Product Description

Two friends return home after their discharge from the army after the civil war. However one of them has had deep-rooted psychological damage due to his experiences during the war and as his behavior becomes more erratic--and violent--his friend desperately tries to find a way to help him. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 07/25/2006 Starring: Glenn Ford William Holden Run time: 98 minutes Rating: Nr

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38491 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2004-06-08
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Japanese
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 100 minutes

Customer Reviews

Great Psychological Western With Ford and Holden
The late forties saw an interesting subgenre of the Western appear-the psychological Western, which emphasized characters' thoughts and emotions as much, if not more, than action.

The Man From Colorado is one such psychological Western, and is a very good film made even better by its two stars, Glenn Ford and William Holden. Ford and Holden play men who soldier together during the Civil War, and come back to a home town struggling with lawlessness. Holden becomes a marshal, but Ford becomes the town judge. Unfortunately, Ford is suffering from what would now be called post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition gaining attention during the time that this film was made due to the prevalence of World War II soldiers who were diagnosed with this condition. Ford, who had been losing his grip on reality toward the end of the war, now loses it fully under the weight of his responsibilities, putting him on a collision course with his former friend Holden.

The Man From Colorado is a very good film with a subject that still resonates today - how does one learn to put wartime experiences in perspective and lead a normal life?

Unconventional Western
Henry Levin's post-Civil War western, shot in Techincolor, features real-life best friends Glenn Ford and William Holden (both RIP) as former Union officers who find themselves on opposite sides after Owen Devereaux (Ford) becomes town judge, and who begins to abuse his power to punish anyone who opposes him. Del Stewart (Holden) is made town marshal but he sees that his friend is slipping more and more into insanity (which today would be referred to as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), brought on by his experiences during the war. Enemy lines are drawn more strongly as Devereaux marries Carolyn (Ellen Drew), with whom Stewart is also in love. As Owen's mind deteriorates and his madness intensifies, the town is thrown into a uproar and his sadistic, murderous tendencies only grow. Of course, there has to be a showdown that only one man can win.

Ford's son has referred to this film as "an oddball production", perhaps because it was a rarity of the time, a psychological western. As Ford served in WW2, he had many of his own experiences to draw from; as offbeat of a role this is for him (similar to his Don Jose in "The Loves Of Carmen" of the same year, he sports the same longer hairstyle, but the gray on his temples here doesn't quite give the distinguished effect that was intended), he portrays a tortured, jealous man quite well, never more evident in the scenes paranoia sets in, thinking that his wife loves Del and not him. Ellen Drew is effective in her role, although I find her much easier to believe as Holden's love interest, but after seeing Ford with Rita Hayworth, the chemistry would be hard to compare. Different but compellingly watchable, and interesting to see these lifelong friends on screen together for the second and last time (they previously costarred in "Texas", in 1941), in another worthy addition to the Columbia Classics collection. With the recent passing of Glenn Ford, this is another film that adds richness and variety to his legacy.

Good, but...
Being particularly partial to both Holden and Ford since the early 1940's I might have been influenced by that background in giving this 4 stars. There was nothing wrong with the acting, but I really had a problem with Ford's make-up! He began with a slightly grayish color which became increasingly grayer and darker before the film ended. I assume that it was to exaggerate the whites of his eyes when he opened them widely to portray the extent of his mental illness by the film's end. They should have left that to his usual sensitive acting. Also, I think that the main theme (what happens to some men who fight wars) was short-changed in order to bring in too many other story lines. I would have thought that, being so soon after World War II (1949), the director would have been more sensitive to that aspect of the story. Otherwise, a good, unusual western worth seeing for anyone attuned to that genre and either or both of those excellent actors.