Rancho Notorious (1952)
Posted: May 27th, 2007, 1:40 pm
Fritz Lang’s 1952 western <i>Rancho Notorious</i> has some claims to being a film noir/western hybrid. It certainly has plenty of classic film noir elements. It has flashbacks, it has a femme fatale. It has corrupt law enforcement officials conspiring with crooked politicians. And it has a hero who starts out as a conventional western hero seeking revenge, but as the movie progresses he finds himself on the wrong side of the law and living with outlaws.
Arthur Kennedy gives an excellent performance as the hero Vern, Mel Ferrer is good as the romantic likeable bandit Frenchy, and Marlene Dietrich is excellent as the proprietress of the ranch that serves as a hideout and headquarters for outlaws. At the age of 51 she was a completely believable femme fatale.
There are outdoor scenes that are obviously filmed in the studio but somehow that artificiality seems to add to the atmosphere. I think it’s the first Fritz Lang colour movie I’ve seen, and I like the way Lang and cinematographer Hal Mohr have used colour – it’s just as moody and oppressive as a black-and-white film noir. Overall it’s an intriguing and entertaining movie, and very much worth seeing. I can’t stand westerns, but I loved this movie.
Arthur Kennedy gives an excellent performance as the hero Vern, Mel Ferrer is good as the romantic likeable bandit Frenchy, and Marlene Dietrich is excellent as the proprietress of the ranch that serves as a hideout and headquarters for outlaws. At the age of 51 she was a completely believable femme fatale.
There are outdoor scenes that are obviously filmed in the studio but somehow that artificiality seems to add to the atmosphere. I think it’s the first Fritz Lang colour movie I’ve seen, and I like the way Lang and cinematographer Hal Mohr have used colour – it’s just as moody and oppressive as a black-and-white film noir. Overall it’s an intriguing and entertaining movie, and very much worth seeing. I can’t stand westerns, but I loved this movie.