Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

John Sturges

Writers:

Millard Kaufman (screenplay)
Don McGuire (adaptation)

Release Date:

7 January 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | Western

Tagline:

Suddenly you realize murder is at your elbow! - and there's no way out!

Plot:

A one handed stranger comes to a tiny town possessing a terrible past they want to keep secret, by violent means if necessary.

Plot Keywords:

Train | Secret | Stranger | 1945 | Murder

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Nov. 11

6:30 PM

TCM

Cast

Spencer Tracy	...	John J. Macreedy
Robert Ryan	...	Reno Smith
Anne Francis	...	Liz Wirth
Dean Jagger	...	Tim Horn
Walter Brennan	...	Doc Velie
John Ericson	...	Pete Wirth
Ernest Borgnine	...	Coley Trimble
Lee Marvin	...	Hector David
Russell Collins	...	Mr. Hastings
Walter Sande	...	Sam

Also Known As:

Bad Day at Hondo (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Sweden:15 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Norway:16 | USA:Approved (PCA #17154)

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Average Shot Length (ASL) = 10 seconds

Goofs:

Continuity: Clouds appear and disappear from shot to shot. For example, during the discussion scene on the railroad tracks about 27 minutes into the film, the clouds above the mountains at the tracks' vanishing point appear in wide shots and disappear in tight shots.

Quotes:

Sheriff Tim Horn: Don't you understand? You know, when you wear this badge, you're the law. And when somebody does something against the law, then you're supposed to do something about it. I did nothing. And that's what's eating me. What kind of prescription do you got for that?
Doc Verlie: I don't know. I haven't found one for myself.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Great Escape: Bringing Fact to Fiction (2001) (TV)

A Classic

A film of rare economy, elegance and stillness. Pretentious as it may sound, there's a perfect balance of tension and space about this film. Not a word or scene or character is wasted or unnecessary.

The other reviewers here give a plot outline and performance details. Tracy dominates the picture, his black and white appearance setting out the clarity of his moral position. The other main presence in this classic picture is the silence. Sturges SHOWS us silence, and what denial can do to a community.

I'd just like to make a recommendation to those who think that great cinema need sound and action - watch Bad Day at Black Rock, and sink yourself into its opening emptiness and cut-to-the-bone story.

9/10