Raton Pass

1951 ""Hold Raton Pass And You Hold The Rest Of The West By The Throat!""
6.3| 1h24m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 07 April 1951 Released
Producted By: Warner Bros. Pictures
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Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Raton Pass is a curious western based on the rules of Community Property. Dennis Morgan and Patricia Neal portray a recently married husband and wife, each of whom owns half of a huge cattle ranch. Neal is a tad more ambitious than her husband, and with the help of a little legal chicanery she tries to obtain Morgan's half of the spread. He balks, so she hires a few gunslingers to press the issue. In a 1951 western, the greedy party usually came to a sorry end; Raton Pass adheres strictly to tradition.

Genre

Western

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Director

Edwin L. Marin

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures

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Raton Pass Audience Reviews

Console best movie i've ever seen.
Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.
Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.
Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.
bkoganbing Patricia Neal plays a chilling and evil vixen who uses and disposes men like Kleenex trying to get to the top. Among those she charms and disposes of or tries to in Raton Pass are Dennis Morgan, Basil Ruysdael, Steve Cochran, and Scott Forbes. This has fatal consequences for some of them.Father and son Basil Ruysdael and Dennis Morgan own the biggest spread around and Ruysdael is one proud and ruthless character who's not too squeamish about what he does to maintain supremacy. He's feuding with neighbor Louis Jean Heydt, but Morgan is courting daughter Dorothy Hart and the marriage may make it a happy merger of interest.That is until Neal arrives in town and she seduces Morgan away from Hart and they marry. So happy and charmed by his daughter-in-law that as a wedding present Ruysdael turns over title to the ranch to Morgan and Neal. That's when Neal really goes to work.Part of her scheme includes banker Scott Forbes and outlaw Steve Cochran. In Cochran she finally meets a man more evil than her. But she thinks she's up to him.A little more plot than usual characterizes this western and Raton Pass is definitely not for the Saturday matinée kid's trade. We do get to hear Dennis Morgan sing a song at his wedding which is always nice.But Neal is truly a malevolent creature and Cochran isn't too far behind her. They make Raton Pass some interesting viewing.
Spikeopath Raton Pass is directed by Edwin L. Marin and written by Thomas W. Blackburn and James R. Webb. It stars Dennis Morgan, Patricia Neal, Steve Cochran, Scott Forbes and Dorothy Hart. Music is by Max Steiner and cinematography by Wilfred M. Cline. Two families feuding over land either side of Raton Pass, New Mexico. Into their lives comes a beautiful seductress with manipulation and land dominance on her agenda... Well well, what a treat. Something of a rare, little known or seen Oater, Raton Pass (AKA: Canyon Pass) really takes you by surprise. From the off we can see and hear this is a very nice production, with the twin greats of Steiner and Cline working their magic. Steiner's title music is Latino flavoured and then he introduces deft character motifs for the protagonists, while Cline's crisp black and white photography holds the eyes considerably. For thirty minutes the picture simmers away like a standard "B" Western threatening to dull the senses with formulaic tedium, this is another reason why Steiner and Cline should be lauded as their work keeps you interested. But then the film completely turns, you notice that Cline's photography has suddenly shifted into film noir territory, and Neal has skillfully shifted from being the new loving wife on the block, to a complete femme fatale bitch! The plot dynamics now have a real edge, and as the smouldering Neal works her feminine whiles, this part of New Mexico territory boils away furiously until it inevitably explodes and spells doom and disappointment for some... There's some crappy back projection work that undermines the quality elsewhere and the odd character is stereotypical of some Westerns of the period, but this has much to recommend. Marin (Johnny Angel/Nocturne/Colt.45/Sugarfoot) is fluid in his direction, while Neal and noir icon Cochran hold the screen as Max and Wilfred do their stuff. Currently licensed to TCM UK and available in HD format, I would urge any noir and Western fan in the UK to take the chance to see this rare picture the next time it shows. It doesn't deserve to stay rare. 7.5/10
hildacrane I first saw this western many years ago on TV, and the wonderful villainy of several characters, as well as the sly music for them, stayed with me. Especially that of the Patricia Neal character. She insinuates herself to the accompaniment of a sultry tango-like Max Steiner theme, and seems to relish her every double cross. After decades, I saw the movie again, and that theme still tickles me. One wonders how Neal and Zachary Scott, another Warners player, and fine as a scheming scoundrel, would have worked together.Aside from Neal, Steve Cochran is a suitably conniving and lecherous counterpart, and quite an eyeful in his leather vest. Dolores Hart is quite good as the good girl. Dennis Morgan is a bit tired in this one. Fairly standard territory-squabble plotSee it for Pat and Max.
BOB L'ALOGE I confess I was somewhat shocked at the role Patricia Neal played in this movie. She was the dastardly darling all the way through right up to the end. And to someone who has been a "loving" fan of hers since he was 13 and saw her in The Day the Earth Stood Still--that was a shock.The plot is very good. She arrives in town to find herself in the midst of a feud between two families. She immediately seeks out a young man from the richest family and seductively (which she is excellent at) works her way into his heart. He marries her and she is given deed to half the ranch. When her husband brings home an even richer man who owns a railroad in hopes of getting him to financially back the ranch, she convinces her husband to leave the job to her. Instead, she seduces him into falling in love with her also and talks him into buying out her husband. He agrees.Suddenly, they find themselves totally alone as all the hands have quit the ranch. So she sends for a gunman she met by chance at the very beginning of the Western. He brings in his "boys" and they begin to take over the ranch. Finally there is the ultimate showdown between Neal, Morgan (her husband) and the gunman (Cochran).And as I said: Patricia Neal is the dastardly darling right up to the very last breath. The role would have better suited Barbara Stanwyck or Betty Davis. But Patricia Neal it did not suit even though she did a fine job (as always). While I have seen her in many movies I shall never be able to accept her in any villain role. The Western is very good and well worth any amount of money paid to obtain it but it is just not the kind, sweet, adorable feminine Neal I am used to in movies.