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Sunday, March 29, 2020

DEVIL'S DOORWAY (1950)

A year before QUO VADIS gave Robert Taylor his greatest commercial success, he made this barely released flop playing a full-bloodied Shoshone Indian on an unwelcome homecoming after decorated Civil War service. (Parallels to post WWII Black experience noted.) Taylor, hair slicked straight back/‘tawny’ makeup, emotionally opaque as ever, is only slightly less convincing than he was as a Roman general, but the casting is naturally more objectionable. A shame because the film is surprisingly tough & uncompromising, a tragedy continuing in the socially conscious vein of BORDER INCIDENT/’49, the previous collaboration of producer Nicholas Nayfack, director Anthony Mann and cinematographer John Alton. Certainly an odd spot to find the politically reactionary, artistically stolid Taylor! Paula Raymond as Taylor's legal rep/love interest against a government mandated land grab doesn’t bring much with her, but the rest of the cast is strikingly fine. Louis Calhern’s racist nemesis exceptional, much helped by extreme camera placements & lighting choices by Alton & Mann. Hard to see how this one got past M-G-M production head Louis B. Mayer. Even in his weakened position at the studio with Dore Schary now sharing top duties, soon to take over. Ironically, Mayer’s last hurrah would come in QUO VADIS. No wonder Taylor stayed loyal to the old guard.

DOUBLE-BILL: As mentioned above, BORDER INCIDENT, with a commanding perf from Ricardo Montalban and a surprisingly good one from George Murphy on a still timely topic.

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