Western Film Noir, Vol. 1 (Little Big Horn / Rimfire) (1949) Review

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(More customer reviews)VCI Video and Kit Parker Films have released LITTLE BIG HORN (1951) and RIMFIRE (1949) under the Western Film Noir banner.
These two almost forgotten Lippert westerns deserve the new life they have been granted on DVD in an impressive double feature format; and, above all, they should carry their noir stamp proudly.
LITTLE BIG HORN and RIMFIRE as well achieve their undeniably striking visual effectiveness through Ernest Miller's masterful camera work. Cinematographer Miller (who, by the way, was behind the camera for most of the moody Lippert westerns) imparts to both films a foreboding, fatalistic ambiance, which he renders in low-keyed black-and-white cinematography. And in addition, by frequently utilizing stark camera angles, Miller creates an undercurrent of uneasiness, which is a major noir ingredient in these somber westerns.
LITTLE BIG HORN tells the story of a small U.S. Cavalry unit that challenges destiny when it is ordered to deliver an urgent message to Custer warning him of impending mortal danger at Little Big Horn. The suspense mounts as members of the patrol commence to be eliminated by hostile Indians in a and-then-there-were-none manner.
John Ireland, Lloyd Bridges, and Marie Windsor in standout performances elevate the human drama to a nearly Shakespearean level, as patrol commander Bridges is confronted by his inner demons of jealousy and suspicion involving his wife Windsor and lower-ranked officer Ireland.
The supporting cast also shines; with Reed Hadley, Hugh O'Brian, King Donovan, and Wally Cassell tensely reacting to the dangers surrounding them.
Charles Marquis Warren guides LITTLE BIG HORN with strong, sure-handed direction. Warren exhibits a special liking for visual narrative rather than extended verbal communication. Consequently, close-ups of facial features expressing apprehensiveness, and concentration on natural objects that are present in the often shadowy western landscape abound while nature itself remains a calmly objective and impartial observer of human behavior. What a magnificent film noir this is- without an asphalt jungle but with a rocky western terrain!
Here it might be of interest to note that Charles Marquis Warren also made HELLGATE (1952), perhaps the darkest film this side of Murnau's NOSFERATU to appear in the lineup of Lippert westerns. HELLGATE (again phtographed by Ernest Miller) is not yet available on DVD; but let's hope it will show up soon, and give us a noir fix lasting at least a month.
RIMFIRE relates the story of an undercover agent in post-Civil War Texas who has problems staying alive while snooping around, looking for a stolen gold shipment in a town run by corrupt gamblers.
Well directed by B. Reeves Eason, this very obscure film benefits immensely from Ernest Miller's eerily atmospheric cinematography. But it is also the unusual script written by Frank Wisbar (together with Arthur St. Claire and producer Ron Ormond) that gives RIMFIRE much added strength and substance.
Wisbar had earlier directed STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP (1945), for which he wrote the screenplay based on his own original story. This intentionally out-of-focus, mist-drenched, and otherworldly B-horror film with a pronounced German Expressionist flavor, did actually enjoy a minor cult following and is still quite interesting today (available from Amazon). The reappearance of a man wrongly executed was the center of attention in Wisbar's STRANGLER. Interestingly, a variation on that theme found its way into RIMFIRE, helping to make it such a beautifully realized little western noir with a nice ghostly touch.
Also, James Millican; Mary Beth Hughes; Reed Hadley; and Henry Hull lend good acting talent to this film.
After almost 6 decades, both LITTLE BIG HORN and RIMFIRE hold up amazingly well today. VCI Video and Kit Parker Films deserve a standing ovation for letting us now own and enjoy these darkly stylized and engrossingly suspenseful horse opera noirs.
5 stars, unhesitatingly (10 even, had Amazon granted additional star space for this great double feature)!

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