ManiakJiggy
This is How Movies Should Be Made
StunnaKrypto
Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.
standalone-magazine
The song (The Hanging Tree) is the introduction as Doctor Joe Frail (Gary Cooper) rides into town. The song really takes you on a journey as this tale begins to unfold right before your eye's. As the story unfolds a young woman Elizabeth Mahler (Maria Schell) is rescued from the desert. Badly burned and blind from the exposure of the desert, Doc Frail treats her until she is well. While in Doc Frail's care,she begins to have feelings for the doctor that she's never seen. But, because of a haunted past, he can not return her affection.When her sight returns, she strikes-out on her own to look for gold and to lead her own life. She partner's up with Frency Plante (Karl Malden) and Rune (Ben Piazza) as they look for gold. As time goes on, Doc Frail begins to have feelings for Elizabeth but, she soon finds out that he has been doing something behind her back and now she finds it hard to forgive him. The ending to this wonderful tale is a true treat that all of you will enjoy. I know, I sure did. Believe me, you'll enjoy...The Hanging Tree.
ma-cortes
¨Hanging tree¨ results to be a good western set in a gold-mining camp and remains consistently agreeable and attractive . Set in Montana , 1873 , it takes place at a mining village called Skull Creek where arrives a frontier doctor named Joseph Frain (Gary Cooper as a good guy , as usual , being last western Gary Cooper starred in) . The doctor rescues a young thief named Rune (Ben Piazza) from a lynch mob . The doctor temporarily nurses and devotes his time to Elizabeth Mahler (Maria Schell) a strange girl . Unfortunately, however, the doctor with a dark past (it was left ambiguous whether the doctor had killed his unfaithful wife) may place his patient in considerable risk . The nasty (Karl Malden as a bad guy) attempts to rape Elizabeth but Cooper comes to his rescue . Later on , the townspeople took the doctor out to ¨The hanging tree¨ but this time is helped by his friends . This first-rate but slow-paced Western draws its riveting tale and power from the interaction of finely drawn roles as well as drama and action . A fine and thought-provoking film in which Daves keeps straight face and magnificent control of rhythm in spite of some highly unlikely situations . Masterfully made and including excellent performances , breathtaking background shots and impeccable close-ups . ¨Hanging tree¨ which look a fairly and realist sighting at a mining camp . It stars genre stalwart Gary Cooper as a doctor-gambler-gunslinger who has a rather sinister past , he is a good professional treating a blind girl and saving a rogue thief . Maria Schell as blind woman is awesome too . Furthermore , George C Scott's screen debut as a fanatic preacher . Good adult Western with exciting battle of wits between an obstinate doctor , a beautiful blind woman and a nasty miner . This laid-back Western contains sensitive songs sung at the beginning and ending by Marty Robbing composed by Jerry Livingstone and written Marck Davis , being deservedly nominated for Oscar , in addition an emotive musical score by the classic Max Steiner . Colorful cinematography by Ted McCord , filmed in State of Washington nearly Yakime , where was expressly built a mining village . Well produced by Cooper and his Production Company called ¨Baroda¨ and some scenes were realized by Karl Malden by illness of Delmer Daves . ¨Hanging tree¨ turns out to be stylish, well paced , solid, meticulous and with enjoyable look . This perfectly acted movie is gripping every step of the way . Rating : Above average , worthwhile watching , still a memorable film The motion picture was well directed by Delmer Daves - including his characteristic use of landscape- , though he fell ill during filming and Karl Malden took over for several days until Daves recovered. Daves was a Western expert for the reason he lived a long time of his boyhood with the Navajo and Hopi Indian tribes as he realized the notorious trail-blazing ¨Broken arrow¨ the first movie for many years not treat the Indians as cannon-fodder for the cavalry , which made the picture unpopular in some quarters . He went on directing the suspenseful ¨3:10 to Yuma¨, other pro-Indian as ¨The last wagon¨ and about Modoc Indians as ¨Drum beat¨ , the Shakespearian style of ¨Jubal¨ , ¨Return of the Texan¨ and ¨Cowboy¨ which a fairly spectacle about a long cattle drive . From 1959 Delmer Daves becomes embroiled for the remainder of his career with teenage love epics and very popular at the Box-office as ¨A summer place¨, ¨Parrish¨, ¨Susan Slade¨, and ¨Rome adventure¨, among others .
Claudio Carvalho
In 1873, in the Gold Trail, Montana, the mysterious and controller Dr. Joseph Frail (Gary Cooper) arrives in the small town of Skull Creek with miners in a gold rush. Dr. Frail buys a cabin on the top of a hill and he sees the smalltime thief Rune (Ben Piazza) wounded and chased by a mob that wants to hang him. Dr. Frail helps and heals Rune; but in return, he demands that the young man becomes his bond servant. The alcoholic healer and preacher George Grubb (George C. Scott) tells to the locals that Dr. Frail, who is an excellent gambler and gunfighter, is a devil, but nobody gives attention to his words.Sooner the stagecoach is robbed by thieves that kill the passengers but the coachman survives and three days later he reaches Skull Creek. He tells that the horses had speed down the hill with a young woman inside the stagecoach. The men organize a pursuit and the rude Frenchy Plante (Karl Malden) finds the Swedish Elizabeth Mahler (Maria Schell) burnt and blind. Dr. Frail and Rune take care of her and they learn that Elizabeth and her father, who was killed in the heist, had come to America to settle down.When Elizabeth is healed, she falls in an unrequited love with Dr. Frail and she decides to stay in Skull Creek to seek gold with Rune. They form a partnership with Frenchy and Dr. Frail secretly helps them to begin their business with The Lucky Lady Mine. When Elizabeth learns that Dr. Frail is helping her, she is disappointed but she promises to pay her debt with him someday. During a heavy rain, a tree falls down and the trio of partners finds a fortune in gold underground. Frenchy drinks with the locals and when he is drunk, he takes an attitude that will affect the lives of the locals and Skull Creek, mostly of Dr. Frail, Elizabeth and Rune."The Hanging Tree" is an unconventional and great western with a dramatic story supported by complex characters in a small town in the gold rush and not in shootout and other usual themes in this type of film. The lead characters are intriguing, with Gary Cooper performing a bitter character with a hidden past but also a good and fair man. Rune is also a good man that had robbed only due to his needy situation. Maria Schell performs a sweet and well-educated woman, capable to greet everybody and also tough in a negotiation. Karl Malden is fantastic as usual and the scum Frenchy Plante is one of the most despicable characters I have ever seen. Virginia Gregg has a minor but effective performance and her character Edna Flaunce is an example of how sickening and nauseating a human being can be.This is the first time that I see this film, recently released on DVD by a small Brazilian distributor, and it was a magnificent surprise for me since I am not a fan of the conventional Western genre. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "A Árvore dos Enforcados" ("The Hanging Tree")
Bob-45
Delmer Daves, the masterful director who gave us JUBAL, 3:10 TO YUMA and THE LAST WAGON scores again, thanks to near perfect ensemble casting in THE HANGING TREE. Gary Cooper has never been been better as "Doc Frail," formerly "Doc Temple," before a personal tragedy emotionally isolates him from humanity. He rescues and treats "Rune," (Ben Piazza), a sensitive young fugitive trapped by circumstance, then blackmails Rune into becoming his indentured servant. Rune shares the center of the narrative with Doc Frail, becoming his conscience. According to Wikipedia, "runes are attributed with the power to bring that which is dead to life" and certainly Doc Frail's affection for Rune begins his return to his humanity. However, when Doc Frail treats "Elizabeth," the survivor of a stagecoach robbery, he must tap into even more humanity to treat her trauma. This frightens Doc Frail, and he, unfortunately becomes a subsidiary character in the last quarter of the narrative. Fortunately, Ben Piazza as Rune and Maria Schell as Elizabeth are both equally excellent, and their characters are compelling enough to make up for the relative absence of Cooper. The only false note in the performances is Virginia Gregg, who is a bit too brittle as a meddling townswoman.Superb music, superb photography, superb acting and direction and a better than average story. What more can one ask of a movie? While not quite up to the excellent standards of JUBAL and 3:10 TO YUMA, THE HANGING TREE is definitely a keeper. I give it an "8".
