Red Mountain (1951) (NTSC)

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General		Extras
Category	Western	None
Rating
Year Of Production	1951
Running Time	83:42
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	William Dieterie
Studio Distributor	ViaVision	Starring	Alan Ladd Lizbeth Scott Arthur Kennedy John Ireland
Case	?
RPI	?	Music	Franz Waxman

     1865; the end of Confederacy is near, the South ravaged by Union Armies. But in the west in Colorado Territory regular Confederate officer Captain Brett Sherwood (Alan Ladd) travels to join up with General William Quantrill (John Ireland) hoping to keep the South alive. On the way Brett saves Lane Waldron (Arthur Kennedy) from being lynched for a killing that Brett himself had done. Lane, despite being saved from a hanging, intends to take Brett into town to clear his name but Brett ties up Lane and rides off. Lane is found by his fiancé Chris (Lizbeth Scott) and the pair set off after Brett. When they catch up with him at Red Mountain, things do not go to plan and Lane, in a fight, becomes incapacitated with a badly fractured leg.

     Shortly afterwards Quantrill and his men arrive at the mountain and Brett is able to join him. But Quantrill’s men are not what Brett expected. Quantrill has recruited ill-disciplined southern trash and, as well, has armed the Indians and intends to create a new Confederacy in the west together with the Plains Indians. Brett quickly becomes disillusioned with both Quantrill’s aims and his methods, his thoughts complicated by his growing love for Chris. And when Quantrill decides that Chris and Lane must die to preserve the secrecy of his location Brett has a choice to make.

     Red Mountain was directed by William Dieterie with uncredited assistance from John Farrow (who had directed Ladd in Two Years Before the Mast (1946) and Calcutta (1947)). Red Mountain is a standard western which is quite slow and talky at times in the middle but with cavalry, Indians, a posse, chases and a large scale shootout at the climax it provides what western fans expect, at least of a western made in 1951. I don’t think that Ladd is as effective as he usually is in the role but part of the interest in watching this film is the familiar faces in the supporting cast and the talent behind the camera.

     Neither John Ireland nor Arthur Kennedy require much introduction. Ireland was a solid supporting actor who ended up with 203 credits on the IMDb, including Howard Hawks’ Red River (1948) and he received an Oscar nomination for All the King’s Men (1949). Arthur Kennedy, on the other hand, received five Oscar nominations including for Peyton Place (1957) but in his career he worked on some classic westerns with some of the best directors and stars such as Raoul Walsh and Errol Flynn in They Died with Their Boots On (1941) and Anthony Mann and James Stewart in both Bend of the River (1951) and The Man from Laramie (1955). Both Ireland and Arthur Kennedy know what their parts require and do them well.

     Red Mountain was filmed in Technicolor amid the desert, buffs and ridges of New Mexico by cinematographer Charles Lang who had won an Oscar 20 years previously for A Farewell to Arms (1932) and thereafter was nominated another 16 times in his long career without winning again, which must have been frustrating. The music was provided by another Oscar winner Franz Waxman, who won for Sunset Blvd. (1950) and A Place in the Sun (1951) among eight other nominations.

     There is never any doubt where Red Mountain is going or how it will end up but with this good cast, colourful locations and some rousing action in the climax the film is worth visiting.

Video

     Red Mountain is presented in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio, in NTSC and is not16x9 enhanced.

     This is a decent Technicolor print for a film from the early 1950s. Although presented in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio (the original ratio was 1.37:1) the location filming in the desert, hills and rugged bluffs of New Mexico and the rich brown, red and yellow colours give the film a feeling of space, well used by cinematographer Charles Lang, especially when horsemen charge across the landscape shooting as they come. Detail is good, blacks are solid and shadow detail decent. Skin tones are somewhat on the reddish side, contrast and brightness consistent. As this is a colour presentation the speckles in many colours are perhaps more noticeable that the specks on a black and white print as are the reel change markers, but nothing is too serious. Pleasing grain is evident.

     The layer change at 46:02 created a pause mid-scene.

     No subtitles are provided.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
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Audio

     The audio is English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono at 384 Kbps.

     Dialogue is clean. The effects are quite good; the thundering hooves, shouts and gunshots are loud while the storm effects are excellent with the boom of thunder and lightning and the cascading rain. The score by Franz Waxman is appropriate, well supporting the visuals.

     There was no hiss or crackle.

     The lip synchronisation was fine.

Audio Ratings Summary

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Audio Sync
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Subwoofer
Overall

     Nothing. The menu is silent and offers only “Play Feature”.

     I can find US and Spanish released standalone DVDs of Red Mountain. In Australia Red Mountain is released as part of 5 disc / 5 film The Alan Ladd Collection Volume One, a collection which does not seem to have been released elsewhere. See the summary section below for details.

     A Technicolor western from 1951, Red Mountain looks impressive and this, plus a good cast, helps to compensate for the standard and predictable plot. Nevertheless, fans of Ladd or westerns should enjoy Red Mountain and it is great to see it get a release as part of this Alan Ladd collection.

     The video and audio are fine, no extras.

     Red Mountain is included in the 5 disc / 5 film set The Alan Ladd Collection Volume One of films made by Ladd between 1946 and 1961. There is nothing included here that would be up there with his most memorable roles, but it is an interesting collection for fans nonetheless. Four of these films date from between 1946 and 1951, a period when Ladd was at the height of his popularity as a leading man: Two Years Before the Mast (1946), Calcutta (1947), Red Mountain and Thunder in the East (1951); the other, 13 West Street, from 1961, is the second last film Ladd made before his death.

     The Alan Ladd Collection Volume One was supplied for review by Via Vision Entertainment. Check out their Facebook page for the latest releases, giveaways, deals and more.

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