A rip-roaringly good yarn, and an interesting gloss on Civil War history that shows food rather than glory, honour or empty triumph as the most important thing, being a forceful reminder that survival is all anyone wanted at the end of this terrible conflict. The scenario is rich and invites an interesting story with multiple twists on an original theme. We dont have that many balloons., Col. Tom Rossiter: You used to have 10 fingers. Murphy has retired from the Agency in 2013 and he dedicated more than 25 years of his . During the Civil War, Mexican cattleman Alvarez Kelly supplies the Union with cattle until Confederate Colonel Tom Rossiter's hungry men force Kelly to change his customers. Patrick ONeal is the Northern officer who is depicted in unsympathetic hues. Angus Ferguson Life spans: the Scottish artist discusses Berlinale highlight, Dont look back: critics Giovanni Marchini Camia, Victor Guimares, and Frdric Jaeger join to discuss Angela Schanelecs, Earth, wind, and fire: Inney Prakash, Edo Choi, and Caitlin Quinlan join to discuss the festival's buzzy new premieres, including, Berlinale 2023: Minor Choruses, Major Films, The Film Comment Podcast: Berlinale 2023 #6, The Film Comment Podcast: Berlinale 2023 #5. Robert Morgan Capt. Alvarez Kelly - (Original Trailer) Film Details Genre Western Action Drama Historical War Release Date Jan 1966 Premiere Information Baton Rouge, Louisiana, opening: 6 Oct 1966 Production Company Ray David Productions Distribution Company Columbia Pictures Country United States Location Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA Technical Specs Duration 1h 56m Exiting and honorable? Aided by the traditional women in the midst of men intent on double-crossing each other, a fierce hatred develops between the two, erupting into violence. You stay stubborn, the day after that youll have seven. Franklin Coen and Elliott Arnold scripted Coens story, which pits Mexican-Irish William Holden (hence, the title) against Confederate officer Richard Widmark, eyeing Holdens cattle as food for a starving South. Holden, well removed by decades of hard living from his baby-faced Golden Boy breakout, has real gravity here, presaging his weathered Pike Bishop in The Wild Bunch (1969) but with a romantic, even sexy charisma in his scenes with Rule and Victoria Shaw as a two-faced plantation widow. Victoria Shaw as Charity Warwick Alvarez Kelly opens with images of hieroglyphs conveying the ancient nature of human conflict, over which a narrator informs viewers that in every war, in every age, the forgotten weapon is food a herd of cattle is as vital as a herd of cannon. Its a slightly insecure way of justifying the ensuing films potentially mundane story of beef snatching, no small matter when it concerns 2,500 cattle and the survival of legions of hungry Union and Confederate soldiers in the latter days of the American Civil War. The 1960s Western holds a unique place in the history of American cinema. The dance partner: By a sea-faring monster who could shrivel a girl right up., Liz Pickering, snuggling up to Alvarez Kelly: Thank god youre not another one of those honorable men. They come upon southern lady Charity Warwick who invites them for dinner. Its comeback kid Holden who makes Kellys growth, from the I dont care who wins cad advising that cattle are like women to the hard-charging leader who risks a fusillade of Northern Mini balls to save a Confederate soldiers life, so believable, and moving. William Holden as Alvarez Kelly 2 out of 5 action rating. The like-themed spaghetti Westerns Django, The Hills Run Red, and The Hellbenders (again with Cotten, Sergio Corbuccis films raping, looting, murdering Lost Causers might make for cinemas least flattering CSA portrait) were all released in Alvarez Kellys year of 1966, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, whose Blondie shares a me-first worldview with Kelly, came a year later. The Southerners are often portrayed as rather unlikable and mean and the Northerners are generally shown as being rather bland and stupid. es:lvarez Kelly Produced by Sol C. Siegel Alvarez Kelly: Now the main thing to remember is cattle are like women. But, really, for what does Rossiter require redemption? That day after that its up to you. Not filmed in Virginia, but I am from near Richmond and played as a child on some of the land the actual raid crossed over and it has the same feel. While Kelly is selling it to the Union Army, His character is called a "Mexican National" - the son of an Irish father and Hispanic mother. 1864: during the American Civil War a herd of cattle owned by rancher Alvarez Kelly becomes the centre of attention. Despite the hatred between the two men, they manage to work together. de:Alvarez Kelly Director Edward Dmytryk has achieved uneven response from his players, in part due to scripting which overdevelops some characters and situations, and underdevelops others. She enjoys spending her free time (when she can get it!) During the partial siege of Richmond-Petersburg in September 1864 a troop of Confederates mean to acquire 3000 cattle from Mexico meant for consumption by the Union Army. See it - William Holden plays his trademark role as a smooth-talking womanizer caught in a war he doesn't want to be a part of. Alvarez Kelly is directed by Edward Dmytryk and stars William Holden & Richard Widmark. While this may have been a fictitious event in the American Civil War, the movie does give a decent look at life during those turbulent years when one side was simply using might to slowly beat down the other side. When a confederate . on July 25, 2020, There are no reviews yet. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Good surprise for a film by Edward Dmytryk. Indus Arthur Melinda Sam Peckinpahs THE WILD BUNCH (1969)! Now, some of you may think she looks a bit different to Judy (maybe even ethnically different), and that's correct, changes were made when they cleaned the model but I have some comparisons . The real lvarez-Beln family used the traumatic event to shape the rest of their lives in service of others as a way to honor those that did not manage to survive. Alvarez Kelly is one such production. The score and the cinematography just add to the ambiance. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Paul Lukather Capt. Mexican cattleman Alvarez Kelly (William Holden) is delivering a herd of cattle to the Union under Major Albert Stedman (Patrick O'Neal)'s directions. In 1864, during the American Civil War, Mexican cattleman Alvarez Kelly supplies the Union with cattle until unexpected circumstances force him to change his customers. This means, however, that he has to deal with the Union more than the South (at one point he is asked if he doubts the value of Confederate currency, and starts telling the Confederate Secretary of War what one could do now with Confederate currency). She was previously married to Elliott Alexander and Roger Smith. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Confederate officer Widmark kidnaps Holden in an effort to have the cattle redirected to the South. Janice Rule plays Liz Pickering, the dark-haired beauty engaged to Rossiter. She winds up being Kellys means of getting even. Based on a true US Civil War incident, Alvarez Kelly concerns successful cattle grab engineered by Southern forces and executed under the noses of Northern troops. Her age is 63. Subscribe To CLASSIC MOVIE TRAILERS: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6RYeWpPcNa_SJ6_Vka5jqgSuave former Texan cattleman Alvarez Kelly now living in Mexico . After seeing the movie, I immediately compared it to Horse Soldiers, which Holden co-starred in with the Duke. But after a long drive to deliver cattle to the Union he finds himself kidnapped by Confederate Colonel Tom Rossiter. Suave former Texan cattleman Alvarez Kelly now living in Mexico has little interest in the Civil War except to make some money. . Mary Boykin Chesnut Stuarts elite cavalry are bumbling amateurs when it comes to corralling stubborn cows. For Holden, it was a welcome return to the screen after a two-year absence, during which he lost his remaining younger brother to a plane crash (the other had died in World War Two) and consoled himself with his usual double-edged balm, booze. Moreover, even though some of the film's historic details are accurate, its storyline is pure fiction. He has no interest in which side may win or lose -- Kelly is far more . The film was based on the real-life Beefsteak Raid of September 1864. But, watching amigo Holden get dirty and have his finger shot off is disarming. Plus, this character was supposed to be amoral--so who do you root for in this film?! This leads to a nice little adventurous Journey with lots of action and plenty of comical moments as well, giving them a little bit of romance with Janice Rule and Victoria Shaw before dealing with sneaking hundreds of cows across the enemy's line. Virginia Mayo and Joel McCrea meet a tragic end in this 1949 Western directed by Raoul Walsh and based on his 1941 film, "High Sierra." Because it is about showing the confrontations between the northerners and the Confederates who are fighting over a herd of cows that will be used to feed a regiment on one side and a besieged city on the other. . Holden doesn't really seem to be on either side, but when he gets a bullet in the hand (allegedly losing a finger and threatened with losing more), he's forced to comply with Widmark's demands. He further praised the cinematography, the casting of Holden and Widmark, which he considered "sardonic perfection", and added that the "picture perks up beautifully in the ripely-detailed homestretch". When I have seen him in films with English dialogue including Westerns, he has always sounded very urban to me, probably hailing from some part of New York and I have never noticed that he has attempted to change his accent before. Roger Carmel Capt. //]]>. Worth seeing once. William Holden Alvarez Kelly Oddly, this character is supposed to be from Mexican and Irish ancestry and I have absolutely no idea why they wrote this back story with William Holden in mind--especially since this IS a perfect role for Anthony Quinn. Encyclopedia.com. //