For this Western Night session, I brought GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL (1957), directed by John Sturges (BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK) with a script by Leon Uris (BATTLE CRY).
In this film, many of the facts surrounding the most famous gunfight of the Old West, as well as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, are pretty much askew or simply ignored. (In fairness, so did MY DARLING CLEMETINE.) For example, the gunfight lasted about 30 seconds, not five minutes. Earp was not clean-shaven. There is disagreement over Holliday’s expertise with a knife.
But none of that matters. What does is how enjoyable (though often slow) much of this film is to watch. What Sturgis and Uris present is a big screen morality tale. Burt Lancaster plays Earp as a stoic lawman. Doc takes to calling him “preacher.” And as Doc Holliday, Kirk Douglas has a grand time as a devilish rogue. When he asks to accompany Earp to Tombstone and Earp asks where his gear is, Doc grins, reaches into his coat, and pulls out a deck of cards. However, his love-hate relationship with Kate (Jo Van Fleet) is more than tempestuous.
The new Blu-ray released last February by Kino Lorber is a true feast for the eyes. For all the breathtaking widescreen blue sky captured by cinematographer Charles Lang, the ominous shadows framing faces and cutting across walls give this film an almost noir feeling. And the mournful ballad written by Dimitri Tiomkin with lyrics by Ned Washington and sung by Frankie Lane, serves as a troubadour-like refrain throughout.
This Blu-ray also provides an excellent commentary by author and screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner and film historian Henry Parke that offers plenty of intriguing facts and anecdotes about the film and Hollywood at that time. Particularly of interest are their stories about producer Hal Wallis, especially his move from Warner Bros. to Paramount, and the movie studio perception that Westerns “represent the lowest common denominator of our audience.”
With a running time of 2 hours and 2 minutes, GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL is also available on DVD and Amazon Prime.
Our group includes Johnny D. Boggs, record nine-time Spur Award-winning and Owen Wister winner whose work includes BLODDY NEWTON, Kirk Ellism Emmy-winning screenwriter and producer and also author of the book RIDE LONESOME about the production, themes and historical relevance of that classic film, Kirk’s wife Sheila, David Morrell, award-winning author and New York Times best-selling author of FIRST BLOOD, the novel that introduced the character Rambo, and Robert Nott, author of several books on Western Films, including his most recent RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY that examines the production, themes and legacy of the film that launched Sam Peckinpah’s career.
This is a fun review of a fine film, Tom. Granted, the main characters were a bit too clean-shaven with tailored wardrobes. Despite the discrepancies, the camera work was superb. And you all were spot on when you mentioned it had an “almost noir feeling.”
Many thanks, Tom!
Hi Tom,
Have you seen the DVD’s based on Tony Hillerman books produced by Robert Redford. I found them at the local library. I think the movies were originally on PBS.
Connie
Hi Connie,
Yes, I did see them. And you’re right about them being on PBS. They weren’t bad.
Tom