THE SPOILERS
US, 1955, 84 minutes, Colour.
Jeff Chandler, Anne Baxter, Rory Calhoun, Ray Danton, Barbara Britton.
Directed by Jesse Hibbs.
Based on a popular Rex Beech story about Alaska. Beech and Jack London provided many stories for films and their remakes over many decades. The Spoilers featured Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne and Randolph Scott in the early forties. This is a more modest remake. The director is Jesse Hibbs, maker of a number of Audie Murphy westerns. However, the atmosphere is enjoyable, the acting of Anne Baxter in the Dietrich role very entertaining and Jeff Chandler makes a solid hero. The film has a straightforward approach to its plot, characterisation and themes and is typical of the colourful adventures made by Universal Studios in the early fifties.
1. How enjoyable a western, frontier film? The background of the opening up of Alaska? The American frontier and heritage?
2. The action films of the fifties and their conventions? Colour photography, music? Studio sets? Action adventure? The stars? The popularity of Rex Beech and his frontier stories?
3. The atmosphere of 1899 and the United States, the opening up of the frontier, the remoteness of Alaska, gold and the number of diggers coming in? The repetition of the opening up of the west? An atmosphere of greed, power, the need for lay and justice, violence and a frontier society?
4. The film's focus on Cherry? Anne Baxter and her style in this role? Her character, manner of speaking, the girl from the saloon? Her colours - especially cherry? Her biting remarks? Her friendship with Duchess and the humour of her support? The infatuation with Blackie, Roy? The hostility towards Miss Chester? McNamara? Her interest in the saloon, the gold mine? Her exercise of power and of her wiles? The court sequences? her involvement? her reaction to injustice, helping Roy escape? Alex being in the room and detaining him there? The fight at the end? The happy ending? A woman of the frontier - character, type?
5. Roy as hero - preparations for his arrival, the background of the mine, Dexter? Claims? Miss Chester and her reliance? Roy and trying to get into Cherry's good books? The mistakes about letting the safe go to the bank? The court sequence? The robbing of the safe, his arrest, the escape? The siege at the mine? The big fight - a western hero?
6. McNamara? and his power? suavity, attraction towards Cherry, the truth and his beirig in league with the group? The fight? The smooth western villain?
7. The criminal group: the judge and his pretences, Helen and the set-up, the lawyer? The plans, the plan to escape?
8. The picture of the miners, the drinking and the shooting in the streets, the claims, the judge and his depositions, working the claims, violent defence, the court sequences, Dexter, the siege?
9. A popular picture of frontier life and its toughness? Conventional action but enjoyable?
