BLOWING WILD
US, 1953, 90 minutes, Black and white.
Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Ruth Roman, Anthony Quinn, Ward Bond.
Directed by Hugo Fregonese.
A brief melodrama - a star vehicle for its cast. Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck appeared in the forties in such films as Howard Hawks' Ball Of Fire. Cooper had just won his second Oscar for High Noon and Stanwyck was moving into more matronly roles. Anthony Quinn had just won an Oscar for Viva Zapata and was moving towards stardom. Ruth Roman was an attractive star leading lady at Warner Bros. They do not have all that much to do in this melodrama but they give it their style and force.
Direction is by Hugo Fregonese, director of some smaller budget films, the most successful of which was The Raid with Anne Bancroft and Van Heflin. The Latin American oil setting was somewhat exotic in the fifties - but has been the setting for many films, for example The Wages Of Fear which part of this film resembles. The musical score is by Dimitri Tiomkin and the title song sung by Frankie Lane - as he had just previously with Tiomkin's High Noon. Dramatic but inconsequential.
1. The significance of the title? reference to oil, adventure? The reference to Marina? The reference to black gold and the aura of oil exploration and discovery? An adventure tone for the film?
2. Black and white photography, location work? Action sequences? The contribution of the cast - their reputations, mystique? The musical score, Frankie Lane and the singing of the title song?
3. Gary Cooper's characterisation of Jeff ? Ward Bond as his buddy? Their work in exploration. investing their money, the bandits destroying their work? Destitute and trying to get home? Trying to trade in the ticket? Jeff’s encounter with Sal? The meeting with Pucco and the offer of work? The background of relationships with Marina? Their working for Pucco? Marina's interfering, jealousy of Sal? The move towards success? The attack of the bandits? The explosions? Marina's killing off Pucco and Jeff’s spurning of her? The Gary Cooper intense style of hero of integrity? His loyalty to his friend - and the hospital sequences?
4. Barbara Stanwyck's style as Marina? The American wicked lady? Her using of Pucco, her passionate attachment towards him - and to his wealth? Her bitter attitude towards Jeff? Her wiles in trying to win him again? Confrontation with Sal at the casino? Her killing of Pucco? Her revealing of this to Jeff? Her death? A persuasive picture of passionate villainy?
5. Anthony Quinn and the exuberance of Pucco? Wealth, laughter, friendship with Jeff, reliance on him, passionate devotion to Marina? His death?
6. Sal - the woman on the loose, stranded in Latin America, using her charms to get back, the encounter with Jeff? His abandoning her? Work around the town? Her falling in love with him? The clash with Marina and telling her the truth? The happy ending?
7. The background of oil exploration in Latin America in the forties and fifties? Search, technology, difficulties? The importance of the attacks by the bandits?
8. How satisfying as romantic melodrama? Action sequences? Interrelationships? A popular entertainment adventure of the fifties?
