Movies : Western : VHS Rip : English
It's the Fourth of July and upstanding citizen Payne is celebrating by marrying his sweetheart Scott. But what should be the happiest day of his life turns sour when he's framed for murder by obsessive lawman Duryea. Although it's a fair western in its own right, Dwan's film is less interesting for its plot than its subtext. It's a scathing attack on the anti-Communist witch-hunts that had blighted Hollywood during the late 40s and early 50s, under the edict of the House Un-American Activities Committee. It's not like the director was trying to be cryptic, either. Duryea's loathsome character is called McCarty.
Made as a quickie for producer Benedict Bogeaus, Silver Lode is one of Allan Dwan's unqualified masterpieces. From a simple story of revenge - Payne is wrongfully accused of murder on his wedding day, and becomes the object of a manhunt led by Dan Duryea as he tries to clear his name - Dwan produced both the most succinct anti-McCarthy tract ever made in Hollywood, and a delirious film about the function of memory - visualised in repeated images in different contexts.
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