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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Ambush at Cimarron Pass (1958)

Ambush at Cimarron Pass (1958) (NTSC)

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Released 4-Mar-2020

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Western None
Rating Rated PG
Year Of Production 1958
Running Time 72:50
RSDL / Flipper No/No Cast & Crew
Start Up Programme
Region Coding 1,2,3,4,5,6 Directed By Jodie Copelan
Studio
Distributor

Umbrella Entertainment
Starring Scott Brady
Margia Dean
Clint Eastwood
Frank Gerstle
Baynes Barron
Case Amaray-Opaque
RPI ? Music Bert Shefter
Paul Sawtell


Video (NTSC) Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (384Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 480i (NTSC)
Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles None Smoking Yes
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

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Plot Synopsis

     Two years after the end of the Civil War a patrol of the 7th Cavalry, or what is left of them, led by Sergeant Blake (Scott Brady) are taking a prisoner, Corbin (Baynes Barron), back to their home fort together with the 36 brand new repeating rifles that Corbin had intended to sell to the Apaches. Dogged by the Apaches, who want the rifles, Blake’s patrol stumble upon the camp of a group of ex-Confederate soldiers led by Captain Prescott (Frank Gerstle) that include the young firebrand Keith Williams (Clint Eastwood) who hates all Yankees because his parents were killed by Union soldiers during the war. Also in the group is Judge Stanford (Irving Bacon), who seems to have a shady past. That night the Apaches dump a woman, Teresa (Margia Dean), near the camp; and while the soldiers are distracted the Indians run off all their horses. Some in the camp, including Williams and Stanford, want to trade the rifles to the Apaches for their horses, but Blake is determined to walk the 6 or 7 days across the hostile country to their fort carrying the rifles. The two groups join forces but with the Apaches following, and occasionally picking off one of their party, and dissention, distraction and betrayal within the group, will any of them survive?

     Ambush at Cimarron Pass is a 1958 B-western, distinguished only because it was the very first western in which Clint Eastwood appeared, made the year before he started on the TV series Rawhide. Eastwood gets third top billing and has a meaty part as the hot-headed, Yankee hating Williams; he does overact the hostility although the trademark Eastwood charisma is evident. Scott Brady, who ended up with 144 acting credits in various genres, is a solid lead and Gerstle as the understanding Confederate Captain is also good, as is Ray Boyle (credited as Dirk London) as the laconic scout. Perhaps it is best to ignore Margia Dean as the token women and love interest although the script and a dodgy Mexican accent certainly don’t do her any favours.

     Eastwood has been quoted as describing Ambush at Cimarron Pass as “probably the lousiest western ever made”. One can accept that Clint knows a thing or three about westerns but he is being a bit harsh. Certainly Ambush at Cimarron Pass is no classic; the direction of Jodie Copelan, his only feature, being better known as the editor of TV series including The Fugitive and The F.B.I., is static with lots of shots of people walking, or riding, through the frame. The action is fine but the love triangle, such as it is, is trite and unconvincing. A lot of the dialogue is unremarkable and patchy, but mixed in are some decent observations about a what makes a man that belongs in a better film, while Eastwood’s words at the end ”Sometimes you gotta lose before you finally win” nicely wrap up the film. The Apaches, partially seen or unseen, are always a presence and help to create a nice tension to the proceedings. And, at only 72 minutes in length, the film does not outstay its welcome.

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Transfer Quality

Video

     Ambush at Cimarron Pass is presented in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio, 16x9, in black and white and NTSC.

     For a low budget, black and white B-western that is now over 60 years old, the film looks very good indeed. Detail in some establishing shots can be soft but close-ups are strong. Blacks are solid enough and greyscales good. There is some slight flicker near the start, the occasional miniscule mark and scratch that is hardly noticeable and some motion blur with movement against rocks, but nothing distracting.

     There are no subtitles.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio is English Digital 2.0 mono at 382 Kbps. The film was released with mono audio.

     Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The effects such as gunshots, Apache war cries and horses’ hooves, are loud and clear. The score by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter is generic.

    Lip synchronisation is occasionally off but is generally fine.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

     Nothing. The programme starts when the DVD loads.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

     The Region 1 US DVD release of Ambush at Cimarron Pass is listed on Amazon as well as a Region A Blu-ray. I cannot find a review of the DVD but as the Blu-ray has no extras I doubt the DVD has any.

Summary

     Ambush at Cimarron Pass may be a low budget B-western but, with due respect to Eastwood, it has its moments and is hardly “the lousiest western ever made”. Nevertheless, the main reason for watching it is to see a very young Clint in his very first western.

    The video and the mono audio are fine. No extras.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Ray Nyland (the bio is the thing)
Monday, March 09, 2020
Review Equipment
DVDSony BDP-S580, using HDMI output
DisplayLG 55inch HD LCD. This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderNAD T737. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
AmplificationNAD T737
SpeakersStudio Acoustics 5.1

Other Reviews NONE