(1945)
2.5
Hans J. Wollstein
Much better than its reputation, San Antonio, in glorious Technicolor, is a slam-bang, no-nonsense Western filled with stand-out action sequences and performances. Although often negatively compared to Errol Flynn's earlier Warner epics, San Antonio, with sweeping tracking shots contrasted by more intimate but equally dramatic character delineation, stands on his own merits and to some extent bridges the gap between the romanticized empire-building spectacles of the late '30s and the postwar Western noirs. The great Warner stock company, including French import Victor Francen and a quietly menacing Paul Kelly, adds immeasurably to the overall tenor of the film, as does Max Steiner's grand score. Although Steiner has been accused of borrowing from himself -- an odd complaint considering that all the studios endlessly recycled their in-house scores -- San Antonio remains one of the most musical of A-Westerns and the Academy Award nomination for Ray Heindorf, M.K. Jerome, and Ted Koehler's lilting leitmotif "Some Sunday Morning" was more than deserved. Garbed by Milo Anderson with an eye on Technicolor, heroine Alexis Smith is a sight for sore eyes and imbues her stock assignment with more gusto than you would ordinarily expect. Among the other highlights of San Antonio are veteran B-Western star Tom Tyler's dramatic death walk and a climactic gunfight that seamlessly progresses from Francen's posh saloon into the streets of historical San Antonio to culminate, inevitably, in the ruined Alamo. All, of course, staged to maximum effect at the Warner Bros. back lot by a director, David Butler, rather unfairly known solely for his many lightweight musicals and comedies.
releases for San Antonio on AllMovie
San Antonio (1945)
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San Antonio
Warner Home Video
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