Nevada (1927)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

John Waters

Writers:

John W. Conway (titles)
Zane Grey (novel)

Release Date:

August 1927 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Based On Novel

Cast

Gary Cooper	...	Nevada
Thelma Todd	...	Hettie Ide
William Powell	...	Clan Dillon
Philip Strange	...	Ben Ide
Ernie Adams	...	Cash Burridge
Christian J. Frank	...	Sheriff of Winthrop
Ivan Christy	...	Cawthorne
Guy Oliver	...	Sheriff of Lineville

Also Known As:

Zane Grey's Nevada (International: English title) (poster title)

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company:

Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Picture Show Man (1977)

Cooper is raw but star shines in this western

Gary Cooper is just beginning his starring film role career , but he already dominates a scene . He has not gotten to the familiar 'aw shucks -casual approach ' to every circumstance . Here he is straight up and he is good in this mode . When he displays vengeance , you feel it . Even a casual observer could tell this was a star who would be around for a long time .

Thelma Todd was beautiful as ever and she too could take over a scene . She more than held her own against Cooper in their better scenes together or maybe it was the other way around . But she could get the viewer into her thoughts .

William Powell did an adequate job . He did not have that same charisma as Cooper and it was apparent in his and Coopers scenes together . Eyes followed Cooper . Powell was starting to exhibit his urban , sophisticated charm , but it too was not developed in this stage of his career .

Ernie Adams does a creditable job. He would be part of the Gower Gulch Gang that would make him recognizable to every B western fan during the Golden era of B westerns .

The photography is excellent and showcases the locations very well . The action is good until the last part of the film . Then the pace crawls . Some scenes at the end are so predictable and are far too prolonged . It would have been better with more taut editing .It really lost its way in the scene for having Cooper go on the raid . This was extremely weak in why he wasn't at the front .

Although this was an A western for Paramount , it has a B western feel to the plot . But it has to be accepted for being just that - a well made , above average B western . Paramount would excel in this with the William Boyd ( Hopalong Cassidy ) series .

No Cooper fan should miss seeing this film . It is good also for a Thelma Todd fan . It is even good for a William Powell fan . It is good for a western film fan , but there have been much better westerns made on a much smaller budget . This is a rare film and should be in every western collectors library .