Yellow Sky

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

William Wellman's westerns always seemed a little claustrophobic, but in Yellow Sky the director's technique works to the film's advantage. Outlaw leader Gregory Peck takes refuge in a frontier ghost town. The only inhabitants are elderly James Barton and his pretty granddaughter Anne Baxter. Barton reveals that there's gold hereabouts, prompting a few of Peck's companions--especially Richard Widmark--to plot the old man's demise and claim the treasure for themselves. For his part, Peck is basically honorable, and offers to split fifty-fifty with Barton. Dissension, hostility and gunplay ensue, finally narrowing down to a standoff between Peck and Widmark. Yellow Sky was based on a novel by W.R. Burnett, who moved from westerns to gangster stories and back again with the greatest of ease. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Subtitle: Eng/Spa
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Features:
  • cc
  • Poster and "one sheet" display
  • Production still photo gallery
  • Behind-the-scenes photos

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Gregory Peck - Stretch
       Anne Baxter - Mike
       Richard Widmark - Dude
       Robert Arthur - Bull Run
       John Russell - Lengthy
       Henry Morgan - Half Pint
       James Barton - Grandpa
       Charles Kemper - Walrus
       Robert Adler - Jed
       Harry Carter - Lieutenant
       Victor Kilian - Bartender
       Paul Hurst - Drunk
       Hank Worden - Rancher
       Jay Silverheels - Indian
       William Gould - Banker
       Norman Leavitt - Bank Teller
       Chief Yowlachie - Colorado

• Director:

  William Wellman

• Producer:

  Lamar Trotti

• Screenwriter:

  Lamar Trotti

• Cinematographer:

  Joe MacDonald

• Composer (Music Score):

  Alfred Newman

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Alfred Newman

• Editor:

  Harmon Jones

• Art Director:

  Lyle Wheeler, Albert Hogsett

• Set Designer:

  Thomas K. Little, Ernest Lansing

• Makeup:

  Ben Nye, Sr.

• Special Effects:

  Fred Sersen

• Short Story Author:

  W.R. Burnett

REVIEW:

• As Yellow Sky amply demonstrates, a film doesn't have to be either revolutionary or overly complex to be a great picture. When you look at the story elements of Sky, it's easy to think "That's all been done before." And it has -- not only because bits and pieces are taken from other Westerns but because the central "gold lust" theme has been seen in such other films as Greed and Treasure of the Sierra Madre. And screenwriter Lamar Trotti has not taken these familiar components and given them a surprising twist or used them in a new manner. Instead, he has fashioned them into a crackling good screenplay, one which believes in the sheer power of these components and knows exactly how to frame them so that they deliver that power. He's also provided memorable dialogue and clearly drawn characters; they're not necessarily deep, but they're individuals and impress on that account. For his part, William Wellman has provided beautifully detailed direction that doesn't skimp on suspense or action and that even makes the love angle work -- often a hard trick in "manly" Westerns. He's aided by Joe MacDonald's stark, almost expressionistic cinematography, a feast of black-and-white images that carry their own considerable emotional weight. Finally, Sky has a marvelous cast, with Gregory Peck a solid leading man with a villainous side, James Barton a welcome addition as the man who knows (perhaps) where the gold is, and Richard Widmark adding another notch to his irreplaceable psychotic lowlife repertoire. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi