Broken Lance (1954)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

Richard Murphy (screenplay)
Philip Yordan (story)

Release Date:

25 September 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Western

Tagline:

Fury of the West's Most Lawless Feud!

Plot:

Cattle baron Matt Devereaux raids a copper smelter that is polluting his water, then divides his property among his sons...

Plot Keywords:

Flashback | Racial Slur | Half Brother | Courtroom | Family Relationships

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Spencer Tracy	...	Matt Devereaux
Robert Wagner	...	Joe Devereaux
Jean Peters	...	Barbara
Richard Widmark	...	Ben Devereaux
Katy Jurado	...	Señora Devereaux
Hugh O'Brian	...	Mike Devereaux
Eduard Franz	...	Two Moons
Earl Holliman	...	Denny Devereaux
E.G. Marshall	...	Horace - The Governor
Carl Benton Reid	...	Clem Lawton
Philip Ober	...	Van Cleve
Robert Burton	...	Mac Andrews

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (35 mm optical prints) | 4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Germany:16 | Finland:K-16 | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #16964, General Audience) | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Had a premier at Graumans Chinese Theater in Hollywood. A huge sign was erected which extended over the forecourt proclaiming "CINEMASCOPE - TRACY-WIDMARK - BROKEN LANCE" in huge letters.

Goofs:

Continuity: Senora Devereaux's dress changes colour in different shots as she stands at the gate talking to Matt Devereaux.

Quotes:

Van Cleve: I now ask you, sir, do you remember the names Charlie Monger, Red Dog Johnson or Carlos Rameriez?
Matt Devereaux: No.
Van Cleve: The incident may be too trivial to recall. But isn't it true that you summarily hanged three of these men on the afternoon of June 4th?
Matt Devereaux: They were stealing my cattle!
Van Cleve: I thought you didn't remember them.
Matt Devereaux: I didn't ask their names!
Van Cleve: You just hanged 'em?
Matt Devereaux: By the neck until they were dead. They were thieves!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Return to 'Giant' (2003) (V)

Joseph and his brothers.

Although a remake,this western strongly recalls the story of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis.After all,that's the hero's name ,and his brothers really sell him when they refuse to give more money to the bosses of the copper mine .Leonard Maltin writes that it owes a deal to "king lear" too,the daughters becoming sons.Richard Widmark is the stand-out and easily outshines the "good" Robert Wagner and his two other brothers who are no more than walk-ons anyway.In his final confrontation with Tracy,he even surpasses the veteran :he succeeds,which is not a small feat, in making us believe that he had a very hard life and that he's not so bad after all.

"Broken lance" ranks among Dmytryk's best works ,more human than "Warlock" and a thousand times better than the latter days ' fiascos such as "Alvarez Kelly" and the dreadful "Shalako".Released just after the brilliant "Caine mutiny" ,it compares favorably to it,in its own way.The opening is intriguing :we do believe ,for a short while,that Joe (Wagner) is the black sheep of the family ,and then , a long flashback -a device which is rarely used in westerns - brilliantly starting with the patriarch's(Tracy)painting in a deserted house ,tells the whole story.Also unusual is the rather long trial ,a reason for which some will classify the movie as talky,which is unfair,because so many qualities in a western are rare to find.Tracy's death is a real tour de force verging on fantastic.There's also a sensitive wistful performance by Katy Jurado ,as Tracy's second wife .