Ride the High Country (1962)

An ex-lawman is hired to transport gold from a mining community through dangerous territory. But what he doesn't realize is that his partner and old friend is plotting to double-cross him.

Director:

Sam Peckinpah

Writer:

N.B. Stone Jr.

Stars:

Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, Mariette Hartley

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Randolph Scott	...	Gil Westrum
Joel McCrea	...	Steve Judd
Mariette Hartley	...	Elsa Knudsen
Ron Starr	...	Heck Longtree
Edgar Buchanan	...	Judge Tolliver
R.G. Armstrong	...	Joshua Knudsen
Jenie Jackson	...	Kate
James Drury	...	Billy Hammond
L.Q. Jones	...	Sylvus Hammond
John Anderson	...	Elder Hammond
John Davis Chandler	...	Jimmy Hammond
Warren Oates	...	Henry Hammond

Storyline

Aging ex-marshal Steve Judd is hired by a bank to transport a gold shipment through dangerous territory. He hires an old partner, Gil Westrum, and his young protege Heck to assist him. Steve doesn't know, however, that Gil and Heck plan to steal the gold, with or without Steve's help. On the trail, the three get involved in a young woman's desire to escape first from her father, then from her fiance and his dangerously psychotic brothers.

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Plot Keywords:

gold | friend | bank | partner | gold shipment | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Chinese

Release Date:

28 July 1962 (Japan)

Also Known As:

De red efter guld

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$813,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to David Weddle's book on Peckinpah, "If They Move, Kill 'Em!', four days into shooting, a snowstorm on the original Inyo National Forest location forced the entire cast and crew back to Los Angeles to resume shooting the film in the Santa Monica Mountains, which resulted in the soapsuds substitution for real Sierra Nevada snow in the scenes at the Coarsegold mining camp. The substitution not surprisingly irritated Peckinpah immensely, but he pressed on. Despite these problems, the film finished a mere four days over schedule, and only $52,000 over budget.

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Goofs

When Elsa is cleaning the barn, she has two shadows even though it's daylight and no lanterns in the barn are lit.

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Quotes

Luther Sampson: The day of the Forty-niner is gone. The day of the steady businessman has arrived.

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Crazy Credits

Introducing Mariette Hartley

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Connections

Featured in The 78th Annual Academy Awards (2006)

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Soundtracks

"For She's a Jolly Good Fellow"
Traditional
Sung at the wedding

User Reviews

Sam Peckinpah's first realized film and arguably still his best.

How the AFI missed this as one the Top 100 Movies, I'll never know. In a film career of peaks and valleys, I think this is STILL Peckinpah's best work. It contains all of the themes from the Wild Bunch, Cable Hogue and Junior Bonner, and while it does not possess the depth or complexity of the Wild Bunch, in some ways it works even better. Every character rings true, the photography is superb, and the writing matches that. Just a great, great film, and without the violence, and sometime- bitterness associated with Peckinpah's works. It is Randolph Scott's last film, and Mariette Hartley's first. He is riveting, and she is charming.