(1946)
4
Bruce Eder
Forget the significance or meaning of the title -- there is none to be found in the movie -- and just take in one of the best Westerns of its era that wasn't made by John Ford. Director Jacques Tourneur was best known for his stylish, atmospheric black-and-white horror chillers such as Cat People and Curse of the Demon, and expressionist thrillers like Berlin Express, but in 1946 -- working for Universal and producer Walter Wanger -- he proved that he was equally adept in the outdoor Western genre, and working in Technicolor. With Edward J. Cronjager handling the stunning cinematography, Tourneur concentrated on the acting and drew some of the best performances of their entire careers out of Dana Andrews, Brian Donlevy, Susan Hayward, Lloyd Bridges (in a role that anticipates his work in High Noon), Andy Devine, Hoagy Carmichael (who acts as well as he sings), and Ward Bond. The movie also has something of the feel of a later Ford production for being a family affair, as two of Devine's sons are present in the cast, portraying the sons of his character. Beyond that, however, there is the sheer depth of the script and the approach taken to it to be savored -- this is a Western, but it's also a story of large ideas built around serious drama, and rather anticipates the kind of work that Anthony Mann and James Stewart did together in that genre in the subsequent decade, with some serious psychology operating behind the portrayals and motivations of the characters. Andrews is totally convincing as the somewhat reluctant hero of the piece, and Susan Hayward shines in a surprisingly lusty -- almost libidinous performance, by the standards of the time -- as the object of two men's affections, with little adoring and greedily lustful glances in a direction they shouldn't be cast. And add to that one of the more convincingly violent and realistic fight scenes, and there's a lot in here for all kinds of viewers. It's all gorgeous to look at and deep and serious enough to constitute a major, oft-overlooked entry in the Western genre, and one that deserves to be discovered by a new audience.
awards for Canyon Passage on AllMovie
Canyon Passage (1946)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
