Ride, Vaquero! (1953)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

John Farrow

Writer:

Frank Fenton (writer)

Release Date:

17 July 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Western | Action | Drama

Tagline:

The Outlaw And The Beauty!

Plot:

Esqueda, an outlaw, attempts to force settlers King and Cordelia Cameron out of his territory. Esqueda's mother raised Rio as her own...

Plot Keywords:

Frontier Justice | Post Civil War | Cavalry | Mexican Border | Texas

Cast

Robert Taylor	...	Rio
Ava Gardner	...	Cordelia Cameron
Howard Keel	...	King Cameron
Anthony Quinn	...	José Esqueda
Kurt Kasznar	...	Father Antonio
Ted de Corsia	...	Sheriff Parker
Charlita	...	Singer
Jack Elam	...	Barton
Walter Baldwin	...	Adam Smith
Joe Dominguez	...	Vincente
Frank McGrath	...	Pete
Charles Stevens	...	Vaquero
Rex Lease	...	Deputy
Tom Greenway	...	Deputy

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Anscocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #16157) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Kanab, Utah, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Quotes:

Jose Esqueda: The strong will fight the strong for possession of the weak.
Cordelia Cameron: The meek shall inherit the earth.
Jose Esqueda: Only six feet of it, Senora.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 100 Years of the Hollywood Western (1994) (TV)

excellent western about conflicting feelings

By keeping quiet, speaking only when necessary Robert Taylor as Rio gives one of his best performances. All through the film you try to guess what he is thinking. He was adopted by the mother of Esqueda (Anthony Quinn) and Quinn loves and respects him. The real surprise is Howard Keel, who only used to do musicals, coming out so well as King Cameron, a man who is obstinate about building a cattle empire. Cameron is married to Cordelia (Ava Gardner) and as soon as she arrives in a river boat, and they go to their ranch, trouble starts because it has been burnt by Esqueda. Why did Esqueda do it? Because he knows that if he allows anybody to do well in business in that area, others will come and eventually he, who is a bandit will have to run away or be hanged. Quinn is great as Esqueda, just that makes the film worth seeing. Taylor, who was the second man to Quinn in the gang, eventually leaves him to help Keel, because deep down he knows his brother is becoming a crazy monster and unconsciously he is in love with Ava. But when she kisses him, he slaps her because he knows it is wrong. He is a torn man, with all those feelings and not knowing exactly what to do about it. Excellent film, not to be missed.