The Stalking Moon is directed by Robert Mulligan and adapted by Wendell Mayes & Alvin Sargent from the Theodore V. Olsen novel. It stars Gregory Peck, Eva Marie Saint and Robert Forster. Fred Karlin scores the music and cinematography comes from Charles Lang. It's a Technicolor and Panavision production. Plot sees Peck as veteran army scout Sam Varner, who agrees to escort former Apache captive Sarah Carver (Saint) and her half-Indian son to safety. Easier said than done, for as they make their way across the sprawling terrain of the Southwest, they are being tracked by a savage renegade Indian who is intent on getting the boy back.
Along with producer Alan J. Pakula, the Mulligan and Peck teaming sees the three principals involved in To kill a Mockingbird reconvene for this late 60s Oater. Coming out at a time when the Western was fast becoming a fading genre, it's a film that has largely been forgotten about. Garnering mixed reviews from those that have seen it, it's a film that frustrates and enthrals in equal measure. From the outset it's probably best to put out there that it's very much a slow build piece, one that is more about dealing in suggestion and anticipation than it is in actual events.
There's a strong lead performance from Peck, a performance he was privately said to have been fond of, and the photography from Lang, as he sumptuously brings to life Red Rock Canyon & Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, gives a nice contrast to the grim mood generated by the protagonists' journey. There's also an interesting score from Karlin, not very traditional, but it does work and leaves a favourable impression. While there's enough tension throughout, born out of Mulligan smartly keeping the villain off screen for the majority of the picture; letting it play out as if there's some sort of supernatural foe in the midst.
However, if the ending, though, pays you off after your patience? And after having got you to buy into the slow build? Well that's the deal breaker as to if you can give this film two thumbs up or not. Personally it held no surprise for me, and that was a bit of a let down. You sense the makers wanted to make something a bit different as the genre was beginning to wane, instead they revert to type and it hurts the film considerably. A shame is that. 6.5/10
Along with producer Alan J. Pakula, the Mulligan and Peck teaming sees the three principals involved in To kill a Mockingbird reconvene for this late 60s Oater. Coming out at a time when the Western was fast becoming a fading genre, it's a film that has largely been forgotten about. Garnering mixed reviews from those that have seen it, it's a film that frustrates and enthrals in equal measure. From the outset it's probably best to put out there that it's very much a slow build piece, one that is more about dealing in suggestion and anticipation than it is in actual events.
There's a strong lead performance from Peck, a performance he was privately said to have been fond of, and the photography from Lang, as he sumptuously brings to life Red Rock Canyon & Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, gives a nice contrast to the grim mood generated by the protagonists' journey. There's also an interesting score from Karlin, not very traditional, but it does work and leaves a favourable impression. While there's enough tension throughout, born out of Mulligan smartly keeping the villain off screen for the majority of the picture; letting it play out as if there's some sort of supernatural foe in the midst.
However, if the ending, though, pays you off after your patience? And after having got you to buy into the slow build? Well that's the deal breaker as to if you can give this film two thumbs up or not. Personally it held no surprise for me, and that was a bit of a let down. You sense the makers wanted to make something a bit different as the genre was beginning to wane, instead they revert to type and it hurts the film considerably. A shame is that. 6.5/10