Blue (1968)

A Mexican bandit, part of a gang led by his father, goes on a raid into the U.S. He falls for a beautiful woman and decides to leave his life of crime and settle down with her. Eventually ... See full summary »

Director:

Silvio Narizzano

Writers:

Ronald M. Cohen (screenplay), Ronald M. Cohen (story),

Stars:

Terence Stamp, Joanna Pettet, Karl Malden

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Terence Stamp	...	Blue
Joanna Pettet	...	Joanne Morton
Karl Malden	...	Doc Morton
Stathis Giallelis	...	Manuel
Sally Kirkland	...	Sarah Lambert
Robert Lipton	...	Antonio
Ricardo Montalban	...	Ortega
Sara Vardi	...	Inez
James Westerfield	...	Abe Parker
Kevin Corcoran	...	Rory Calvin
Ivalou Redd	...	Helen Buchanan
Dorothy Konrad	...	Alma Wishoff
Helen Kleeb	...	Elizabeth Parker
Michael Bell	...	Jim Benton
Anthony Costello	...	Jess Parker

Storyline

A Mexican bandit, part of a gang led by his father, goes on a raid into the U.S. He falls for a beautiful woman and decides to leave his life of crime and settle down with her. Eventually his father and the gang come back for him, and he finds himself torn between his love for the woman and his loyalty to his father and his fellow gang members.

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Plot Keywords:

mexican | moral transformation | outlaw gang | haunted by the past | rancher | 

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Taglines:

The Rio Grande runs red when Blue changes sides.

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Genres:

Romance | Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 May 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Inferno am Fluß

Filming Locations:

Seven Mile Canyon, Utah, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kettledrum Productions, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The solo guitar passages in the film soundtrack were performed by Laurindo Almeida under the guidance of Manos Hatzidakis.

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Quotes

Blue: I'm tired, Mr. Parker... particularly of you.

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Connections

Featured in Fade-In (1968)

User Reviews

Singin' the Blue

Terence Stamp is Azul (Spanish for "blue"), the adopted son of

Mexican bandito Ricardo Montalban. Montalban, tiring of the same

old robbing and pillaging, and sensing unrest from all of his sons

(natural and otherwise), decides to cross the river into the United

States and do some damage to the country that recently took part

of Mexico for itself.

The bandits raid a settlement, but Azul begins having a change of

heart, deciding not to kill, but to stay in the United States. He saves

Joanna Pettet's life, and is nursed back to health by her doctor

father, Karl Malden. The rest of the bandits head back to Mexico,

mourning their losses.

For the first time, and half way through the film, Blue speaks. He is

called Blue because of his eye color. He is not your typical

Mexican, also possessing blonde hair and fair skin. He begins to

take a liking to Pettet, and stays on to farm the doctor's land.

Eventually, Blue is introduced into the settlers' society, but not

without raising the suspicions of some of the bandits' victims.

Eventually, Montalban and the boys return, reclaiming one of their

own. Blue leads the settlers in an ambush of the Mexicans, and

final allegiances begin to surface.

Made in 1968, this western has a definite contemporary feel to it.

There are no good guys and bad guys, and Blue is an antihero if

there ever was one. His romance with Pettet is expected but never

forced or false. Malden is also excellent as the doctor who is

supposed to help people, murderers or not. Stamp is good as

Blue, never speaking through the first half of the film, so when he

finally does open up about himself you find yourself hanging on

his every word.

Narizzano shows a wonderful directorial eye, highlighting great

Utah scenery. He is able to generate suspense (Pettet's attack in

the general store), lust (a very good clothed love scene), and

violence (the final showdown) without getting show-offy with the

camera. Yakima Canutt was stunt coordinator here, and the

explosive finale is some of his best work.

While "Blue" might be hard to find, it is worth the rental, and I highly

recommend it.

This is unrated, and contains physical violence, strong gun

violence, gore, mild profanity, and mild sexual content.