Randolph Scott had been an actor for quite some time before he finally hit his stride in Westerns in the 1950s. Up until then, he'd been in a wide variety of films and had a successful but especially distinguished career. But, in the 50s, he went on to make some classic Westerns that today are seen as some of the finest examples of the genre. Well, at least SOME of the films he made in the 50s became classics--CARIBOO TRAIL has very little to recommend it, though it is a watchable time-passer.
When the film was shown last night on Turner Classic Movies, Robert Osborne proudly announced that TCM had finally been able to locate the original color copy of this film. For years, they had thought that the black & white copy was all that remained. Well, I wasn't that impressed even with the color because the film was badly faded and had a gray appearance. All of the vibrance of the original print was gone and the film just looked rather muddy.
As for the script, aside from being set in Canada, it's virtually indistinguishable from dozens and dozens of other Westerns. As usual, Scott and his friends blow into town and find that there's a "boss" (Victor Jory) who cheats and steals with the help of his gang--though it's all cloaked in an aura of respectability. And, in another rather familiar cliché, Scott and his partner have a falling out and only at the end do they come back together to defeat the forces of badness. It's all very, very by the books and even the addition of Gabby Hayes and Lee Tung Foo for support didn't do enough to elevate this film beyond the ordinary.
Pedestrian direction, script and too many predictable story elements sink this film and make it a big disappointment for Randolph Scott fans.
When the film was shown last night on Turner Classic Movies, Robert Osborne proudly announced that TCM had finally been able to locate the original color copy of this film. For years, they had thought that the black & white copy was all that remained. Well, I wasn't that impressed even with the color because the film was badly faded and had a gray appearance. All of the vibrance of the original print was gone and the film just looked rather muddy.
As for the script, aside from being set in Canada, it's virtually indistinguishable from dozens and dozens of other Westerns. As usual, Scott and his friends blow into town and find that there's a "boss" (Victor Jory) who cheats and steals with the help of his gang--though it's all cloaked in an aura of respectability. And, in another rather familiar cliché, Scott and his partner have a falling out and only at the end do they come back together to defeat the forces of badness. It's all very, very by the books and even the addition of Gabby Hayes and Lee Tung Foo for support didn't do enough to elevate this film beyond the ordinary.
Pedestrian direction, script and too many predictable story elements sink this film and make it a big disappointment for Randolph Scott fans.