DVD Review: Day of the Outlaw (1959)
Kino Lorber has released Andre de Toth's bleak tension-filled western drama "Day of the Outlaw." And after 60 years, the film has lost none of its emotional impact.
The slightest research on the film's backstory will indicate the myriad of problems faced during the filming. From the director's personal issues causing last minute changes that disrupted the flow of filmmaking, to elements causing delays in location filming, and finally a low budget that limited the movie's scope, the challenges seemed insurmountable. But the film did get made, and it is quite brilliant.
Burl Ives plays the despicably evil Jack Bruhn, on the run with his gang after robbing. bank. They end up in a western Wyoming town and hold the citizens hostage. There is sexual tension between Blaise Starrett (Robert Ryan) and Helen (Tina Louise), the wife of a farmer (Alan Marshall) with whom Starrett is feuding. Starrett must calculate a way to solve his own problem and also save the town. Meanwhile, Bruhn is wounded and may die of his injury, despite the care of a doctor. And although he is mean and ruthless, he is keeping his gang from drinking, fighting, and accosting women. If he should die, his authority would be gone. The tension is palpable.
The film is shot in black and white, not particularly unusual for 1959 ("Anatomy of a Murder," "Career," "Shaggy Dog," "Some Like it Hot") but westerns and outdoor sagas were usually in color by this time. Director de Toth made the decision to shoot in black and white and add to the bleakness of the visuals, set in a desolate, snow-covered area punctuated by whistling winds and stillness in the background. The wide screen shots are often from enough of a distance so as to best use the negative space. The way de Toth places his people in the foreground and background offers a keen visual balance that helps add to the tension.
Burl Ives is outstanding in his role, reminding us that his dramatic acting prowess was first rate, whether he played a villain or a hero. For those of us who grew up with his happy children's songs of the 1960s, continuing to learn about his talents in this area is impressive. Robert Ryan is the narrative anchor, showing strength of character despite his own personal conflict. And, Tina Louise, best known for her role as Ginger on TV's "Gilligan's Island," offers a creative dramatic turn, reminding us that she is an actress, not a castaway.
The actors cast as Bruhn's gang offer jittery, frightening characters that are held in check by their leader, but ready to explode. A fight scene between Robert Ryan and Jack Lambert is well staged and shot, de Toth switching to long shots so far back that we can't always make out the action, which is surrounded by bleak negative space, then cutting to closeups where every punch can be vicariously felt by the viewer. The cast is filled out with familiar faces like Nehemiah Persoff, Lance Fuller, Dabbs Greet, Elisha Cook jr, Venetia Stevenson, and, in a very impressive dramatic performance, David Nelson (of TV's famed Nelson family).
Phillip Yordan wrote the screenplay based on the novel by Lee Wells. Yordan had written such classic western screenplays as "Johnny Guitar," "Broken Lance," "The Man From Laramie," and "The Bravados," among others. His sense of drama can be found in the non-western screenplays "The Harder They Fall," "God's Little Acre," and "Detective Story." This is one of his best screenplay adaptions.
Kino Lorber's blu ray is a real beauty, with the blacks, whites, and grays sharp and clear. The most notable special feature is optional audio commentary by film historian, author, and filmmaker Jeremy Arnold, which is informative and interesting.
This highly recommended home video release can be ordered at this link: Day of the Outlaw.