Yellow Sky (1948)
Directed by William A. Wellman / John Schlesinger
Genres - Western, Drama, Romance |
Sub-Genres - Outlaw (Gunfighter) Film |
Release Date - Dec 1, 1948 (USA - Unknown), Dec 24, 1948 (USA) |
Run Time - 98 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
William Wellman's westerns always seemed a little claustrophobic, but in Yellow Sky the director's technique works to the film's advantage. Outlaw leader Gregory Peck takes refuge in a frontier ghost town. The only inhabitants are elderly James Barton and his pretty granddaughter Anne Baxter. Barton reveals that there's gold hereabouts, prompting a few of Peck's companions--especially Richard Widmark--to plot the old man's demise and claim the treasure for themselves. For his part, Peck is basically honorable, and offers to split fifty-fifty with Barton. Dissension, hostility and gunplay ensue, finally narrowing down to a standoff between Peck and Widmark. Yellow Sky was based on a novel by W.R. Burnett, who moved from westerns to gangster stories and back again with the greatest of ease.
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Keywords
ghost-town, gold, reform [improve], bad-guy, cowboy, desert, granddaughter, grandfather, greed, power-struggle, loot, bank-robbery, escape, pursuit