DEVIL'S DOORWAY (1950) Different kind of western

DEVIL'S DOORWAY is the first of a series of powerful, character-driven westerns directed by Anthony Mann (BEND OF THE RIVER, THE MAN FROM LARAMIE, NAKED SPUR, WINCHESTER '73, etc.), who loved giving his heroes warts and making his villains likeable. Featuring vivid outdoor scenery and film-noirish indoor photography, it tells a story that still resonates with its indictment of racism. Hollywood leading man Robert Taylor is cast against type as a Native American and Congressional Medal winner. Returning after the Civil War, he finds his tribe victimized and persecuted. Cheated by a crooked racist lawyer (Louis Calhern) and unable to obtain the right to homestead, the Indian who fought for his country turns "renegade" – though not without a healthy dose of soul-searching. This film triggered a wave of more realistic westerns wherein the Indians were the good guys and the whites, villains. Were it made today, the character of the Indian would doubtless be played by a real one rather than a white matinee idol in "redface," which was the fashion in the fifties. Nevertheless, Taylor, if not totally convincing, is excellent as a brave Indian who braves prejudice and greed.