Moviecut—Dark Command

source: Dark Command

Dark Command

The best of Republic's oaters starring John Wayne. I imagine after the success of "Stagecoach" in 1939 Republic needed to pour in the resources as opposed to the notoriously cheap productions of the thirties, and it shows in this one. This actually is a must see for those interested in several aspects of the genre. wayne is the star but Walter Pigeon has as much screen time. Wayne reunites with director Walsh who gave him his big break in the 1930 epic "The Big Trail". (Walsh was actually going to star in that one but lost an eye prior to production while shooting another movie.) But the best reason to catch this one is the pairing of Wayne with pre Trigger Roy Rogers who callously guns down a guy in a barbershop. Plus, what's up with that strange whoop whoop noise Rogers makes?

Spoilers herein. John Wayne ruined the western for me. The whole idea of the western until Leone was in constant repetition, walking the same route every time so that subtleties could be emphasized. Since everything else was given, we could focus on the smallest things. Real art in moviemaking is in picking the right things. Real art in moviewatching is recognizing and working with those smallest things. At just this time, John Ford counseled Wayne in developing his random cadence: a few words, then a pause in an unexpected spot before continuing. It first appeared in `Stagecoach.' It was used in place of interesting subtleties and was remarkably successful - so much so that all news announcers employ it to make their reading sound interesting. News is now a bad western. This film is the last where John Wayne tried real acting, the kind that uses real language patterns. Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

As a huge John Wayne fan, I'm glad Claire Trevor got top billing in this one. With many sub plots, love triangles, and twists and turns, only Trevor could work it all so magnificently. No one but the great Walter Pidgeon leading Cantrell's Raiders vs. John Wayne could make this the cinematic battle royale that it was. This wreaked havoc in Civil War and pre Civil War Kansas. True actors Porter Hall and Joe Sawyer played the heavies brilliantly as usual. It's hard to imagine that their personal lives was so different of what they usually play on stage but that's what makes them great. With all this talent it's hard to believe Republic got super stars Marjorie Main, Roy Rogers, and Gabby Hayes to fill out a terrific cast. No worries though John Wayne fans can rest assure that his performance is as strong as ever.

The plot is decent, the acting is good. The historical accuracy is terrible. John Wayne plays a guy named Seton who runs for and is elected sheriff over Walter Pidgeon, who plays the infamous butcher Cantrell, (not the correct spelling). Cantrell starts out with apparently high ideals but is drawn down by his defeat for sheriff. The fact that the real Quantrill was a scum sucking, back shooting, woman and children killing, monster is not shown in this movie. Claire Trevor, with the strange voice, plays the love interest for both of the main protagonists and of course John Wayne's character wins her. This further estranges Cantrell from, I guess, reality. Finally there is the end scene, however wrong it was, where Lawrence, Kansas is spared, unlike in history. This is not a bad movie other than the many historical inaccuracies.

12 hours into the John Wayne Marathon, we have a tale of Cantrall's raiders, who terrorized Kansas before, during and after the Civil War. This film was nominated for an Academy Award for John Victor Mackay's art direction and Victor Young's musical score. John Wayne again appears with Claire Trevor, and a young Roy Rogers as her brother. He is competing with Cantrell (Walter Pidgeon) for her hand, and they go back and forth throughout the movie. This film was quite a bit darker than the Audie Murphy version of the story ten years later. They even learned to spell the name right (Quantrill). Good film for a young John Wayne.

Few people did westerns better than John Wayne, few directors did them better than Raoul Walsh, and NO studio did them better than Republic--and when you put the three of them together, the results are pretty near unbeatable. This film, based on the raid on Lawrence, Kansas, during the Civil War by the Confederate guerilla Quantrill, bears little relation to the actual event--but if you want a history lesson, turn on the Discovery Channel. Instead, just sit back and marvel at the rousing action sequences that Republic was renowned for, enjoy the sea of great old cowboy actors (Gabby Hayes, Harry Woods, Wally Wales, Trevor Bardette, Glenn Strange, etc.), check out the performance of a young Roy Rogers (he's actually very good), and enjoy the talents of masters like Wayne and Walsh at their prime--and remember that this is the kind of movie people are talking about when they say, "They don't make 'em like they used to."