Completing the “late 40s noir Western trilogy” Elliott Stein began with his final two Cinemachats, Pursued and Ramrod, Wise’s (The Sound of Music, West Side Story) superlative psychological Western stars Mitchum as a roving cowboy who becomes embroiled in a turf war between feuding ranchers and homesteaders. Submerged in expressionist noir shadows courtesy of crack cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca (Cat People, Out of the Past), the film’s centerpiece is a lengthy, shockingly brutal barroom brawl in near-total darkness.
Screening will be followed by a discussion with Elliott Stein's collaborators and colleagues, including Clark Frederick, Howard Mandelbaum, Eric Myers, and Jake Perlin.