Oscar®-winner* Gregory Peck (To Kill A Mockingbird) stars in this ?brilliantly cast? (The Hollywood Reporter) Western epic featuring ?an unusually fine story and magnificent direction ? unleashing dramatic power seldom found in this type of film!? (Daily Variety)
A band of outlaws, led by tough, gruff Stretch (Peck) find themselves knocking at death?s door after becoming lost in the treacherous western Badlands ? only to find their salvation in a lonesome town called Yellow Sky, where the only inhabitants are a doddering old man and his mysterious, alluring daughter. But their deliverance from danger is short-lived when the gang discovers a fateful secret hidden within the dusty, rotting walls of this ghost town ? one that will turn brother against brother in a desperate battle to the death!It seems no one has ever had an unkind word for Yellow Sky, yet somehow this handsome, hard-edged, and very well-made late-’40s Western remains little-known. That may change with its release on a DVD so crisp and luminous, one wants to swear off Technicolor and luxuriate in the frosty glow of its highlights, the velvet blackness of its shadows, and the electric silver-gray of its desert skies.
Story’s pretty good, too. Seven men led by Gregory Peck ride into a small Southwest town, wet their whistles at the saloon, then hold up the bank with a minimum of fuss. Escaping should be a cinch, except for a troop of cavalry who reduce their number to six and watch the survivors ride off into a desert they probably won’t live to cross. Unexpected salvation looms in the form of Yellow Sky, a ghost town where the bandits find water, an old man (James Barton) and his tomboy granddaughter (Anne Baxter)–and the tempting rumor of gold. That’s when the real trouble starts. The criminal partnership is severely strained by greed, several varieties of lust (for the girl as well as the treasure), the troublesome onset of conscience in some breasts and its total absence from others–notably Richard Widmark’s.
Yellow Sky re-teams director William A. Wellman and writer-producer Lamar Trotti, who five years earlier had made The Ox-Bow Incident, an authentic but rather pretentious Western classic. Yellow Sky‘s opening scene is all but lifted from Ox-Bow (along with two character actors), but this time around, Wellman eschews self-importance and just concentrates on spinning a gritty yarn (from a novel by W.R. Burnett). Apart from sequences shot in Death Valley, the principal location is Yellow Sky itself, a grand ruin set against the timeless backdrop of the Alabama Hills. And oh yes, the man responsible for those awesome whites, blacks, and silver-grays is Joe MacDonald, the cinematographer of My Darling Clementine. –Richard T. Jameson
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March 24, 2010
#1
With the talent involved in this film, I had high hopes. But there’s a reason why this western can’t be found on any “great westerns” or “classic westerns” list: it’s not very good. On the plus side, it has some excellent location work in and around Death Valley, some great photography and some striking imagery. The first 30 minutes are very good. But it goes downhill after that, with a story that falls into total predictability and ridiculousness. It’s hard to root for the outlaws, and we don’t see any redeeming qualities in Gregory Peck until far too late in the story. By then, it’s hard to care. There’s actually a scene where he explains to Anne Baxter and her grandfather that he’s actually a decent guy — this despite the fact that he’s robbed a bank, is willing to let one of his own men die of thirst, and plans to steal all of Baxter’s and her grandfather’s gold! Yeah, right! The final gunfight is poorly staged with no suspense, and the denouement is beyond ridiculous. There are dozens of fine westerns on DVD, but this isn’t one of them. Technically, the transfer is very good. For special features, there are some still galleries, trailers for other films, but no commentary.
March 24, 2010
#2
Yellow Sky is a great western and one of my top five (5) favorites. The
acting is excellent with Gregory Peck in the lead role, Richard Widmark, John
Russell, and Henry Morgan supporting, and Ann Baxter as the young female star. The
story is a good one too with plenty of action and suspense. I also delight in
the scene where Ann Baxter punches Gregory Peck in the face. I find only two
(2) faults with this film. One is when the film opens the title states “The
West 1867.” This may be but the guns are wrong for the date. The actors are
carrying 1873 Colt Peacemakers (prototypes were not even out until late 1871 and
early 1872, and either Winchester Model 1892′s (available in 1892) or 1894′s
(available in 1894). All westerns then and now should have had historians
assigned to the films to make sure dates and firearms are correct. Also there is a
scene in the film where Henry Morgan makes reference to Ann Baxter’s rifle as
that Buffalo Gun. This is also incorrect. Buffalo Guns were either large single
shot Sharps rifles or the large frame big caliber Marlin Model 1881 or
Winchester Model 1886. There may have been other models used as “Buffalo Guns” as
well but Ann Baxter in this film was carrying either a Winchester Model 1892
chambered for one of the pistol cartridges (38-40 or 44-40) or a model 1894 in one
of the smaller rifle cartridges such as 38-55, 32-40, 30-30, or 32 Special.
Other then these concerns as mentioned, this is a great western and for anyone
who loves really fine westerns films this is one to purchase and enjoy.
March 24, 2010
#3
***** 1948. Directed by William A. Wellman. 1867. A gang of bandits, led by Gregory Peck, must cross the desert in order to escape the army after their last hold-up. They finally arrive to a ghost town where they meet an old prospector and his granddaughter. After three or four screenings of YELLOW SKY during these last years, what striked me the most yesterday was the religious references scattered throughout the film by the screenwriter and the director. The crossing of the desert, numerous allusions to the seven deadly sins and Anne Baxter as the temptress are only a few clues you can find in this remarkable film. This is also Richard Widmark’s fourth movie and his first western; four parts, four incarnations of bad guys that stay in our memory. Masterpiece.
March 24, 2010
#4
Gregory Peck was cast against type for his role in Yellow Sky. His character, Stretch, is the leader of a gang of outlaws. It’s a gang of seven & they rob a bank in a small Western town getting away with about $6,000. As they’re making their escape a cavalry patrol (don’t know where they came from) gets in the chase. One outlaw is killed. They’re forced to escape across a salt flat that’s about 60 miles across. The cavalry patrol decides not to chase them. As Stretch & his band of outlaws trek across the salt flat one outlaw loses his horse. They finally get across the salt flat & stumble upon a ghost town by the name of Yellow Sky (“The fastest growing town in the territory” a sign proclaims). The only inhabitants of the town are an old man & his daughter. To make this short, they have been prospecting for gold & have about &50,000 worth. Of course, the outlaws want it.
Gregory Peck is good in the role of Stretch. Unlike most of Peck’s portrayals that are urbane & suave, in Yellow Sky he has a beard & he’s dirty. Anne Baxter portrays Mike, the granddaughter, & says Stretch smells bad, worse than an Apache. Other members of the gang include Richard Widmark as Dude, a gambler who wants only one thing: the gold. Dude causes an insurrection within the gang against Stretch. The gang wants the gold but Stretch is more worried about making an escape. John Russell (star of ABC’s The Lawman in the late fifties) is a member of the gang also. It’s a good role for him also sporting a beard. All he really wants is the woman. The only other member of the gang the general public will be familiar with would be Harry Morgan (Col. Potter of M*A*S*H) as Half-Pint. His role is minor & he also sports a beard.
This isn’t a bad movie. It was filmed mostly in Death Valley. Unlike most Hollywood Westerns of this era (1948) it’s stark, bleak & dirty. This isn’t a romanticized account though the character of Stretch does have a change of heart & direction by the conclusion of the story. The other odd thing about the movie is the lack of a musical soundtrack. Only the beginning & conclusion of the film do we hear any music. This isn’t a bad movie but it’s not an outstanding one, either. The main attractions are Anne Baxter in an early role & Peck’s casting against type. Yellow Sky is the type of movie, if it had been made in the seventies or later, would’ve really been a gritty & filthy portrayal of realism. The near rape scene of Anne Baxter’s character would’ve been considerably more graphic. It’s unfortunate, at times, that today’s movie makers don’t allow us to use our imaginations more instead of the graphic violence & sex scenes that they show us.
March 24, 2010
#5
Gregory Peck was a marvelous actor, one of my alltime favorites. I had seen this movie many years ago and remembered loving it. I waited for years and years for it to come out on DVD and when it did, I bought it that day.
Sadly, it was not as terrific as my aging memory wanted it to be. There are some very good moments in the film but it doesn’t really hold together all that well. The black and white photography is lovely in spots. Anne Baxter is ravishing as a six-gun-toting miner’s daughter. Richard Widmark gives one of his less-grating performances (that’s a compliment).
Overall, it’s not one I’ll watch over and over.