-Hungarian- who emigrated US and became an excellent cameraman expert on Noir cinema as well as Nicholas Musuraca .This top-drawer Western was stunningly realized by the master Anthony Mann , infusing the traditional Western with psychological confusion , including his characteristic use of landscape with marvelous use of outdoors which is visually memorable , including a majestic production design by Cedric Gibbons , Metro Goldwyn Mayer's (MGM) ordinary . Mann established his forte with magnificent Western almost always with James Stewart . In his beginnings he made ambitious but short-lived quality low-budget surroundings of Eagle-Lion production as ¨T-men¨ , ¨They walked by night¨ , ¨Raw deal¨ , ¨Railroaded¨ and ¨Desperate¨ . Later on , he made various Western , remarkably good , masterpieces such as ¨The furies¨ , and ¨Devil's doorway¨ and several with his habitual star , James Stewart, as ¨Winchester 73¨ , ¨Bend the river¨ and ¨The far country¨ . They are characterized by roles whose determination to stick to their guns would take them to the limits of their endurance . Others in this throughly enjoyable series include ¨Tin star ¨ and ¨Man of the West¨ is probably one of the best Western in the fifties and sixties . After the mid-50 , Mann's successes came less frequently , though directed another good Western with Victor Mature titled ¨The last frontier¨. And of course ¨Devil's doorway ¨ that turns out to be outlandish but stylishly realized , well paced , solid , meticulous , with enjoyable look , and most powerful and rightly-considered . This well acted movie is gripping every step of the way . It results to be an over-the-top western and remains consistently agreeable as well as thought-provoking . Rating : Above average , the result is a top-of-range Western . Well worth watching and it will appeal to Robert Taylor fans .

doug-balch This movie is a hidden gem. Directed by Anthony Mann, it was probably the first "Civil Rights" Western that went "all in" in terms of presenting the Indian point of view. At the same time, Mann's intensity and fundamental dark view of mankind keep it from becoming condescending or maudlin. Pretty impressive to take this theme on so aggressively a full four years before the "Brown vs. Board of Education" Supreme Court decision kicked off the modern Civil Rights movement.Here are some of the pluses:This is an absolutely terrific performance by Robert Taylor, all the more impressive since it's hard to imagine him playing a full blooded Shoshone Indian. He pulls it off in spades. I haven't seen every Robert Taylor movie, but I can't believe he ever had a better part. Even more impressive, this is an ultra-liberal movie and in real life Taylor was a well known right wing kook. Now that's acting!!This is in black and white, but the movie has a fantastic look and feel to it. Mann's superior direction and creative camera angles jump out at you.One of my favorite Western themes, the Civil War tie-in, is prominent. Lance Poole is a decorated Union Army veteran who returns home to confront racism. In 1950, this is clearly a metaphor for the plight black WW2 veterans returning to the Jim Crow South.It is well plotted. Everything makes sense, is plausible and all the character's motivations are consistent and logical (not something you find in all Anthony Mann Westerns. See my review of "The Man From Laramie").In most cases, the love interest in Westerns is blatantly gratuitous. Orrie Masters, nicely played by Paula Raymond, is written solidly into the script as a sympathetic lawyer. Of course, the movie is once again way ahead of its time with its portrayal of a professional woman.An excellent portrayal of the Shoshones and their plight.Absolutely fantastic Montana location shoot. A shame it wasn't in color.The negatives in this movie are very minor:The problem with going "all in" Indian point of view is that it is inherently depressing.Could have used a stronger supporting cast. Louis Calhern is good as the heavy, but this part could have been stronger.No room for comic relief in the dark world of Anthony Mann. All that stops this from devolving into a lugubrious depress-fest is the edgy plot, good action scenes and Taylor's compelling performance.

loydmooney-1 This is one of Mann's works in progress. Compare it to any three or four of his best and it falls tremendously short. The woman lawyer is poorly cast, the story is rather tedious, in short this is a very heartfelt flop. However, Mann's camera is, as usual, simply amazing. And there is a curious lazy believability about Taylor that others have noted here: he talks in Harvardese English that is great, probably the one big feature of realism that has struck home with the others here. Having seen it right behind Man of the West as I just did, well, not a good thing for it: There are five or six or seven scenes in the Cooper film that I have watched maybe 30 or 40 times, the only one here would be the first : the dog barking Taylor into town and the great looming shot of Calhern, wonderful introduction to his vile character, very classic. The rest of the story is pretty hokey, however, and that however is a big one, there is never a doubt you are watching one of the great eyes of cinema. Mann's camera was much more unexpected and darting than Welles, even though they both relied on more great closeups than any other great directors of their time, though Welles always loved shooting up peoples noses, Mann just always from every which side and level, and because he was trying so desperately to peel away the layers of character with the angles. By Man of the West, Winchester 73, Bend of the River, he was turning out his masterpieces and if it took something like this to get them, it was worth it.