John Sturges at Frank's Movie Log

Thursday, October 11th 2007

Escape from Fort Bravo (1953)

Grade: B-

Synopsis: A southern belle (Eleanor Parker) distracts a hardened Union soldier (William Holden) guarding a group of Confederate prisoners.

Escape from Fort Bravo may take a while to get going, but once it’s off and running (literally) it really works.

The film’s first half, which deals with Eleanor Parker’s character’s gradual seduction of William Holden’s, is passable, if a little tedious. The Anscocolor photography and Holden’s charisma are about the only standouts.

Once the actual escape happens though, things really kick into gear. Director John Sturges shows a great knack handling the action, and the Death Valley locations help open the film up. Everything culminates in a tense, well-staged finale that’s littered with great dialog (love the line about artillery!). MORE »

Posted at 5:42 PM in Movie Reviews, John Sturges and William Holden.
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Thursday, August 9th 2007

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)

Grade: C+

Synopsis: Wyatt Earp (Burt Lancaster) and Doc Holliday (Kirk Douglas) shoot it out with the Clanton gang at the O.K. Corral.

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is an agreeable, if certainly fictional; take on the friendship between Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Rather than focus on historical accuracy, director John Sturges lets his two larger than life stars carry the picture, which they do with ease.

Lancaster is great as a stoic Earp, and Douglas (who wisely eschews any kind of deep southern accent) is every bit his match in terms of screen presence. Credit also goes to Douglas for pulling off Holliday’s wheezing cough with frightening realism. MORE »

Posted at 12:48 PM in Movie Reviews and John Sturges.
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