The 110 years of Claire Trevor Blogathon – Allegheny Uprising (1939)

This review is part of the The 110 Years of Claire Trevor Blogathon being run by Crystal of In The Good Old Days of Hollywood  and Virginie of The Wonderful World of Cinema

Tnx for letting me take part!

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“‘The only friendly Indians are dead Indians, I say. ” – Mac’ MacDougall

Number of Times Seen – 1 (4 Mar 2020)

Brief Synopsis – In Pennsylvania prior to the Revolutionary War, a group of settlers try to convince the local British government to stop trading with the local Indians who have been attacking them with weapons provided by traders

My Take on it – This film is one that I had never even heard of before seeking out films to watch for this blogathon.

As a mater of fact, I didn’t even recognize Claire Trevor’s name at first and only after a bit of research recalled that I had seen her in some great roles over the years.

The premise of this film is definitely an interesting one, yet thing are presented in a bit too much of a wooden way that hurts things too much.

John Wayne and Claire Trevor are both quite good in the lead roles yet both have had much better and flasher roles over their careers.

Wayne’s usual commanding presence in films is lacking here and I guess it was something that he was still working on perfecting when this was made.

The chemistry between the two leads is pretty good even if some of the scenes are portrayed in some very far fetched ways.

The movie is able to depict the volatile atmosphere in the colonies prior to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War and we can see the strain between the American and British sides throughout.

It is quite easy to believe that the small conflicts depicted here could escalate into a much bloodier and bolder conflict within a decade.

The film has a pretty good supporting cast yet none of them amange to really stand out among the reat.

Bottom Line – Interesting idea that comes across a bit too wooden for its own good. Wayne is fine n the lead role, but he lacks the commanding presence that he was able to exhibit in later films. His chemistry with Trevor is quite good but some of the scenes feel a bit too far fetched. The way that the film depicts the Anglo-British relations in the volatile time prior to the Revolutionary War is done well and we can easily see how the distrust between them could lead to bloodier and bolder conflicts between them.  The supporting cast is fine here but none of them manage to stick out among the rest.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – For the role of Capt. Swanson actor George Sanders replaced Sir Cedric Hardwicke due to Hardwicke’s other commitments. (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy (5/10)

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