SILVER RIVER (1948) ¢ ¢ ¢
D: Raoul Walsh
Errol Flynn, Ann Sheridan, Thomas Mitchell,
Bruce Bennett, Monte Blue, Barton MacLane
Errol Flynn plays a Union Army captain who's drummed out of the service for a decision he makes during the Battle of Gettysburg: He burns a payroll wagon rather than let a million dollars fall into enemy hands. From then on, he's determined to act only in his own self-interest, and he does. He makes a fortune in gambling, mining, banking, and eventually owning a big chunk of the western United States. There's a downside, of course. He's screwed over practically everybody, and those people are broke, miserable and extremely pissed off. Flynn was showing some wear and tear by this time. His drinking was an issue during the shoot, and Raoul Walsh, with whom he made seven pictures, never worked with him again. The movie's not great, but there's something uniquely American about a story that's all about money and ends with a street brawl between two gangs of vigilantes, suggesting that if there's one thing our culture reveres more than scorched-earth capitalism, it's a lynch mob.
