Warner Bros. Pictures
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Raton Pass
"Hold Raton Pass And You Hold The Rest Of The West By The Throat!"
Raton Pass is a curious western based on the rules of Community Property. Dennis Morgan and Patricia Neal portray a recently married husband and wife, each of whom owns half of a huge cattle ranch. Neal is a tad more ambitious than her husband, and with the help of a little legal chicanery she tries to obtain Morgan's half of the spread. He balks, so she hires a few gunslingers to press the issue. In a 1951 western, the greedy party usually came to a sorry end; Raton Pass adheres strictly to tradition.
- Original title
- Raton Pass
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- —
John Chard
Nov 8, 2013 · via TMDB
Thou shall not pass this pass! Raton Pass is directed by Edwin L. Marin and written by Thomas W. Blackburn and James R. Webb. It stars Dennis Morgan, Patricia Neal, Steve Cochran, Scott Forbes and Dorothy Hart. Music is by Max Steiner and cinematography by Wilfred M. Cline. Two families feuding over land either side of Raton Pass, New Mexico. Into their lives comes a beautiful seductress with manipulation and land dominance on her agenda... Well well, what a treat. Something of a rare, little known or seen Oater, Raton Pass (AKA: Canyon Pass) really takes you by surprise. From the off we can see and hear this is a very nice production, with the twin greats of Steiner and Cline working their magic. Steiner's title music is Latino flavoured and then he introduces deft character motifs for the protagonists, while Cline's crisp black and white photography holds the eyes considerably. For thirty minutes the picture simmers away like a standard "B" Western threatening to dull the senses with formulaic tedium, this is another reason why Steiner and Cline should be lauded as their work keeps you interested. But then the film completely turns, you notice that Cline's photography has suddenly shifted into film noir territory, and Neal has skillfully shifted from being the new loving wife on the block, to a complete femme fatale bitch! The plot dynamics now have a real edge, and as the smouldering Neal works her feminine whiles, this part of New Mexico territory boils away furiously until it inevitably explodes and spells doom and disappointment for some... There's some crappy back projection work that undermines the quality elsewhere and the odd character is stereotypical of some Westerns of the period, but this has much to recommend. Marin (Johnny Angel/Nocturne/Colt.45/Sugarfoot) is fluid in his direction, while Neal and noir icon Cochran hold the screen as Max and Wilfred do their stuff. Currently licensed to TCM UK and available in HD format, I would urge any noir and Western fan in the UK to take the chance to see this rare picture the next time it shows. It doesn't deserve to stay rare. 7.5/10
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Dennis Morgan
Marc Challon
Patricia Neal
Ann Challon
Steve Cochran
Cy Van Cleave
Scott Forbes
Prentice
Dorothy Hart
Lena Casamajor
Basil Ruysdael
Pierre Challon
Louis Jean Heydt
Jim Pozner (as Louis J. Heydt)
Roland Winters
Sheriff Perigord
James Burke
Hank
Elvira Curci
Tia
John Crawford
Sam
Rodolfo Hoyos Jr.
Ben
Edward Hearn
Treadwell - Lawyer (uncredited)
Margarita Martín
Lupe (uncredited)
Ted Mapes
Stagecoach Driver (uncredited)
Dan White
Scout (uncredited)
Noble 'Kid' Chissell
Cowhand (uncredited)
Carol Henry
Cowhand (uncredited)
Joe Phillips
Cowhand (uncredited)
Ray Jones
Cowhand (uncredited)
Wilfrid M. Cline
Director of Photography
Bob Herron
Stunts
Edwin L. Marin
Director
Max Steiner
Music
Charles Lang
Sound
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Apr 7, 1951
