Proud Rebel (1958)

A Quietly Endearing Western

Alan Ladd and Olivia de Havilland star in "The Proud Rebel", a 1958 Technicolor Western directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Samuel Goldwyn, Jr. "The Proud Rebel" is large-budget but intimate. It is more concerned with character than with violence. Part of the film is standard western fare. It tells the story of conflict between sheep ranchers attempting to graze their flock over large tracts of land and the small independent farmers who stand in their way. This conflict leads to fighting and to a climactic shoot-out, in this film as in many Westerns.

The film explores the relationship of a widowed Confederate war veteran to his son, the relationship of father and son to their dog, and a budding love relationship between the veteran and an independent, determined woman who has inherited a small farm. Alan Ladd plays John Chandler, a Confederate soldier from Georgia who is wandering the reunited country in search of a doctor who can help his ten year old son, played by Ladd's son, David, who has become mute after witnessing the death of his mother. A kindly doctor in Illinois tells Chandler that a doctor in Minnesota may be able to help, but counsels Chandler against pursuing the matter further. Chandler, the "proud rebel" proves his stubborness many times, here by asking the doctor to make the appropriate inquiry. In the meantime, he is framed in a fight and sentenced to "thirty days or thirty dollars". It looks like the thirty days, until the farmer, Linnett, who has taken an interest in the boy, pays the fine under the condition that Chandler will work on the farm to repay the debt.

The story develops by showing life in the little western town and the budding net of relationships. The sheep farmer and his two violent sons try to pressure Linnett to sell her farm which stands in their way. Chandler helps her resist which, of course, creates enmity for himself. It looks for a time as if Chandler will stay on the farm and forget about Minnesota. However, when his son is mocked for his muteness, he reluctantly sells the family dog to fund the trip to the doctor. Linnett travels with the boy to Minnesota while Chandler stays to guard the farm. The elements of the various relationships get resolved when Linnett and the boy return, as violence, feeling, and love come together.

This is a lovely, largely quietly appealing film with convincing acting from its two famous stars and from the rest of the cast. It is a film from a simpler age as it celebrates the slowly growing relationship between Chandler and Linnett without any impropriety. Ladd's feelings for his young son and his determination to help come through as does de Havilland's role as a tough-minded independent woman who is willing to carry on with her single life until she meets the right man. The scenes with the dog are sentimental but effective. The movie was filmed in Utah rather than on the Illinois prairie in which the action takes place. Still the scenery is large and beautiful.

"The Proud Rebel" is a film which deserves to be better known. It is part of the Western genre, yet the story together with Ladd and de Havilland give it a quality and a feel of its own.

Robin Friedman