You won't be disappointed!

the audience applauded

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

The Proud Rebel is a touching tale, performed simply and effectively with the fine acting talents of Olivia De Havilland, Dean Jagger, Cecil Kellaway and Alan Ladd. The surprising winner is eleven year old David Ladd in his biggest film debut, playing Ladd's mute son, he gives an astonishingly professional and realistic performance. With outstanding cinematography and filmed on spectacular scenic locations in Utah and professionally directed by Michael Curtiz, The Proud Rebel deserves the title of timeless classic. I will not give a synopsis of this film as so many have already adequately done, but I do insist this heartwarming drama must be seen to be fully appreciated. This film will appeal to all fans of Alan Ladd, Olivia De Havilland, Western Films and anyone who enjoys a sentimental story about the love between a boy and his father and the forever loyalty of a beloved dog.

I'm surprised how bad this boring, slow movie is, what with the star cast, director, production values, etc. One poster here described it as "low-key." A very correct assessment. The title of the movie is "The Proud Rebel." The main problem with the movie is that the makers were TOO PROUD, SO PROUD that they apparently felt that anything of an interesting nature was too pandering to the audience. Thus, the movie was seriously lacking: (1) no romance between Olivia and Alan. They had good chemistry, and you knew they were going to eventually hook-up, but there was absolutely no sweet talk, hugs, kisses, etc. (2) there was hardly any action. In the beginning there was a nice fist fight, but it was just a tease. You could hardly call it a Western. No "Shane" for sure. (3) it exasperated me that the movie used a ploy typical of many movies. I find it nice when the characters explain things to each other -- it's realistic and it moves the story along. But in this movie --for the sake of dragging things out-- the characters stay mum. One example: late in the movie Alan Ladd has to sell something -- it would help the sale and clear some things up if he explained why he needed so much money, but he is too stupid or "proud" to explain himself. Another example: in the very beginning --for the sake of the story, no doubt-- in the court room scene where he is accused of brawling, he doesn't defend himself. The judge asks who threw the first punch. Ladd, in effect, pleads guilty. The truth is that the two thugs he fought shoved and grabbed Alan twice and his son once; only then did Alan slug the lout. Why stay mum? Not due to pride, due to stupidity and the need to drag out the plot.I'm sorry I didn't walk away from the film, but the score was nice (promised better than the movie delivered) and the cinema-photography too. Last five minutes are fine (action, resolution). Nice enough family movie -- families with young kids.

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** I went to see this wonderful Technicolor film in 1958, when I was eleven, and it became one of my all-time favorite movies. Alan Ladd is top-billed, but the film belongs to his real-life, eleven year old son, David, who, in a truly outstanding performance, practically steals the whole film from his famous father. Set just after the end of the American Civil War, Alan Ladd plays John Chandler, a Confederate traveling the countryside searching for a doctor who can cure his mute son, David, who has been struck dumb with shock after seeing his mother killed in front of him and his home burned to the ground during the war. David's constant companion is his sheep dog, Lance, and the pair are devoted to one another. They are taken in by a spinster, Linnett Moore (Olivia de Havilland), in return for them helping her on her farm, which is coveted by a land-hungry rancher, Harry Burleigh (Dean Jagger) and his two obnoxious sons. When a doctor is found in far away Philadelphia who holds out a hope of curing David, John, unable to raise the money any other way, sells Lance to a dog breeder without David knowing. The operation is a failure and when David returns home to find Lance gone, he is inconsolable. Meanwhile, Lance has fallen into the hands of Burleigh, who, knowing John must come to get the dog back for his son's sake, sets a trap for him. David follows his father to Burleigh's ranch and the shock of seeing his father about to be shot from behind restores his power of speech. Just in time, he shouts a warning to his father, who turns and shoots his attacker, killing him. The final scene, where David runs across the fields with Lance into the arms of Linnett, sobbing "I...can...talk...I can...talk!" had me and the rest of the audience in tears. Jerome Moross' wonderful music score greatly added to the overall effect of this classic movie, which I rate ten out of ten!

'The Proud Rebl' has some heartwarming moments involving a boy and his strong loyalty to his dad and his dog--but it is not quite satisfying in that the Ladd-de Havilland relationship is never completely explored. A stronger dose of romance might have livened up some of the slower moments. Children will be drawn to the theme of boy/dog and man/son relationships--but adults may find it not quite as heartwarming as it strives to be. Ladd plays a tight-lipped man ready to brawl when he has to -- Shane in a minor key -- and David Ladd is the mute son traumatized by the death of his mother in a fire. De Havilland has some good moments as the woman who has both Ladds on her farm, helping her deal with villainous neighbor (Dean Jagger) and his outlaw sons. The technicolor photography makes the most of Utah locations and the background score by Jerome Moross is distinctive--but somehow the overall effect is simply that of a low-key family film, "a man, a boy and a dog" sort of thing that falls short of its intended mark. The missing element seems to be romance--it is barely hinted at in the relationship and should have been emphasized more, for there is good chemistry between Ladd and de Havilland and this would have given the story the adult appeal that it lacks.