I love this movie so much

Great Film overall

Good concept, poorly executed.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Burt Lancaster, as Kentucky frontiersman Elias Wakefield, has at least 3 particularly heart-pounding encounters in his quest to escape the traditional feuds between the Wakefields and Fromes by migrating to the Spanish-Mexican territory of Texas. In the first of these encounters, Burt has to fight off half a dozen towns people, who eventually subdue him and lock him in a makeshift jail until deciding what to do with him....In the second, Burt has to fight, without any weapons or protection , the bull-whip-wielding town tavern keeper and bully Stan Bodine, played by Walter Matthau, in his initial Hollywood role: quite a scene!....In the third encounter, Burt again finds himself defenseless on one side of a river against 2 rifle-toting Fromes on the opposite bank. He gets some essential help from bondswoman Hannah, in back of the Fromes, who takes aim with the rifle of her freshly-killed master: Bodine. With only one Frome to deal with now, he takes his chance, dashing across the very shallow river before his nemesis can reload.Lancaster has dealings with 2 women in particular. Hannah, who begins her association with Burt and his half-grown son as a bondswoman, who takes pity on them when the towns people turn hostile toward them. In return, Burt uses his money for steamboat passage to Texas to buy out her bondswoman contract. Hannah decides to leave this town with the Wakefields when they break out of jail. They head for another village where lives brother Zack, who's making a living as a tobacco grower and trader. Zack welcomes the 3, giving Burt odd jobs toward regaining his funds for the Texas trip. Early on, Burt thinks he may have found his fortune in a sizable pearl found in a mussel. The locals encourage him to inquire whether President Monroe might be interested in such, knowing it's worthless commercially. Eventually, Hannah sells herself as a bondswoman to tavern-keeper Bodine, to provide money for the Wakefield's journey onward. Meanwhile, Burt has taken a fancy to the village schoolteacher, Susie, and she to him. Brother Zack encourages him to forget his Texas dream and settle down in that village with Susie, who has no desire to go to Texas. Burt swallows this bait for a while, but the captain of the Texas steamer tries to convince him that he's a natural frontiersman, not psychologically suited to planting his feet in a settled village. Besides, he's not yet out of the range of the two murderous Fromes, who eventually show up, as I previously detailed. This, coupled with Hannah's heroics against the Fromes, and the death of her master, causes Burt to rethink his life plans.This little-known "western" certainly rates a look, with many details I didn't mention. It's currently available at YouTube.

I think one of the worst problems with American films from the 1930s-1950s is that way too many Westerns were made. Part of the problem that plot-wise, most are very, very derivative--with the same basic plot being rehashed yet again (if I see one more Western about rich guy who runs the town and is trying to force all the farmers/ranchers/sheep herders to sell out to him, I'm gonna puke). Because of this, I love films that talk about American history that are unusual--not Westerns or war films--just something different. This film is about life 'out west' (in the Tennessee area) circa 1820--a period WAAAY underrepresented in American films...heck, it's hardly ever even mentioned! So, from the onset, I was pretty happy about the setting of this film.Burt Lancaster plays an outdoorsman--sort of a Davy Crockett or Daniel Boone sort of fellow. The main difference is that he also has a young son AND doesn't want to abandon him (Crockett and Boone should have taken note NOT to do this). The problem, however, is money. He and his son love the carefree outdoor life--but it takes money to get to this promised land. In the meantime, the two are forced to hang around civilization (at least what approximated it out on the frontier). Here in town, Lancaster's brother (played by John McIntyre--a guy who looked nothing like Burt and seemed too old for the part) pushed for him to go into business with him--and get rid of his buckskin clothes and settle down. In addition, two women wanted him--the school teacher (who represented domesticity) and the indentured servant (who believed in his dream). What will happen? Will Burt and son become domesticated and civilized or will they eventually make it to the wide open lands of Texas? Overall, this is not one of Burt Lancaster's best acting performances. He's good--but also pretty unremarkable. But, the film is different and reasonably well made--and it's hard to dismiss it. A nice film, at least from a history teacher's perspective, and well worth seeing.

I had to see this movie which I thoroughly enjoyed but more so for the scene that would be in there. A very brief scene of what is known locally as sky bridge. It is a natural rock formation of short span (a bridge) not too far from Natural Bridge State Park. At this site you walk beyond the bridge to a trail, take a right to trail two; another right and twenty five yards or so you are under sky bridge. From the first short trail to the second there is a drop of about 4-5 feet. At that point the second trail isn't all that wide and you have to be somewhat careful. Beyond the edge of the trail you see tops of trees. Tall trees. While helping my girlfriend down, I saw this guy approaching wearing sweat pants and sweater, dark sunglasses, and a smile. He had a mop of unruly hair. We continued on toward the bridge and I looked back. He didn't pause at the trail junction, he just jumped. Like a cat. As he approached after that athletic move and with a big grin and square jaw I knew; I just knew. I told my girlfriend who that was following us and as he passed she asked him..."are you Burt Lancaster?" He said "yes I am", and ambled on by. She swooned. He and two other Hollywood types did some thumbs together, form a square, "panning", looking at the sky at times. An interesting day out.

If this long and not very gripping tale of the very old west proves something, then certainly, that being a good actor is not necessarily the fundamental for being a good director or a good selector of scripts. This tale of father and son starts reasonably good, but never really takes off to what it could have been. Lancaster is a little wooden, as if he had to often looked for nowhere to get directorial guidance and the rest of the cast also does not really shine. Best things : Walter Matthau in his screen debut, alternating between Matinée hero with reasonably good vocal efforts (dubbed or not, i don't know) and Sado-Maso whipper with a gay sub tone and Lancaster in the climax going the distance over a river ford, while his enemies desperately try to be ready. At a vote of 5, there should be better things found to do than watching this.