Epic story about how California became a state. Starts with Ray Milland leading a wagon train, picking up minx-y Barbara Stanwyck along the way, then getting hoodwinked once the gold rush begins. He finally makes it to California and runs into Stanwyck again and finds her hooked up with Pharaoh Coffin, (George Coulouris in a wonderfully hissable villain role with a great name), an ex-slave trader who plans on making money by blocking California's bid for statehood.
It was something to see Ray Milland play a rough and tumble cowboy. I wasn't sure how he'd come off, I'd only seen him in DIAL 'M' FOR MURDER and PREMATURE BURIAL, both I thought he was great in but this is like the totally opposite end of the spectrum. Barbara Stanwyck of course steals every scene she's in except the scenes with Barry Fitzgerald who acts circles around everyone else in the film. Barry plays a simple grape farmer/philosopher who ends up leading a campaign for California's statehood and inspires everyone he encounters to be a better person and stand up for what they believe in. Anthony Quinn shows up all too briefly but is charming nonetheless. Ray and Barbara are both feisty as all get out and it's fun watching them deny each other what they obviously both desire. They both play kinda jerks and have great chemistry together.
The story switches gears like crazy and covers a lot of ground but is not quite the epic it wants to be be, caught somewhere between an A and B-movie. Director John Farrow shoots a lot of scenes in long takes (4+ minutes) which is always a pleasure to watch. Nice Technicolor and nice production values overall but falls just short of being a great flick. Still, fun can be had for fans of the genre and worth seeing.
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