Man Without A Star│Eureka Entertainment
Eureka! The Masters of Cinema Series #267
Courtesy of Eureka Entertainment
by JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
Now, this is not about a sheriff who has lost his badge, but about a cowboy (in the literal sense) who has lost his bearing in life, unlike other men in the Old West who pick a star in the night sky to guide them by. The movie starts with Frankie Laine’s rendition of the title song: “The night is dark, the way is far, For a man without a star…”
Considering that this was a Western quickie, shot in just four weeks in 1955, it has gained something of a reputation over the years and was very successful at the box-office. In one source, Kirk Douglas claimed that he made a million dollars from the film. However, when it started, my heart sank, as it was in full, garish Technicolour, was accompanied by Frankie Laine’s cheesy title song and Kirk Douglas, complete with a mop of blond hair, was playing his role like a female Calamity Jane. This was a thigh-slapping, know-it-all drifter, who charmed the ladies out of the boudoir and made friends with any hobo willing to share a glass of liquor with him. In fact, we first meet Dempsey Rae (even his name sounds like a Country & Western dance) in a boxcar, when he saves the life of a young fellow drifter (William Campbell), not once, but twice – and they become inseparable friends. They then trudge into town, where Dempsey is welcomed by an equally blonde Claire Trevor and both Dempsey and his new friend, Jeff, are hired to ride the range.
By this stage, I could feel my toes curling, when, gradually, the film begins to shed its superficial layers of B-movie Western shtick. Because, beneath all the wide-grinning bonhomie of Dempsey Rae, lay a man with a troubled past, with both physical and mental scars to prove it. Kirk Douglas always enjoyed playing characters of intermediate light and shade, and Dempsey is a likeable man you wouldn’t want to cross. It’s also an immensely physical role for the star, who not only has to rope, herd and brand cattle, but ride, sing, dance and play the banjo. And one scene in particular highlights the actor’s dedication to his role, as he spins and twirls his six-shooter like Tom Cruise juggling bottles in Cocktail. It really is a sight to behold and must have taken Douglas weeks of rehearsal to perfect. I was also drawn to the attention to detail, from a discussion of the different types of saddle used back then, to the shock of even thinking of installing a bathroom indoors. It’s also got a strong female lead in Jeanne Crain, who plays an ambitious and ruthless ranch owner but, while attracted to Dempsey, cannot get a handle on him. It’s actually quite a complex film, wrapped in an entertaining colourful bauble, with quite a bit of implication that must have elevated a few eyebrows in its day, not to mention the nuanced sexual content. But then this quickie is directed by King Vidor, he who was nominated best director five times by the American Academy, for The Crowd, Hallelujah, The Champ, The Citadel and War and Peace, finally bestowed with an honorary Oscar in 1979 for, and I quote, “his incomparable achievements as a cinematic creator and innovator.”
Man Without a Star is now available on Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment: https://eurekavideo.co.uk/movie/man-without-a-star/
Eureka Entertainment is the leading independent distributor of classic silent/early films in the UK. In 2004, Eureka! established the award winning Masters of Cinema Series, a specially curated director-led Blu-ray and DVD collection of classic and world cinema using the finest available materials for home viewing. In 2014, Eureka! established Eureka! Classics intended to highlight a broader selection of classic and cult cinema, and in 2017, Eureka! established Montage Pictures, a label celebrating ground-breaking and thought-provoking world cinema from new and upcoming directors.
