The first thing that jumps to mind upon seeing this film (the color version, which, to my good fortune, was also in High Definition) is that it is beautiful. The cinematography is absolutely sparkling, with scenes such as the iconic Railways Launch or the one where Zee approaches a cave to meet Jesse stuck in memory despite the film coming from 80 years ago. The night photography is also brilliant, and the scenes where the Gang meets (in shacks lit by a dim light, musty and suspended in shadows) boast of a brilliant man behind the camera.
The plot is superb - I'm not sure about historical accuracy, but as the film weaves through a conclusion, then a new beginning, then another conclusion, and a new beginning, and then *the* conclusion, the plot holds it tightly together, without making it drag at any point in time. The writing is brilliant, with the dialogue shining in every scene - special props for the dialogue of the senile Major (the Uncle) who enjoys ranting, and whose rants we enjoy in turn.
The acting is first-class, as is the characterization - Frank is a standout, being masterfully portrayed by a slick, suave Henry Fonda, and his lines and actions are the most understated in this film. Tyrone Power plays Jesse with a beautiful firmness, portraying both his unthinking ruthlessness (without descending into Nicolas Cage-ish histrionics) and his conflicted desires with painful accuracy. Finally, Nancy Kelly (who looks incredible here) plays Zee with pathos (her anguish when her son is born) and with just the right amount of spunk, so as to not look like a stereotypical "strong female character". All the other actors deserve equal mention, but let me summarize - the performances in this film are brilliant.
In addition, let me state that there cannot be any spoilers as to the ending of this film - in fact, knowledge of how it ends made the penultimate scene take me as close to nail-biting as I've ever gotten, and every moment it was tension, tension, tension - superb!
To put it short, this is one heck of a film, and not just that - it's one of the doggonedest, gawl-dingedest, dad-blamedest films I've seen in a long time.
The plot is superb - I'm not sure about historical accuracy, but as the film weaves through a conclusion, then a new beginning, then another conclusion, and a new beginning, and then *the* conclusion, the plot holds it tightly together, without making it drag at any point in time. The writing is brilliant, with the dialogue shining in every scene - special props for the dialogue of the senile Major (the Uncle) who enjoys ranting, and whose rants we enjoy in turn.
The acting is first-class, as is the characterization - Frank is a standout, being masterfully portrayed by a slick, suave Henry Fonda, and his lines and actions are the most understated in this film. Tyrone Power plays Jesse with a beautiful firmness, portraying both his unthinking ruthlessness (without descending into Nicolas Cage-ish histrionics) and his conflicted desires with painful accuracy. Finally, Nancy Kelly (who looks incredible here) plays Zee with pathos (her anguish when her son is born) and with just the right amount of spunk, so as to not look like a stereotypical "strong female character". All the other actors deserve equal mention, but let me summarize - the performances in this film are brilliant.
In addition, let me state that there cannot be any spoilers as to the ending of this film - in fact, knowledge of how it ends made the penultimate scene take me as close to nail-biting as I've ever gotten, and every moment it was tension, tension, tension - superb!
To put it short, this is one heck of a film, and not just that - it's one of the doggonedest, gawl-dingedest, dad-blamedest films I've seen in a long time.