Stars in My Crown (1950)
Genre: Drama / Western
Duration: 89 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Jacques Tourneur
Stars: Joel McCrea, Ellen Drew and Dean Stockwell
IMDb score:
7,4 (2.768)
Releasedate: 11 May 1950
Stars in My Crown plot
""Take Your Choice...Either I Speak...Or My Pistols Do!""
In 1865, Rev. Josiah Doziah Gray arrives in the small southern town of Walsburg and begins to preach to the townspeople. The city has become so dangerous over the years that Josiah gives his first sermon in the local saloon while holding the audience at gunpoint. Under Josiah's direction, the city's first church is built and he soon falls in love with the church organist Harriet, whom he marries. He also befriends Uncle Famous Prill, a black man with whom he often goes fishing.
Actors and actresses
Josiah Doziah Gray
Harriet Gray
John Kenyon
Jed Isbell
Dr. Daniel Kalbert Harris, Sr.
Dr. Daniel Kalbert Harris, Jr.
Faith Radmore Samuels
Uncle Famous Prill
Prof. Sam Houston Jones
Sarah Isbell
Reviews & comments
mrklm
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- 11629 messages
- 10041 votes
This is certainly not a traditional Western, but a delightfully sentimental drama in which John Kenyon (voice of Marshall Thompson) reflects on his childhood in the rectory of his uncle Josiah Grey (Joel McCrae), a headstrong preacher and Civil War veteran whose arrival in a small town causes considerable friction between him and the villagers. That doesn't stop him from marrying his organist, Harriet (Ellen Drew), and standing up for what's right.
McCrae gives one of his best performances, and the characters are generally well-developed. Joe David Brown, who adapted his own novel with Margaret Fitts, is responsible for the film's somewhat episodic structure, but the episodes are always captivating, especially when Josiah must defend Uncle Famous Prill [Juano Hernandez], a freed slave who refuses to give up his rightfully acquired land to a ruthless businessman [Ed Begley]. Charles Kemper also shines as the charismatic Professor Sam Houston Jones, who brings the show to life with his "medicine show."
Translated from Dutch · View original
Bobbejaantje
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- 2301 messages
- 2092 votes
Beautiful work. It's not at all unusual to extensively weave the theme of religion into a Western, since it has always held an important place in American society from the moment the first colonists set foot in the New World. Joel McCrea shines in the role of the priest; I never doubted his credibility for a moment. The antagonist in the story is Lewis Stone, playing a doctor. One represents religion, the other dry (atheistic) science, leading to some interesting confrontations. Another key theme in the film is the battle for a piece of land between landowner Juano Hernandez and businessman Ed Begley, who has other plans for it. Identity also plays a role in this battle.
So it's a film with multiple layers, and it all comes together beautifully in the end. A very intelligent finale, by the way, where the power of cunning imagination trumps brute violence. The point is that McCrea is guided by his faith, his belief in a solution. And for this, he doesn't depend on divine intervention, but draws everything from his brain cells. Joel McCrea's character is therefore key here. It's remarkable that he only draws his revolvers once during the entire film and never uses them.
Skillfully filmed by Jacques Tourneur, and featuring the voiceover of the (adult) foster son. We're familiar with that voiceover, of course, primarily from the film noir of that era, and it's also used here, albeit with a more positive undertone.
I had already seen this film once and I continue to rate it just as highly.
Translated from Dutch · View original
clubsport
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- 3890 messages
- 6993 votes
Much more drama than a western, but definitely made with love. I've never really cared about faith, and certainly not the American version of it. It all comes across as a bit too sweet and fairytale-like, but if you can look past that, it's not a bad film in itself.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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