The remarkable thing about this little-known Western is that it shows, in eye-opening detail, what hardships pioneers endured crossing thousands of miles of wilderness. And the reason it is so honest is that hardships of the trail are the whole point.
Robert Taylor is hired to drive a wagon train of potential brides--an interesting band of resolute widows, immigrants, and prostitutes, some quite familiar with guns-- to a newly formed community of farmers. At first he refuses, claiming women cannot withstand the demands of the weeks on the trail with only a few male escorts. And therefore the film presents those hardships.
At no point does the movie become predictable. Any of them could perish; several do. There's a rape scene, a murder, a flash flood, a runaway wagon, etc. You begin to hope for each woman's survival. Especially moving are the Italian woman and her young son, the unwed pregnant girl, the big-mama type (fabulous Hope Emerson), and Taylor's Chinese sidekick (their drunk scene is a treat). This is a movie that will change your view of Pacific-bound pioneers forever, especially of pioneer women.
Robert Taylor is hired to drive a wagon train of potential brides--an interesting band of resolute widows, immigrants, and prostitutes, some quite familiar with guns-- to a newly formed community of farmers. At first he refuses, claiming women cannot withstand the demands of the weeks on the trail with only a few male escorts. And therefore the film presents those hardships.
At no point does the movie become predictable. Any of them could perish; several do. There's a rape scene, a murder, a flash flood, a runaway wagon, etc. You begin to hope for each woman's survival. Especially moving are the Italian woman and her young son, the unwed pregnant girl, the big-mama type (fabulous Hope Emerson), and Taylor's Chinese sidekick (their drunk scene is a treat). This is a movie that will change your view of Pacific-bound pioneers forever, especially of pioneer women.