Rancho Notorious

A strangely humorous film, although I can't say if that was Lang's intention. In this film Marlene Dietrich (Altar Keane)is playing her classic feme fetal role. Also, with a name like Altar Keane I don't know if it was intentional on the part of Fritz Lang to give her a name that has a hidden meaning, for example an altar is a place were you take sacrifices, this is precisely what Altar Keane expected from her outlaws. These men, if they expected to hide out at Rancho Notorious had to give up 10% of their loot. Madness, vengence and obsession unhinge the narrative but also drive it forward, its as if the story is the double of an interior state of mindand the creation of an obsession. The film tells a story of a legend, a legend already written, the characters are caught in a fate determined in advance by a legend that is the story of their fate, of the unavoidable turns of the wheel of fortune, the 'chuck-a-luck' of the opening ballad.

The third and last Western by Fritz Lang, Rancho Notorious is a weird, distinctive, film-noir infused Oater containing familiar Fritz Lang themes. Adapted by Daniel Taradash from an original story by Silvia Richards, the story follows Arthur Kennedy's frontiersman Vern Haskell as he trawls the West in search of the culprit responsible for the rape and murder of his fiancée. He winds up at a place known as Chuck-a-Luck, a ranch and front for a criminal hideout that is run by smouldering chanteuse Altar Keane {Marlene Dietrich}. Posing as a criminal himself, Haskell hooks up with gunslinger Frenchy Fairmont {Mel Ferrer} and infiltrates the unsavoury mob behind the scenes of the Chuck-a-Luck. But problems arise as both Haskell and Frenchy vie for the attentions of Altar and slowly but surely, as Haskell gets closer to his target, it's evident that he is so torn and twisted by revenge he's become as bad as the villains he now aims to bring down.

Reference Fritz Lang, love, betrayal and retribution, cloak them in a decidedly feminist sheen and what you get is Rancho Notorious. That the film is an oddity is something of an understatement, yet it works in a very unique sort of way. The film opens with one of the most god awful title songs used in Westerns, "Legend of Chuck-A-Luck" song by Bill Lee, from then the tune is used at points of reference in the narrative. It seems like a joke song, hell it sounds like a joke song, but within the first quarter of the film a pretty young lady is raped and murdered, Haskell is informed that she "wasn't spared anything," this is completely at odds with the tone that had been set at that time. The Technicolour photography provided by Hal Mohr has a garish sheen to it, this too gives the film a confused feel, most likely the intention there is to convey a sense of gloom as Haskell's bile starts to rise. And then the first sight of Dietrich, astride a man, riding him like a horse in some bizarre barroom contest. All of which points to Lang perhaps being over audacious with his intentions. But he wasn't, and to stay with the film brings many rewards as he revels in the tale of inner turmoil. This ultimately becomes a perfect companion piece to Lang's brilliant film noir the following year, The Big Heat. The similarities between the lead male protagonist and the femme fatale are impossible to cast aside as being mere coincidence. Rest assured Lang was at home with these themes, and cinema fans are the better for it.

It was a troubled production tho, one that belies the quality of the final product. Studio head Howard Hughes kept interfering {nothing new there of course}, even taking away control of the editing from the increasingly infuriated Lang. While the relationship between the fiery director and Dietrich broke down to such an extent they stopped talking to each other by the end of the film. Dietrich was troubled by her age at this time, often begging Mohr to work miracles with his photography to convey a more youthful look for the once "Babe of Berlin". Yet she need not of worried for her real life concerns dovetail with that of her character, which in turn gives the film a revelatory performance. With Dietrich backed up by the similarity excellent Kennedy, Rancho Notorious has much class to go with its odd and visionary touches. A different sort of Western to be sure, but most definitely a Fritz Lang baby, this deserves the classic status that is now afforded it. 8/10

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Mostly studio bound due to a restricted Howard Hughes budget. On set arguments between director Fritz Lang and star Marlene Dietrich, who wanted to retain the eternal elixir of youth through lighting. Saddled with one of the most awful central motif ballads of any film, which reminds you constantly that this is a story about 'hate, murder and revenge'. Starring a lead actor in Mel Ferrer who had never made a western in his life, and never would again. This film, which is not the most uplifting ever made, is one that sounds like it was deliberately made to crash and burn in "The Producers" tradition. Instead it takes it's place in the hall of great westerns. Prior to this Lang had made "The Return of Frank James" and "Western Union" back to back in 1940. The first was no doubt studio driven after the great success of Henry King's "Jesse James" the year before, whilst "Western Union" is a rather bland epic. Both those films feature outlaws who want to go straight, whilst this film features a hero who goes outlaw in his quest for revenge. Neither film indicates that Lang had the more expressionistic "Rancho Notorious" in him.

The story concerns Arthur Kennedy as cowboy Vern Haskell whose fiancee is killed in a robbery. Lang makes it very clear what else happened to her during the robbery. Violence was not a subject he shied away from, most notably when Lee Marvin throws scalding water in the face of Gloria Graham in the noir classic "The Big Heat". Haskell changes from happy go lucky cowboy into a sort of Captain Ahab consumed with revenge and searching the western ocean in pursuit of his own white whale. The killer goes to ground at the outlaw hideout Chuck-a-Luck, presided over by the wonderfully named Altar Keane played by Dietrich. She takes ten per cent of their loot in return for a safe sanctuary. Haskell eventually infiltrates them through a friendship with ultra cool gunslinger Frenchy Fairmont, played by Mel Ferrer. When Haskell and Altar are seemingly drawn toward each other, Frenchy is none to pleased. Haskell's burning desire for revenge threatens to consume him and all those around him. We head to a more traditional climax.

Lang is perhaps most famously remembered for the silent epic "Metropolis", and "M" which is often cited as being the precursor of film noir. This film certainly contains elements of film noir, most notably in it's use of flashbacks to build a structured historical background for some of the characters. It also incorporates darker shades to the simple revenge western. Here we have a character who resembles Oscar Wilde's "picture of Dorian Grey". To the outside world he is just another handsome young cowboy, or outlaw as the case may be, but inside he is twisted and ravaged by the fanatical desire for vengeance. Forgiveness is sadly not an option for Vern, and so he takes the path toward self destruction. Kennedy was a terrific actor who was an excellent foil to Jimmy Stewart in the Anthony Mann westerns, where he played a very similar character. Dietrich just smoulders away as usual and even gives us a huskily rendered song that would have kept the boys in the back room entertained. Mel Ferrer is bizarrely cast, but gets away with it in the offbeat context of the film. Jack Elam also manages to get his famously ugly mug in the film as yet another western bad guy. A mention should be made of the good script written by Daniel Taradash, who also wrote the screenplay for the blockbuster "From Here To Eternity". On one occasion Frenchy describes hanging to some quaking prisoners as being "quiet as eating a banana". Did they have bananas then? Who cares, with such an amusing description. The only films I can really compare it with are Nicholas Ray's "Johnny Guitar" and Sam Fuller's "Forty Guns", which also provide the same deliriously oddball entertainment. I don't believe that Rancho quite reaches the dizzy heights of "Johnny Guitar", but it is an extremely good western. This is a basic DVD with no extras. The picture quality was fine, but nothing to write home about. Essential viewing for the western buff.