WATCH NOW
Zane Grey, a novelist and a lover of the outdoors, was often referred to as the ‘greatest storyteller of the American West’ affirming his mastery that enabled him to capture the spirit of the Old West through his life experiences. Zane was born Pearl Zane Gray in 1872 in Zanesville, Ohio. Zanesville was named after the settlers belonging to his mother’s family. During his youth, he enjoyed fishing and playing baseball. These other activities enjoyed would culminate into a baseball scholarship, which would enable him to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied dentistry, and even a short career in the minor leagues. However, after an eventful hunting trip to Arizona, Zane developed a passion for the Western Frontier and all its history, which led him to pursue writing with the support of his wife. He went on to become one of the first author millionaires after making a name for himself while popularizing the western genre under the pen name Zane Grey.
During the 20s to the 40s, Grey had a bestselling novel in the top ten list at all times, and like most famous authors he was also a source of inspiration behind many motion films. Many of the early adaptations were done in the silent movie period and they were produced by Zane’s own movie production company which he later sold to Paramount Pictures, who adapted a large number of Grey’s books. Fighting Caravans (1931), featuring a younger Gary Cooper, was one of these, and at that time was the most expensive Western ever produced. After the silent era, Cooper’s star was rising as he was able to seamlessly transition to talking pictures. He had some background in Western films and had also played a role in the silent film adaptation of Grey’s book Nevada.
Cooper will star as ace scout Clint Helmet, who takes his trackers Bill (Ernest Torrence) and Jim (Tully Marshall) who, together, need to guide a wagon train carrying settlers, trappers and traders from Missouri to California. Their task is cut out for them, but there’s a problem, the local sheriff has got a hold of Clint using a small but rather inventive set of charges. Bill and Jim locate Felice (Lily Damita), a young and headstrong French girl whose father died just before she started her journey and explain to her that without an escort, she will not be able to join the wagon train. They trick her into posing as Clint’s wife so that the sheriff will release the charges and allow her to join the caravan. The charges against Clint are dropped, and as they flee the town, both Clint and Felice maintain the deception. While Bill and Jim are relishing being free of hard labor, tired of doing all the heavy lifting, they expose the two as not being married but hurting Felice in the process of revealing the truth.
During the journey, Clint and Felice meet new people and begin to like each other. However, Bill and Jim are always nearby to put a stop to their love. The two old men, who found Clint as an orphan and raised him, appear to be very fond of Clint while detesting Felice for the designs she seems to have on their ‘son’ that is growing fond of her. And in 1864, they also mention the arrival of the transcontinental railroad, which is going to change their lives forever. After Clint goes for a jog to ‘cool off’, both scouts that have been to the world and back begin to comprehend what Clint knows, that what Felice offers him, a new life and family, is more than they can ever give him. He is later recovered and even on the way back, they figure out that one of the sellers, Murdock, has made a deal with the Indians to eliminate the settlers for his profit. The scouts alert the wagon train about the imminent attack and assist in the defense of the caravan.
While today the majority of Zane Grey’s Fighting Caravans resembles a B-picture, afflicted by a point-and-shoot production style inherited from silent pictures, it was one of the highest budget westerns of its era. Fighting Caravans was produced in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, where the magnificent landscape provided all the mountain and plain ranges, mud and snow, cable car scenery that was required. It would have been stunning in its time. Co-directors Otto Brower and David Burton actually filmed so much additional footage, that a lot of it was used in the background for some of the later westerns produced by Paramount such as the 1934 film Wagon Wheels, the remake of Fighting Caravans with Randolph Scott.
Picture: A restoration was not carried out in full, so several parts of the film do reveal its age, but this movie is displayed in crisp B&W picture which enables minor edge enhancement. It is also shown in a 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio which is quite unusual.
Extras: Lions Gate Entertainment has made some nice Extras on this DVD, including “Outdoor Adventures” that was shot during two of Greys’ fishing trips, as well as the other short fishing movies “Fisherman’s Pluck” and the biography “Zane Grey: An American Legend” which is introduced by his son Loren Grey. “Outdoor Adventures” and “Fisherman’s Pluck” are in B&W while “An American Legend” is in color. Regardless of their colors, all of these shorts undeniably show their age.
Conclusion:
With the passage of time, Lions Gate Entertainment gradually created a decent collection of old western films and at the same time managed to keep their prices at a level that was relatively reasonable. A good example of their previous campaigns was Santa Fe Stampede where they provided neither background materials nor tape extras to support their movie. In any case, I have no trouble recommending Fighting Caravans to the fans of the genre and think it is also worth their time for those who intend to rent.
To watch more movies like ( Fighting Caravans (1931)) visit 123Movies.
Also Watch for more movies like:
