BORDER INCIDENT
US, 1949, 93 minutes, Black and white.
Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy, Howard da Silva, James Mitchell, Alfonso Bedoya.
Directed by Anthony Mann.
Border Incident is a taut little thriller, a kind of docu-drama about difficulties on the American- Mexican border and the illegal immigrants for the gardens and crops of California. The film was made in 1949, has a voice-over which very seriously warns the American public about the difficulties on the border.
This was not to lessen. In fact the border problem is becoming more acute with refugees from Central America. This was the subject of a number of films of the '80s, including The Border with Jack Nicholson, Borderline with Charles Bronson and the excellent film about refugees from Guatemala, El Norte.
This film has the Naked City- Dragnet style, with its focus on the American agent played by George Murphy and the Mexican agent played by Ricardo Montalban. There is an effective group of villains led by Howard da Silva, Charles Mc Graw, Arthur Hunnicutt.
The film was directed by Anthony Mann, his reputation being strong for his thrillers made in the '40s. He was to do a number of films with James Stewart in the '50s and then move to spectacles in the '60s including El Cid.
1.Effective thriller? Docu-drama about social events of the '40s? The issues in hindsight?
2.Black and white photography, Californian locations, the atmosphere of the border? The use of light and shadow? So much action at night? Musical score?
3.The title, the voice-over highlighting the background, the difficulties in California, agreements between American and Mexican governments? This incident focusing on the problems? The irony of the film's ending with the belief that problems had been solved?
4.Immigration Department, American agents and discussing the problems, Mexican agents? The visualising of the crops of California? The visualising of the migrants, legal and illegal? The criminals organising immigration? The bandits in Mexico robbing the victims?
5.Jack Bearns and his collaboration with Pablo Rodriguez? Going undercover, contacts with Rodriguez? Discovered, his work with Parkson? Getting information? Being found out, his being taken into the fields, the brutality, his death?
6.Pablo Rodriguez as hero, his courage, meeting the other workers, friendship with Juan, finding about the line into the U.S., the examination of his hands, suspicions, his passing himself off as a criminal? The details of the line into the U.S? The criminals, Parkson and his organisation? His meetings with Bearns, trying to save him? The final confrontation? The fight in the quicksand, Juan rescuing him? His decorations?
7.The picture of the American agents, going undercover? F.B.I. style? Commitment to their work? Dangers and death?
8.The workers, Juan and his needs, friendship with Pablo? On the line, saving him in the shoot-out?
9.Parkson and his organisation, the farms, false passes, his henchmen, their wives, the closing in of the agents? Amboy turning on Parkson? The shoot-outs?
10.The docu-drama style of the time? The straightforward American beliefs? The contrast with treatment of the same theme in later decades, its greater complexity, the changing American attitudes?
