Garden of Evil

source: Garden of Evil

Trailer—Garden of Evil

Garden of Evil

Filmed on location in the volcanic deserts and banana jungles of central Mexico, this film quickly escapes Western routine through its effective use of complex characterization and unusual scenery. The sweeping musical score and other worldly backgrounds establish an epic atmosphere. The background painting used in the opening credits and again in the "gold mine" sequences strongly recalls the paintings of Frederick Churchward. Mysterious and unattainable Susan Hayward leads an odd assortment of morbidly pensive adventurers in a mortal quest. As the characters' hidden pasts unravel, they sacrifice themselves, one by one, to assure the party's escape from hostile Indians. We are reminded that a society's least wanted members may be its most most willing defenders. Beneath the big screen Western flash, this is a film about loyalty and responsibility. Cooper's ending speech says it all.

Hooker (Gary Cooper), Fiske (Richard Widmark) and Luke Daly (Cameron Mitchell) are stranded in the dusty town of Puerto Miguel, Mexico when their ship breaks down. It will take weeks to fix. Leah Fuller (Susan Hayward) comes to town in need of men to rescue her husband John Fuller (Hugh Marlowe) who is trapped in their mine. Despite the threat of Apache attacks, the three Americans are lured by the promise of $2000 each and they are joined by Vicente Madariaga (Victor Manuel Mendoza). This could be remade into a great modern dark gritty thriller. The adventure is there. The romantic entanglement could be remade into something creepier and more sinister. The combination of Widmark and Cooper is great. I don't really like some of the old fashion sensibilities. This could have been amazingly dark if the characters are more stripped down to their greedy selfish cores.

Some people complained about the Indian's role.I think that the first thing to bear in mind is that this western is more a fable than a realist story:the Indians ,whom we almost never see -a little more than the Arabs in Ford's "the lost patrol" or Duvivier's "la bandera",but not much more-:they are silhouettes in the landscape .The real danger is man's endless greed who ,were the earth made of gold,would die for a handful of it.That's what Gary Cooper's character says. I think that Hathaway's 1957 movie "Legend of the Lost" is more convincing than "Garden" .This search for a treasure in the desert does not need an outside threat:no hostile tribe here.Men are finally on their own and madness is around the corner. Try to see both movies in a row,mainly if you do not think that Henry Hathaway is an auteur.He is.

This is a hugely underrated western as eccentric and individual as anything by Peckinpah or Boetticher. One of the early Cinemascope adventures from Fox, GARDEN OF EVIL has a superb cast at the top of their respective games, fantastic special effects, wonderful widescreen photography, and one of house composer Bernard Herrmann's very best scores (which is saying a mouthful). Best of all, it showcases an utterly unique screenplay full of strange, world-weary philosophy that sounds like Hemingway on acid. (Ironically, the chief writer, Fred Frieberger, is best known for producing the third and weakest season of the original STAR TREK -- notorious for its bad writing). At any rate, check this one out the first chance you get. Years of bad pan & scan showings on TV have destroyed its reputation -- but if you ask me, GARDEN OF EVIL is a gem waiting to be discovered, if not a cult waiting to be born!

Lovely Susan Hayward comes to town looking for a few good men. They're in short supply in that Mexican town so she takes what she can get. Her husband, Hugh Marlowe is trapped in their mine with a broken leg and surrounded by Apaches. She hires Gary Cooper, Richard Widmark, Cameron Mitchell, and Victor Manuel Mendoza to rescue him. Of course it's the gold that's attracting these guys, but having Hayward along on the trail is certainly diverting enough. They arrive at the mine with husband and Apaches still there. There's little suspense here, mainly because the men fill out the casting stereotypes we've come to expect from them. I can't say any more on that subject lest I spoil the viewing if you're at all interested. I can't wrap myself around the concept that Marlowe was even alive after a few days journey to town and back. It's what makes the rest of the film somewhat ridiculous in my eyes. Still the stars perform admirably and they are the reason for watching Garden of Evil.