The Return of Frank James
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Actor: Gene Tierney, Henry Fonda, Henry Hull, Jackie Cooper, John CarradineBrand: Fox
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 92 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-03-06
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Reviews of The Return of Frank James
DVD Review: Lang makes a traditional western
Summary: 2 Stars
Among western icons, Jesse and Frank James have fared most poorly in their cinematic representations. Pat Garrett (James Coburn) and Billy the Kid (Kris Kristopherson), Wyatt Earp (Hugh O'Brien, Kurt Russel) and Doc Holiday (Val Kilmer), Davey Crockett (John Wayne, Fess Parker), George Custer (Errol Flynn) all have been well portrayed, but, alas, the most famous personality of all, Jesse and his Brother Frank, have not been as successful.
"The Return of Frank James" (1940) does nothing to change this. Henry Fonda reprises his role as Frank from the 1939 film "Jesse James". The sequel was made because "Jesse James" was a smash hit, grossing just less than GWTW, "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Hunchback of Norte Dame". Considering what a great year 1939 was for films, coming in # 4 is saying something, and what is said, was SEQUEL. The only problem was Jesse (played by Tyrone Power) died at the end of the film.
Many of the people from" Jesse James" are in the Frank James film. Besides Fonda, we have Henry Hull (Major Cobb), John Carradine (Bob Ford), Charles Tannen (Charlie Ford), and Donald Meek (McCoy). The current film adds beautiful Gene Tierney (1920-91) as Frank's love interest and young Jackie Cooper as his side kick.
IMHO Henry Fonda's performance is weak. Fonda (1905-82) is, of course one of the greatest American actors of the 20th century. He was nominated for an Oscar3 times ("Grapes of Wrath", "12 Angry Men") and won once ("On Golden Pond"). In his 100+ films he gave memorable performances in too many to list. But he was also capable of weak performances, and this is one of them. Perhaps the cause is director Fritz Lang's view of the conflicted hero which doesn't match the facts of Frank James' life. Or perhaps Fonda simply wasn't able to play a cowboy effectively. Many great actors were unsuccessful as cowboys (e.g., Cagney, Bogart, Tracey).
This was Gene Tierney's film debut. Tierney was nominated for an Oscar for "Leave Her to Heaven" (1944) and appeared in more than 40 films, the most notable of which were "Tobacco Road" (1941), "Laura" (1944), "Razor's Edge" (1946), and "The Left Hand of God" (1955). She was known for her escapades with famous personalities like Tyrone Power, Ally Kahn, and JFK. When she saw herself on screen in this film, Tierney was disturbed by the sound and quality of her voice, and I have to agree. But with beauty as she possessed, who is listening?
Jackie Cooper (1922) started acting at age 3 and by the time he was 9 and appeared in "The Champ" he had been in 19 films, mostly shorts. His appearance in "Skippy" (1931) earned him a nomination as Best Actor (he lost to Lionel Barrymore), his first and only nomination, and following the success of "The Champ" he had a solid career as a child star, appearing in several films with Beery ("The Bowery", "Treasure Island"). He was 18 when this film was made. Cooper is one of the few major child stars who went on to have a successful career as an adult actor. In addition, he had a busy career as a TV director. Cooper does a good job.
John Carradine (1906-88) was a terrific character actor. He was a part of John Ford's Stock Company and gave memorable performances in "Prisoner of Shark Island" (1936), "Stagecoach" (1939) and "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940). He's best known to us today for his continuing role as Serenity Johnson in son David's TV series "Kung Fu" (1972-1975). Carradine doesn't get much chance to act in this film, but the key scenes in the film do revolve around his presence.
Henry Hull (1890-1977) appeared in more than 100 films. You recognize his husky voice and his hyperactive demeanor from such familiar films as "High Sierra" (1941), "Lifeboat" (1944), and "Objective Burma" (1945), but he's best known as the "Werewolf of London" (1935). He steals every scene he is in.
Donald Meek (1878-1946) was a short, crumpled, bald man who appeared in more than 100 films between 1923 and 1947. He was usually a villain. He had memorable roles in "Captain Blood" (1935), "Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (1938), and "Young Mr. Lincoln" (1939). I remember him best as the whiskey salesman from "Stagecoach" (1939) and as Mr. Poppins from "You Can't Take it With You" (1938).
The main interest of this film is that it was directed by Fritz Lang (1890-1976). Lang was the father of film noir and was called the "Master of Darkness" by the BFI. He popularized the German school of expressionist film, with the "Dr. Mabuse" series (1922, 1933, 1960), the revolutionary "Metropolis" (1927) and the frightening "M" (1931) which launched the career of Peter Lorre. Though he wasn't a Jew, Lang fled German in 1934 when the Nazis took over. He eventually came to the US where he made "Fury" (1936) and then this film. Lang went on to make such memorable films as "Hangman Also Die" (1943), "The Woman in the Window" (1944), "Scarlet Street" (1945), "Clash by Night" (1952), and "The Big Heat" (1953). While he was never nominated for an Oscar, his work influenced the work of many directors, including Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock.
Apart from the darkness and lots of shadows in a few scenes, there is little to distinguish this as a Fritz Lang film. Rather than bring something new to the western, Lang seems to have tried to make as standard a western as he could. Years later, with "Rancho Notorious", he would take more liberties, but this film is undistinguished. Which isn't to say the film does not have its occasional moments - there is a raucous courtroom scene with Henry Hull that is superb.
All things considered the film is a disappointment. Lang brings nothing new to the genre, Fonda's performance is weak, and the totally fictitious script is not compelling.
Description of The Return of Frank James
RETURN OF FRANK JAMES - DVD MovieHenry King's 1939 Jesse James sidestepped history to embrace folklore's version of the outlaw as a populist hero. This sequel is pure dime-novel fiction, with Jesse's brother (Henry Fonda) getting even, albeit reluctantly, with Bob Ford (John Carradine), "the dirty little coward" who back-shot his leader to win amnesty. The revenge theme would seem tailor-made for 20th Century?Fox's newly signed directorial talent, Fritz Lang, to whip up a fine Teutonic frenzy. However, the maestro of Die Nibelungen treated the material straight, like the good, impersonal Hollywood craftsman he was eager to be taken for, at that point in his career. Besides, Lang loved the West and Western lore, and was happy working in the Western genre. (Check out his next Fox assignment, Western Union, for a richer confirmation of this.) The Technicolor is vivid, nowhere more so than in the red lips of Gene Tierney in her screen debut. --Richard T. Jameson
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