Ride the Pink Horse Blu-ray Review
The script by award-winning screenwriters Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer based on the noir tome by Dorothy B. Hughes lightens the mood considerably from the heavy book with its especially bitter antihero and truly despicable villains, aided by star Robert Montgomery’s fluid and sometimes fanciful direction. Montgomery captures well the local color of this Mexican border town (even though it was shot on the Universal backlot) by staging the local festival with its giddy parade, all in contrast to the murky maneuverings of the wealthy but rotten Hugo and his lethal henchmen who include, as all good noirs must, the requisite femme fatale, this time played by Andrea King. There’s also strong contrast established between the mercenary Americans and the more solid, more trustworthy natives like Pancho and Pila who aren’t interested in money as much as living in peace and contentment. The scenes involving the carousel which furnishes both the book and the film their titles (representing alternately the innocence of youthful larks and later Lucky’s salvation) are also beautifully directed by Montgomery. The film’s last quarter hour in which the injured and possibly dying protagonist reenacts in mime his initial scenes in the movie as the villains go in for the kill keeps viewers on tenterhooks with its carefully modulated suspense, and the unpredictable ending which doesn’t go for a traditional final clinch gives the movie its own unique signature.
Brusque and often insulting in the early going, Lucky Gagin as played by Robert Montgomery goes through a gradual transformation as the film runs, learning as he does the true worth of the earthy, penniless peasants whom he had rather casually looked down on previously. In the latter half of his acting career, this kind of tough guy character became a specialty of Montgomery’s, and he’s aces as both the film’s star and director. Wanda Hendrix as the innocent but overseeing Pila offers a very appealing performance of a character with much more courage than one might expect she possesses. Thomas Gomez is likewise engaging and admirable as the loyal Pancho, willing to take a beating to save his newfound friend. Fred Clark as the oily, self-involved villain Hugo does some of the best work of his career in a juicy part in which a fancy hearing aid plays a major role in establishing his character. Andrea King is a great femme fatale, mainly because her true aims are never as readily apparent as they seem, and even though Lucky is wise to her potential danger, he nevertheless falls into one of her man traps. Art Smith does a great job underplaying F.B.I. agent Retz, the man who if Lucky had heeded his initial warnings could have made for a short subject noir instead of a feature film (one of the film’s climactic ironies).
In Lonely Places (19:58, HD): in a 2014 interview, noir historian Imogen Sara Smith offers her views of the noir film movement (she doesn’t consider it a genre) and differentiates between urban noirs and non-urban ones (which Ride the Pink Horse falls into).
Lux Radio Theater (59:32): a late 1947 radio adaptation of the movie featuring the film’s stars Robert Montgomery, Wanda Hendrix, and Thomas Gomez.
Fold-out Pamphlet: offers some black and white stills from the movie, the cast and crew list, information on the film’s transfer, and an entertaining analysis of the movie by filmmaker and writer Michael Almereyda.
Timeline: can be pulled up from the menu or by pushing the red button on the remote. It shows you your progress on the disc, the title of the chapter you’re now in, and index markers for the commentary that goes along with the film, all of which can be switched on the fly. Additionally, two other buttons on the remote can place or remove bookmarks if you decide to stop viewing before reaching the end of the film or want to mark specific places for later reference.
One of the lesser known film noirs set not in an urban cesspool but in a New Mexican village at festival time, Robert Montgomery’s Ride the Pink Horse is one of the more under-heralded movies of its era. A tale of revenge and redemption that moves with a steady pace while twisting the viewer in knots over its outcome, Ride the Pink Horse deserves to be much more seen and celebrated. Perhaps Criterion’s sparkling new Blu-ray release will accomplish that purpose.
Studio: Criterion
Distributed By: N/A
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English PCM 1.0 (Mono)
Subtitles: English SDH
Rating: Not Rated
Run Time: 1 Hr. 41 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray
keep caseDisc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: A
Release Date: 03/17/2015
MSRP: $39.95
The Production Rating: 4.5/5
The script by award-winning screenwriters Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer based on the noir tome by Dorothy B. Hughes lightens the mood considerably from the heavy book with its especially bitter antihero and truly despicable villains, aided by star Robert Montgomery’s fluid and sometimes fanciful direction. Montgomery captures well the local color of this Mexican border town (even though it was shot on the Universal backlot) by staging the local festival with its giddy parade, all in contrast to the murky maneuverings of the wealthy but rotten Hugo and his lethal henchmen who include, as all good noirs must, the requisite femme fatale, this time played by Andrea King. There’s also strong contrast established between the mercenary Americans and the more solid, more trustworthy natives like Pancho and Pila who aren’t interested in money as much as living in peace and contentment. The scenes involving the carousel which furnishes both the book and the film their titles (representing alternately the innocence of youthful larks and later Lucky’s salvation) are also beautifully directed by Montgomery. The film’s last quarter hour in which the injured and possibly dying protagonist reenacts in mime his initial scenes in the movie as the villains go in for the kill keeps viewers on tenterhooks with its carefully modulated suspense, and the unpredictable ending which doesn’t go for a traditional final clinch gives the movie its own unique signature.
Brusque and often insulting in the early going, Lucky Gagin as played by Robert Montgomery goes through a gradual transformation as the film runs, learning as he does the true worth of the earthy, penniless peasants whom he had rather casually looked down on previously. In the latter half of his acting career, this kind of tough guy character became a specialty of Montgomery’s, and he’s aces as both the film’s star and director. Wanda Hendrix as the innocent but overseeing Pila offers a very appealing performance of a character with much more courage than one might expect she possesses. Thomas Gomez is likewise engaging and admirable as the loyal Pancho, willing to take a beating to save his newfound friend. Fred Clark as the oily, self-involved villain Hugo does some of the best work of his career in a juicy part in which a fancy hearing aid plays a major role in establishing his character. Andrea King is a great femme fatale, mainly because her true aims are never as readily apparent as they seem, and even though Lucky is wise to her potential danger, he nevertheless falls into one of her man traps. Art Smith does a great job underplaying F.B.I. agent Retz, the man who if Lucky had heeded his initial warnings could have made for a short subject noir instead of a feature film (one of the film’s climactic ironies).
Video Rating: 5/5 3D Rating: NA
Audio Rating: 4/5
Special Features Rating: 3.5/5
In Lonely Places (19:58, HD): in a 2014 interview, noir historian Imogen Sara Smith offers her views of the noir film movement (she doesn’t consider it a genre) and differentiates between urban noirs and non-urban ones (which Ride the Pink Horse falls into).
Lux Radio Theater (59:32): a late 1947 radio adaptation of the movie featuring the film’s stars Robert Montgomery, Wanda Hendrix, and Thomas Gomez.
Fold-out Pamphlet: offers some black and white stills from the movie, the cast and crew list, information on the film’s transfer, and an entertaining analysis of the movie by filmmaker and writer Michael Almereyda.
Timeline: can be pulled up from the menu or by pushing the red button on the remote. It shows you your progress on the disc, the title of the chapter you’re now in, and index markers for the commentary that goes along with the film, all of which can be switched on the fly. Additionally, two other buttons on the remote can place or remove bookmarks if you decide to stop viewing before reaching the end of the film or want to mark specific places for later reference.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewed By: Matt Hough
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