SILVER LODE
US, 1954, 81 Minutes, Colour.
John Payne, Lisbeth Scott, Dan Duryea, Dolores Moran.
Directed by Allan Dwan.
Silver Lode is quite an interesting Western especially when compared with the atmosphere of Westerns in the early 50s, especially High Noon to which it can be easily compared.
Directed by Alan Dwan, a veteran film-maker from the early 20s (the Douglas Fairbanks Robin Hood film for instance), it is a B film but given serious treatment. It shows the hero confronted by lies and trying to vindicate his innocence before a town which has praised him but becomes more and more sceptical. Violence and bloodshed ensue. It is only by accident at the end that the hero is able to vindicate himself. It is an interesting treatment of mass hysteria and condemnation on circumstantial evidence not looked at well. (It is interesting that this film appeared in the McCarthyist? era, it seems to be highly critical of the atmosphere of these times.) John Payne and Lisbeth Scott are conventional hero and heroine for this kind of film. Dan Duryea snarls in the way that he has in so many films. All in all, although brief, Silver Lode is quite an effective film.
1. An entertaining Western? Interest, message? Its quality as a 'B' budget Western? Was the small budget evident?
2. The use of Western conventions about the town, the gunfighter, justice and lynching? How were these presented in terms of the plot and audience interest and entertainment?
3. The message of the film?
4. The structure: one day in the life of the town, the presentation of the town itself, the holiday and its atmosphere, the wedding, the course of melodramatic events, the reaction of the ordinary townspeople for good and for ill, of the family? The hero and his plight?
5. How interesting and detailed was the portrait of the Western town, the title of the film and of the town, the people?
6. The atmosphere of happiness, the celebration, the 4th of July etc? The changing of moods? The exhilaration for the wedding of Dan and Rose Evans, the listening to McHardy? and the atmosphere of violence and death?
7. The presentation of McHardy: in himself, posing as a Marshall, the personalities of his posse? His devious way of dealing with the situation? His hold over the people, persuasiveness, violence?
8. The importance of themes of appearances and reality, law and order? The role of the Sheritf, the Judge? Of verbal testimony, documents?
9. Dan as hero? Could the audience identify with him, sympathise with him? Any truth in McHardy's claims? The importance of the telegrams and the holiday, Rose and Dolly and their contribution to the truth? The contrast with Mitch. and his father? The events as dividing friendship and loyalty in people?
10. Did Dan make the right decisions in the situation? His propensity for violent reaction? The result of the pressures of the situation and circumstances? His shooting, running? The people hounding him and the danger in which he was in? The atmosphere of lynch law? Comment on the speeches, the violence in the street, the climax in the church tower.
11. The revelation of McHardy? and the truth? His change of attitude? His hold over his henchmen and his deceptions about the various shootings? Johnson's death and appearances? The irony of McHardy's death?
12. The personality of Rose as the heroine of the film? Her place in the town with her family? Love for Dan? The wedding, divided loyalties, her believing the man rather than appearances? Dolly and her infatuation with Dan? The saloon girl with the heart of gold? Her helping Dan, especially his hiding in the roof and the tension of these situations? Their decision to help Dan, especially in fabricating the telegram?
13. The role of the Sheriff, his contribution to justice, the pathos of his death, and the hardening of people's reaction? The role of the Judge?
14. Paul Herbert the telegraph man and the necessity of getting the answer, the suspense of waiting, the hold that Dolly had over him, the irony of people reacting to a false telegram and changing their attitudes? The real telegram being superfluous?
15. The film's exploration of people's moods governing their attitudes and decisions? The ironies of truth? The fear in the changing of minds, good people becoming mobs?
16. The use of contrived Western conventions for a moralizing purpose? How successfully in this case?
