MovieChat Forums > Saddle the Wind (1958) Discussion > Good Western With A Solid Cast

Good Western With A Solid Cast

posted 11 years ago by davidwile
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Hey folks,

This was a pretty good western story, and it had a cast that included a bunch of folks I appreciated for many years: Robert Taylor, Julie London, John Cassavetes, Ray Teal, Donald Crisp, Charles McGraw, and Royal Dano. Those folks were all solid actors.

While Julie London was a featured star, her part really was not all that important to the story, but she certainly did what was required of the part. Charles McGraw's character was killed off rather quickly, and I did not think his character played well in the story, but I suspect that was the fault of the director, and as a fault in the story, it was only a small fault to me. Dano, Crisp, and Teal were all perfect as was Taylor.

I know a lot of folks seem to think Cassavetes' performance was overacted, but I would disagree. Cassavetes performed the part just as I would think the writer and director made. His character was a crazed bully with blood lust, and Cassavetes played it that way. Over the years I frequently heard Cassavetes talk about acting in terms that were very esoteric and above my ability to understand. For me, I think Cassavetes' ideas on acting were pretentious and overly analyzed.

In spite of my problems with his ideas about acting, I really have enjoyed Cassavetes for many years. I remember being captivated by him back in the mid 1950s when he played in so many of the weekly dramatic TV shows. When he starred in the Johnny Staccato series in 1959 and 1960, I thought it was great. However, seeing some episode of the Staccato series this past year was not the same for me as it was 50 years ago. It was not that I now thought Cassavetes was bad; it was simply that the series simply did not hold up for me over the 50 years. I can still see him in Edge of the City or Combat! S.I.W. episode, and he and those shows are still as good to me now as they were 50 years ago.

By the end of Saddle the Wind, the film had provided a beginning, a middle, and an end for a good story that was in some way a morality play. Good did overcome Bad, and I appreciate that in a good story.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

[–] T-aerial 10 years ago

Like in 'Man of the West' in the same year, miss London is rather wooden. No facial expression, etc.
Miss London, who never cracks more than a brief, pained smile, is remarkably inexpressive when speaking or gazing in rather sullen discomfort at her intended bridegroom and her future brother-in-law. I kept wishing she’d bust out with her great rendition of “Cry Me a River” whenever one of the brothers started to chide or jolly her out of her funk, but alas, Miss London never seems to be caught emoting in this movie, much less singing for fun or showing signs of overt joy or sorrow.
Of course, that could be due to an underwritten part, the grim circumstances that her character comes from or that she sees in this Colorado valley, but, since I’ve seen her do the same routine just after this movie in Anthony Mann’s "Man of the West" and Robert Parrish’s Western, "The Wonderful Country", I’m beginning to wonder if miss London should’ve stuck to singing.