The Outcasts of Poker Flat (1952)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Joseph M. Newman

Writers:

Bret Harte (story)
Edmund H. North (writer)

Release Date:

3 November 1952 (Sweden)

Genre:

Western

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman

Cast

Anne Baxter	...	Cal
Dale Robertson	...	John Oakhurst
Miriam Hopkins	...	Mrs. Shipton aka 'The Duchess'
Cameron Mitchell	...	Ryker
Craig Hill	...	Tom Dakin
Barbara Bates	...	Piney Wilson
William H. Lynn	...	Jake Watterson (as Billy Lynn)
Dick Rich	...	Drunk

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) | Sweden:15

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Quotes:

Cal: I thought gamblers were supposed to be gentlemen.
John Oakhurst: Supposed to be. Actually, they're just gamblers.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Luck of Roaring Camp (1917)

good adaptation of Bret Harte's famous short story.

I did not expect much from this film since I read a bad review, but to my surprise it turned out to be quite good. Bret Harte wrote "Outcasts" in 1868, a short story about people which are thrown out of a town because they are not considered good citizens. While they are stuck in a cabin during a snowstorm with little food, fighting for their lives their best feelings and actions come through. By choosing "outcasts" as heroes, Harte was leading the way for so many books and films that were yet to come. This film is based on Harte's short story. Dale Robertson is Oakhurst the gambler, Cameron Mitchell is Ryker the man who robs the bank, Anne Baxter is his woman, there is also "The Duchess" and the drunk. A couple shows up in the cabin, the woman pregnant, on their way to get married, and they also get stuck in the storm. At a certain moment when Ryker is threatening them all with his gun, they begin to ponder why they should be afraid of him when they will probably die in the storm anyhow. The black and white cinematography blends well with the mood of the film.