Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Orla Zuniga It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Sanjeev Waters A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Robert D. Ruplenas I liked this movie.Having seen my share of hogwash from this period of American filmmaking, I can say that the movie kept me interested, which I can't say for a lot of the dreck from this period.We are constantly kept wondering who this escaped, supposedly insane, criminal is, and that question is what sustains our curiosity throughout the movie.There is a certain amount of philosophizing in the script, but it never rises to an arcane level, nor does it interfere with plot development.Casting is excellent. John Ireland is a very capable and underrated character actor. The star of the show is definitely James Barton as the hermit turkey farmer. You can't take your eyes of him, and he is the linchpin. Mercedes McCambridge shines as the loose woman with a heart of gold, and she is an excellent singer.My caveat is with the convoluted finish, with too many plot threads wrapped up in an unconvincing and contrived manner. However, the first three quarters of the movie is good enough to carry us through to the weak ending.It's worth a watch.

fanbaz-549-872209 Some of the dummies who don't get this movie should take the day off and do something useful. Like get a brain. The guy from Florida who thinks the plot lacks credibility should be stopped from going to the movies. You suspend credibility when you see a movie. That is the whole point. Seriously, pal. Superman can't fly. This is a terrific picture full of interesting dialogue that moves away from the cliché. I ask you, when did you last see a turkey farmer with pistol and cello? I won't do the review because others have done it already. I just want to take a pop at the airheads who post on this site and wish they wouldn't.

Katie Sloan The previous reviewer said it was a shame this film was never shown on any cable channels. I just saw it today on TCM (Turner Classic Movies). I had never seen it before, and have to agree it is a great example of the films noir of the '50s. There is a lot of suspense in the film with a "did he do it or not?" theme, where the protagonist has a loss of memory and can't recall the crime. Mercedes McCambridge is excellent in the film, and the bar scenes give us lots of the '50-era atmosphere. There are so few movies with Mercedes McCambridge that one can see anymore, so this movie is a treat if only for being able to see her. So don't give up hope. TCM's website is a great source for info on classic movies, and you can look up the dates and times they will be showing this film again.

bmacv Two years after appearing in All The King's Men, John Ireland and Mercedes McCambridge reunite in The Scarf. Talented actors both, neither of them would enjoy, in number or in quality, movie roles commensurate with their gifts. A recondite find today, The Scarf could hardly have been much less so in 1951; under the `Gloria Productions' imprint, it fell to a German-born director of little reputation, E.A. Dupont.But while not every emigrant from middle Europe was a Fritz Lang or Robert Siodmak or Billy Wilder, most had tradition behind them and a touch of inspiration, like John Brahm and Edgar G. Ulmer – and even Dupont. Though The Scarf starts off dead slow – a long, quasi-philosophical dialogue between a turkey-ranching hermit in the California desert (James Barton) and an escapee from an asylum for the criminally insane who has sought refuge with him (Ireland) – soon enough the movie picks up its pace and shows flashes of originality and style. The cinematography is by Frank (Franz) Planer, another refugee steeped in Expressionism who had behind, and ahead of, him several noirs. Not coincidentally, the quickened pace comes with McCambridge's arrival, as a singing bar waitress who hitches a ride with Ireland. With her distinctive organ-pipe voice and her instinct for biting off her lines clean, she brings both quirkiness and force to this standard role (tough gal, good heart). Though some of her best known roles showed noir influences (All The King's Men, Johnny Guitar) she only appeared in two obscure noirs (Lightning Strikes Twice was the other). The cycle is poorer for her rarity.The Scarf's plot, alas, falls under the rubric far-fetched. It involves Ireland's not quite remembering the crime for which he was committed – strangling a girl with her scarf – and a sinister psychologist ( Emlyn Williams) somehow in the employ of Ireland's powerful father. Dupont can't do much with the bulk of it (who could?), but along the way sneaks in some arresting sequences. The best occurs when McCambridge has been ordered to leave town on the 11 p.m. bus for Los Angeles; as she vacillates, looking down the dark road at the sign reading `sheriff's station,' it turns into a lure for her to sell out Ireland for the reward on his head, with `$5000" spelled out in beckoning neon.