Although contrived and schematic, and an obvious attack on McCarthyism, "Silver Lode" is well structured for the first two thirds of the movie. Unfortunately the plot and moral vigour collapse in the final third.
As in the similarly themed "High Noon", a man's wedding day is ruined by the arrival in town of an old enemy. The enemy, Ned McCarthy, claims to be a U. S.Marshal with a warrant for Dan Ballard's arrest for murder. Dan is supported by the town's people and he is given two hours to find a legal defence. Everything goes wrong, and bit by bit people lose faith in him. Eventually he is found with two guns in his hands and three dead bodies at his feet. The implication is obvious, and every-one except an old flame and his new fiancée leaps to the wrong conclusion. From this point onwards, the story is a mess.
Dan goes on the the run, but it is not clear what he is trying to achieve, what information he is looking for. He kills not only McCarthy's henchmen, but also local people who are doing what they believe is their civic duty. Yet, when at the last minute, the truth is revealed, "Silver Lode" seems to suggest that everything is now fine - except that the town's people are all fickle vermin - and that it does not matter that innocent people have been killed.
The blanket condemnation of the local people is a ludicrous over-simplification and over-generalisation. Even "High Noon" was more tolerant than this. (If a man is found with guns in his hand and is surrounded by dead bodies, it is not unreasonable that people assume he killed them). "Silver Lode" would have been a better film if the plotting in the last third had been more skillful, and had eliminated the killing of innocent people. It would also have been more interesting if the fiancée had been one of those who lose faith in Dan, and if an embittered Dan had left town at the end with his old flame.
It would be quite easy to remake "Silver Lode" with substantial improvements.
As in the similarly themed "High Noon", a man's wedding day is ruined by the arrival in town of an old enemy. The enemy, Ned McCarthy, claims to be a U. S.Marshal with a warrant for Dan Ballard's arrest for murder. Dan is supported by the town's people and he is given two hours to find a legal defence. Everything goes wrong, and bit by bit people lose faith in him. Eventually he is found with two guns in his hands and three dead bodies at his feet. The implication is obvious, and every-one except an old flame and his new fiancée leaps to the wrong conclusion. From this point onwards, the story is a mess.
Dan goes on the the run, but it is not clear what he is trying to achieve, what information he is looking for. He kills not only McCarthy's henchmen, but also local people who are doing what they believe is their civic duty. Yet, when at the last minute, the truth is revealed, "Silver Lode" seems to suggest that everything is now fine - except that the town's people are all fickle vermin - and that it does not matter that innocent people have been killed.
The blanket condemnation of the local people is a ludicrous over-simplification and over-generalisation. Even "High Noon" was more tolerant than this. (If a man is found with guns in his hand and is surrounded by dead bodies, it is not unreasonable that people assume he killed them). "Silver Lode" would have been a better film if the plotting in the last third had been more skillful, and had eliminated the killing of innocent people. It would also have been more interesting if the fiancée had been one of those who lose faith in Dan, and if an embittered Dan had left town at the end with his old flame.
It would be quite easy to remake "Silver Lode" with substantial improvements.