Blood on the Moon [Blu-ray]

Director: Robert Wise Robert Wise

Overview

One of the best "psychological" westerns of the 1940s, RKO Radio's Blood on the Moon stars Robert Mitchum as itinerant cowboy Jim Garry. Riding into a Texas Indian reservation, Garry finds himself embroiled in a deadly feud between cattle ranchers and homesteaders. He befriends both Amy Lufton (Barbara Bel Geddes), daughter of wealthy cattle man John Lufton (Tom Tully), and smooth-talking mercenary Tate Rilling (Robert Preston). What neither Garry nor Amy realize is that Rilling is a snake, conspiring with crooked Indian agent Jake Pindalest (Frank Faylen) to make off with Lufton's cattle. At first aligning himself with Rilling, Garry finally figures out that his so-called friend is up to no good and casts his lot with Lufton, leading to a bloody showdown. Based on the novel by Luke Short, Blood on the Moon was given top-grade treatment by director Robert Wise, an alumnus of RKO Radio's editing department.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/28/2020
UPC:	0883929709847
Original Release:	1948
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Language:	English
Time:	1:28:00
Sales rank:	866

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Robert Mitchum	Jim Garry
Barbara Bel Geddes	Amy Lufton
Robert Preston	Tate Riling
Phyllis Thaxter	Carol Lufton
Walter Brennan	Kris Barden,Townswoman
Frank Faylen	Jake Pindalest
Tom Tully	John Lufton
Charles McGraw	Milo Sweet
Clifton Young	Joe Shotten
Tom Tyler	Frank Reardan
George Cooper	Fred Borden
Bud Osborne	Cap Willis
Zon Murray	Nels Titterton
Robert Bray	Bart Daniels
Joe Devlin	Actor
Harry Carey Jr.	Cowboy
Iron Eyes Cody	Toma
Ben Corbett	Mitch Moten
Al Ferguson	Chet Avery
Robert Malcolm	Sheriff Manker
Chris-Pin Martin	Commisary Bartender
Clem Fuller	Cowhand
Ted Mapes	Cowboy
Hal Taliaferro	Cowboy
Richard Powers	Ted Elser
George Duryea	Ted Eiser
Roy Webb	Composer

Technical Credits

Lillie Hayward

Robert Wise	Director
Theron Warth	Producer
Lillie Hayward	Screenwriter
Sid Rogell	Executive Producer,Producer,Producer
John L. Cass	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
Terry Kellum	Sound Effects
Russell Cully	Special Effects
Terry Kellum	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Blood on the Moon is a brooding yet rousing Western, one of those that began appearing in the late 1940s which emphasized a psychological approach to the oater. Blood's basic tale is not terribly original, dealing with land disputes and cattle ownership and Indians and encompassing traditional Western set pieces like the obligatory shoot-out. Yet it's skillfully told in Lillie Hayward's screenplay and through Robert Wise's shrewd and assured direction. Indeed, Wise approaches Blood more like a film noir than a traditional Western, and this approach pays big dividends in the shadowy, often eerie work of cinematographer Nick Musuraca. Ultimately what happens in Blood is less important than how it happens and what it reveals, and Wise displays an impressive talent for letting actions speak louder than words and for finding the meaning beneath words that help to tell the "real" tale of the piece. It's an invigorating approach, but one that would have gone nowhere without the right cast to support it, and especially without the right star. Fortunately, Robert Mitchum is exactly what Wise and the film needed, and his questionable, shifting sense of morality adds significant layers to Blood. Laconic yet capable of becoming a raging bull in half a second, Mitchum perfectly captures the essence of his character -- and of the film.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler