Errol Flynn is totally ruthless in Silver River. His usual twinkling charm is kept under lock and key while he pursues his relentless ambition in a Nevada mining town.
Silver River is one of the few Flynn movies of which I had never seen even a snippet. It plays like a 30s syndicate drama dressed up as a western and that's OK. It has a dark intensity that we rarely got in Errol Flynn movies. As usual, he's entirely up to the task. What a shame he wasn't allowed to appear in grittier fare more often.
Ann Sheridan portrays her character in Act 1 like she's, ahem, Helen Hunt. Her beauty is so buttoned up in those men's clothes I wondered how Flynn's character could be distracted by her. But I suppose the point was to emphasize he always chased harder after the unattainable. She's more relatable after she relents. Her performance at the dinner party is exemplary.
Thomas Mitchell knocks it out of the park as the voice of conscience. His performance here is as good as when he won the Oscar for Only Angels Have Wings. Tom D'Andrea excels as the sidekick/comic relief/excuse for exposition, bringing the goods while avoiding the buffoonery.
On the downbeat, Max Steiner's score was overblown, as usual. Did he - or more likely his intern - submit a score for Ben-Hur? This movie needed a much more subdued and reflective score. Steiner was a repetitive hack and a musical thief. I'm shocked how many people sing his praises on these threads.
Also, the wrong character paid the price in the end, but this is B&W Hollywood. Dark endings not allowed.
Silver River is one of the few Flynn movies of which I had never seen even a snippet. It plays like a 30s syndicate drama dressed up as a western and that's OK. It has a dark intensity that we rarely got in Errol Flynn movies. As usual, he's entirely up to the task. What a shame he wasn't allowed to appear in grittier fare more often.
Ann Sheridan portrays her character in Act 1 like she's, ahem, Helen Hunt. Her beauty is so buttoned up in those men's clothes I wondered how Flynn's character could be distracted by her. But I suppose the point was to emphasize he always chased harder after the unattainable. She's more relatable after she relents. Her performance at the dinner party is exemplary.
Thomas Mitchell knocks it out of the park as the voice of conscience. His performance here is as good as when he won the Oscar for Only Angels Have Wings. Tom D'Andrea excels as the sidekick/comic relief/excuse for exposition, bringing the goods while avoiding the buffoonery.
On the downbeat, Max Steiner's score was overblown, as usual. Did he - or more likely his intern - submit a score for Ben-Hur? This movie needed a much more subdued and reflective score. Steiner was a repetitive hack and a musical thief. I'm shocked how many people sing his praises on these threads.
Also, the wrong character paid the price in the end, but this is B&W Hollywood. Dark endings not allowed.