The Man from Colorado / 1948
Review: DVD Verdict: The Man From Colorado
Excerpt: ” … The acting is first-rate. Ford and Holden were Columbia contract players at the time The Man From Colorado was made. Both were among the major stars of the period and turn in stunning performances. Ford is all the more impressive because he mainly played standard heroes. However, Gilda (his character) suggested a darker side of Ford’s acting ability that had been unseen, and this film showcases that quality. Ford’s acting is realistic and true in every scene. We do sympathize with his character even as he does reprehensible things. Holden’s work here anticipates his turn in The Wild Bunch by about twenty years: the dirty hero. We understand why he takes the route he has chosen, and his performance imbues his character with real human qualities. Both men deserved Oscar nominations … “
http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/manfromcolorado.php
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Lust for Gold / 1949
Rotten Tomatoes review: Lust for Gold
“… a rip-roaring western melodrama … Most of the film is told in flashback, relating the exploits of Jacob Walz (Glenn Ford), the greedy, homicidal owner of the legendary Lost Dutchman Mine. After conniving and killing his way to success, Walz is destroyed when he falls in love with equally mercenary Julia Thomas (Ida Lupino at her nasty best) … “
IMDB review: Lust for Gold
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041610/
DVD Talk review: Lust for Gold
“An engagingly offbeat Western, Lust for Gold (1949) is an oddly structured and luridly scripted yarn about hidden treasure, some $20 million in gold stashed away in Arizona’s “Lost Dutchman Mine,” a real-life mystery.
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/15049/lust-for-gold/
Turner Classic Movies says:
” … The story is based on an actual legend; that of the Lost Dutchman Mine, believed to be located somewhere near the aptly named Superstition Mountain east of Phoenix, Arizona. According to lore, the rich vein of gold was known to the Apache for many years, who refused to touch it for fear of the gods who guarded it. The first person to allegedly work the mine was a wealthy rancher named Peralta who, along with his workers, was massacred by the Indians…”
http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article.html?id=159651%7C159659
Also appearing in Lust for Gold: Gig Young, Jay Silverheels, Edgar Buchanan, Will Geer, and Paul Ford …
Coming up … Ford moves into the 50’s …
