Redwarmin
This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place
Lucia Ayala
It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
Guillelmina
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Cody
One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.
mark.waltz
Episodic and often boring, this Western saga of ambition, greed, lust and betrayal lacks in strong character development and passion. Don Murray, on the quick rise after "Bus Stop", seemed to fall off a mountain cliff with this one, playing an ambitious cowboy who longs to make something of himself but seems more like an over ambitious kid with the drive but not the dream. He creates an instant enemy in more mature rancher Richard Egan, gets a loan from alleged town bad girl Lee Remick, betrays her by marrying banker's niece Patricia Owens, and in spite of maturing, still seems to be a boy playing a man's game as he takes interest in local politics. Along the way, his actions bring on a wave of violence in his Montana community, but in 90 minutes, there's nothing but snippets of situations, and many plot related questions go unanswered.I'm sure this looked gorgeous on the big screen, but it's a huge emotionally empty mess when viewed. Perhaps the mistake is in the editing, as there seems to be chunks of important plot missing. That makes the characters rather undeveloped and weakens the overall impact and their performances. I read that Lee Remick considered this her weakest film, ironic considering that she's the most interesting character in the film. Richard Egan, so noble in the same year's "A Summer Place", plays an absolutely despicable character here, but then again, Murray's character isn't all that likable either. In the wake of other epic westerns with much soap opera as part of their plot, this one is perhaps the most banal, and even with a catchy theme song and musical score, is as empty as they come.
RanchoTuVu
A western about a cowboy who rises up the social ladder to become a respected rancher and later a Montana politician, who seems to become more of a hypocrite with each step up. Don Murray, who plays the lead role, dumps Lee Remick as a saloon girl for Patricia Owens who plays the wholesome daughter of one of the town's prominent leaders. Dumping Remick for Owens seems to signify Murray's embrace of and acceptance into the town's Christian and social establishment, and his abandonment of his cowboy social outcast pal played by Stuart Whitman. Richard Egan occupies the film's bad guy role as Remick's abusive ex-boyfriend, and unscrupulous rancher. A classic example of a 1950s western with modern themes set amongst the beauty of the old West.
inspectors71
On the cheesy, moralistic front, there's Richard Fleischer's These Thousand Hills, an almost-grown up oater with Don Murray, Lee Remick, Richard Egan, and Stuart Whitman. Murray is a young cowpuncher who wants to hit it big ranching in Montana. Unfortunately he's too damned handsome and Wonder Bready for my tastes and he gets started growing awfully big for his britches, especially after he borrows stake money from the only prostitute in town who doesn't look like a 50s movie tramp (that's the always luminescent Remick we're talking about here). Murray proceeds to torque off or become a political pawn to just about everyone in town.Except the reptilian Egan, an actor I love to watch because he oozes a sort of John Huston in Chinatown vibe. I guess he doesn't like Murray because he sees a shred of good in him.Anyway, you'll notice just how nearly raunchy the plot is. Murray and Remick have s-x, and it's really obvious because he looks happy, gazing off at the wallpaper and she brushes her hair, staring off at how many brushes she's up to. There's talk of tramps, political chicanery, somebody getting a bullet through his face, and after Murray grows a pair but before he settles a score with Egan, we dopes in the audience are reminded--using reverse-psychology--that the establishment's morality is pretty-well fubar. Almost, almost edgy stuff there. Remember, 1959 wasn't that long before the end of the Production Code, and Hoary-wood was experimenting with heroes that weren't squeaky-clean. It was interesting watching how immoral our hero becomes before he pulls his head out. I can just see Joe and Jane Suburbia, going with the kiddies to the movies, and walking out in a kerfluff over how dirty These Thousand Hills was. I personally thought it was quaint, cheesy, and morality-wins-uber-alles, which, believe it or not, made this reject from the Lifetime Movie Network actually satisfying.Plus, the scenery was pretty and Remick, with a split lip and blackened eyes (guess who did that to her, folks!) is still breathtaking.
Nazi_Fighter_David
Lat Evans (Don Murray) is an ambitious lonesome cowboy who is figuring on hanging around for a while in Fort Brock, Montana
He is a good name back home
He is out to make it mean something here
He saves some money and wants to buy a ranch
So he went to the bank to see about making a loan
But Marshal Conrad (Albert Dekker) can't afford to back gamblers
For him, it's too much of a risk
He advises Lat to get himself some securitya piece of land, a deed, something to put upthen they'll talk about a loan
But Callie (Lee Remick), the dance hall girl, who is doing it to keep him with her, gave him her savingswith the promise to pay it back to buy the ranch he wants
Meantime another girl appears, the pretty Joyce (Patricia Owens)
She's the niece of the banker
Tidy, educated, she has been to college and all that
Of course Lat owes his start to Callie but he got to finish by himself
What he wants is a starched wife and a starched home and a starched reputation and Callie is spoiling his chances of getting it
Murray is fine as the man with a future
He doubts if he goes in there his political chances are finished
Lee Remick hasn't cared for anybody in such a long time
She's honest enough to say she's not worth risking anything for
Richard Egan is the man who breaks his word, double-crosses his friends and beats up his woman
Filmed in CinemaScope and color, this big-scale Western is very entertaining with enough action around