Ambush at Cimarron Pass (1958) (NTSC) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Western | None | |
Rating | |||
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 |
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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 |
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.
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.
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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.
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Overall |
Nothing. The programme starts when the DVD loads.
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.
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.
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Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Sony BDP-S580, using HDMI output |
Display | LG 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 Decoder | NAD T737. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated. |
Amplification | NAD T737 |
Speakers | Studio Acoustics 5.1 |