The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Lamar Trotti (writer)
Walter Van Tilburg Clark (novel)

Release Date:

21 May 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Western

Tagline:

LYNCH LAW RULES THE MOB! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

Two drifters are passing through a Western town, when news comes in that a local farmer has been murdered and his cattle stolen...

Plot Keywords:

Justice | Posse | Cult Western | 1880s | Nevada

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins

Cast

Henry Fonda	...	Gil Carter
Dana Andrews	...	Donald Martin
Mary Beth Hughes	...	Rose Mapen / Rose Swanson
Anthony Quinn	...	Juan Martínez / Francisco Morez
William Eythe	...	Gerald Tetley
Harry Morgan	...	Art Croft (as Henry Morgan)
Jane Darwell	...	Jenny Grier
Matt Briggs	...	Judge Daniel Tyler
Harry Davenport	...	Arthur Davies
Frank Conroy	...	Maj. Tetley
Marc Lawrence	...	Jeff Farnley
Paul Hurst	...	Monty Smith
Victor Kilian	...	Darby
Chris-Pin Martin	...	Poncho
Willard Robertson	...	Sheriff

Also Known As:

Strange Incident (UK)

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2006) | South Korea:12 (2003) (DVD rating) | West Germany:12 | USA:Approved (PCA #8590) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The western street in this film is the same one used in The Gunfighter (1950).

Goofs:

Continuity: During opening sequences when Fonda is at the bar, the whiskey he is drinking changes from clear to dark.

Quotes:

Art Croft: [talking about Gil Carter] Whenever he gets low in spirits or confused in his mind, he doesn't feel right until he's had a fight. It doesn't matter whether he wins or not. He feels fine again afterwards.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Great Camp Meeting in the Promised Land

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) ****

I loved the simplicity of this 75 minute film, yet how powerful and effective it remained just the same. It's an effective little gem with nice direction, good performances (with a standout being a young Anthony Quinn) and a telling study of human weaknesses.

I had a very minor quibble regarding Henry Fonda's characterization early in the movie, and how so much time was spent on crafting it to no real advantage. It seemed like all that preliminary material had no bearing on the events that would transpire later in the movie. The same might be argued for the scene involving the married woman who Fonda is sweet on. No matter. In the end, the film is overwhelmingly successful and poignant, despite these observations.