The Gold Trail, Montana 1873. A tall man in black rides through a magnificent landscape and a wonderful mood sets in. In this film Cooper is a good doctor who helps a thief and a blinded girl. But he seems to carry a terrible burden that also makes him secretive and quick to use his physical power and burst into acts of violence. Gossip travels fast and makes people suspicious and easily judging, which soon erupts to trouble. Karl Malden as a scoundrel gold miner and George C. Scott in his small, but haunting film debut role as a fake religious "healer" try to make most of the tedious situation.
This is an amazing western with the most handsome natural scenery I've seen in any western from the fifties. The people are almost constantly set against the sky, mountains, woods and rivers making the movie an incredibly beautiful watching experience. The powerful photography of the nature and the settlers among it should really be seen on a big screen, but makes quite an impression on TV screen too. This landscape is "the America people came to look for", the place to hold and take advantage of but never fully won over. The doctor calls the town "an anthill that wind can blow away" and from his hut high on the hill above the town the people and the place are really seen like that. But what happens when a little success can lead to abuse and total madness? The film seems to say: Look what we have got here and what we are doing with it. A strong ecological message seems to hang behind all the feelings and deeds of the human drama. And those feelings and deeds aren't too tame either, but tend to charge the story with strong emotional power.
The film is loaded with intense acting and direction. The scenes are set on perfect locations for this kind of production. The film just seems to get better by every new viewing. This western speaks volumes about acts of civilization and use of freedom by setting somewhat civilized but still restless human nature in the middle of the earth's nature and occasionally against it . Definitely forth to see!
This is an amazing western with the most handsome natural scenery I've seen in any western from the fifties. The people are almost constantly set against the sky, mountains, woods and rivers making the movie an incredibly beautiful watching experience. The powerful photography of the nature and the settlers among it should really be seen on a big screen, but makes quite an impression on TV screen too. This landscape is "the America people came to look for", the place to hold and take advantage of but never fully won over. The doctor calls the town "an anthill that wind can blow away" and from his hut high on the hill above the town the people and the place are really seen like that. But what happens when a little success can lead to abuse and total madness? The film seems to say: Look what we have got here and what we are doing with it. A strong ecological message seems to hang behind all the feelings and deeds of the human drama. And those feelings and deeds aren't too tame either, but tend to charge the story with strong emotional power.
The film is loaded with intense acting and direction. The scenes are set on perfect locations for this kind of production. The film just seems to get better by every new viewing. This western speaks volumes about acts of civilization and use of freedom by setting somewhat civilized but still restless human nature in the middle of the earth's nature and occasionally against it . Definitely forth to see!