It’s always thrilling when one stumbles across a previously unheralded film that proves itself a gem. Such is the case with Alfred Werker’s Rebel in Town. It’s an unassuming antebellum western drama with real heart and a compelling emotional complexity that’s rare for a small scale independent movie from the 1950s. Topped off with a handful of excellent performances from some Hollywood veterans, Rebel in Town is a film a lot more people should become familiar with.
Rebel in Town (MGM MOD)
Directed by Alfred Werker
Studio: MGM/UA
Year: 1956
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Running Time: 78 minutes
Rating: NR
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 mono English
Subtitles: none
MSRP: $19.99
Release Date: available now
Review Date: October 3, 2011
The Film
4/5
After the Civil War, the Mason clan has lost everything fighting for the losing side. They move West and begin robbing banks to make a living. Entering a town where they’re being eyed suspiciously because they’re still wearing their Confederate uniforms, Wes Mason (John Smith) shoots and kills young Petey Willoughby (Bobby Clark) who had sneaked up behind him and fired cap pistols at him. The family flees the town, but youngest son Gray (Ben Cooper) wants to return to the town to find out about the boy’s health and explain to the authorities what had actually happened. The other family members vote his idea down including father Bedloe (J. Carrol Naish). Gray is adamant, however, but while attempting to leave during the night, guilty son Wes throws a knife in his back and ties Gray to his horse to let him wander off and die. He’s rescued, ironically enough, by John Willoughby (John Payne), father of the murdered boy, who takes him back to his house where he and his wife Nora (Ruth Roman) nurse him back to health. Gray isn’t sure how much to tell John about his identity, and things are made more complicated since Nora was present when Petey was accidentally shot and knows Gray didn’t do it, but together they decide to keep quiet about the identity of the killer and let Gray handle it his way.
Danny Arnold’s original story and screenplay may seem like familiar domestic drama on the surface, but these difficult psychological conundrums many of the character face bring to mind some of the same complex character constructions found in classics like High Noon and Shane. The Mason family and the Willoughby family, unlike in many ways but individually bound together by mutual respect and paterfamilias dominion, are both fascinating groups, and Arnold gives each family a certain amount of screen time to establish for the audience their own ways of existing and their own belief systems. J. Carrol Naish’s Bedloe is not the cardboard cutout dominating father who sees no evil in his sons no matter their crimes. And Ruth Roman’s Nora is not just the obedient wife who stands idly by and lets her man make headstrong mistakes without speaking her mind. Arnold writes riveting scenes for both of these non-stock characters in which their real worth as individuals comes to the fore, the kind of intelligent writing one simply doesn’t expect in a low budget film such as this one. Alfred Werker’s direction is always workmanlike and sometimes, as in the staging and shooting of the heartbreaking killing of the child or in a lynch mob sequence near the film’s conclusion, a great deal more than that. There is some contrived writing and staging of the climactic fight between three of the film’s characters which betrays much of the intelligence which has gone before, but it’s only a small slip in a film that’s got so much going for it in terms of plotting and characterization.
John Payne’s strong, aggressive performance as John Willoughby is a career high for him, and he shows the character’s growth from a need for pure vengeance to a man seeking proper justice. Ruth Roman has never been as good as she is here. Usually a fairly colorless actress, Roman’s final speech to her husband where she lays her cards figuratively on the table finds her at a career zenith. Ben Cooper is wonderfully appealing as the Mason son who’s out for truth and justice even if his southern accent slips from time to time. J. Carrol Naish gives his character’s painstakingly slow thought processes room to breathe in a wonderfully etched portrayal of a proud man who operates within his own code of conduct. John Smith’s weak, cowardly Wes at least makes the clichés of his character interesting to watch unfold. James Griffith has some effective moments as the town marshal. Ben Johnson plays the eldest Mason son Frank with his typical no-nonsense authority.
Video Quality
4/5
The film is presented in a open matte presentation of 1.33:1 with way too much headroom, but some simple zooming seems to prove that the film plays just fine in either 1.75:1 or 1.85:1. (The opening credits are windowboxed.) The transfer offers very good sharpness with only a stray scratch or bit of dust here and there. There are no other signs of age-related artifacts. Contrast has been well delivered offering a crisp grayscale with good white levels and black levels which vary from average to good with only occasionally crushed details in the shadows. The film has been divided into 8 chapters.
Audio Quality
3.5/5
The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono soundtrack is decoded by Dolby Prologic into the center channel. Very much a sound mix of its era, the well-recorded dialogue, the sound effects (which include some impressive swirling wind effects), and Les Baxter’s music all blend together nicely. There is some soft hiss and a little light crackle which make themselves known during the film’s quieter moments, but for most of the running time, those artifacts are not really noticeable.
Special Features
0/5
There are no bonus features offered on this made-on-demand disc.
In Conclusion
4/5 (not an average)
Do yourself a favor and check out Rebel in Town. It may not have the reputation of some of the other classic westerns of the 1950s, but in many ways it’s their equal, and the production and acting are surprisingly better than one might reasonably expect. Recommended!
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
