Movies

The Walls of Jericho (1948) Anne Baxter, Linda Darnell, Kirk Douglas and Cornel Wilde star in this melodrama of passion and politics in early 20th century small-town Kansas. It is pretty early in Douglas' career and he doesn't have much to do here but be led around by Darnell, his flashy scheming wife.  Wilde is inoffensive and it is not easy to see why he inspires such feelings among the ladies here but somebody had to do it.  The good thing about this is that three quarters of the way through, Baxter takes the movie and scampers off with it, and never gives it back.  Nothing in a movie makes my heart sink like the realization that it is turning into a prolonged trial scene, but Baxter really saved this one for me when a shocking turn of events makes her lead attorney and deliverer of the impassioned closing speech.  Unlike lesser stars she always looks great with her hair up and in restrained period costume, and she always did her best with what she was given, no matter what the role. One of my favorite scenes in cinema is her heartrendingly ironic closing speech in the wartime pro-soviet epic The North Star, a passionate evocation of a dream never to be fulfilled. Overall this is a darned good big budget costume melodrama and if that is what you are craving this really delivers, and I must say the costumes are great - some really swell dresses here, especially Darnell's elaborate display. Ann Dvorak plays a pivotal role as Wilde's bitter drunken wife, as does Barton MacLane as his usual surly menacing lout. I could have done with a few fewer renditions of Shine On Harvest Moon but I can't fault it on much else.  9/10

Anne Baxter - on her it looks good.