Run for the Sun (1956)
Studio: MGM
Theatrical Release: July 30th, 1956
DVD-R Release: May 29, 2012
Rating: UnRated!
Directed by Roy Boulting
Review by Craig Sorensen
Run for the Sun is everything that I love about ‘50s action films. The plot is fairly unconventional (some will say that this is just a rip-off of The Most Dangerous Game but that’s a stretch) and the film is peppered with great character actors which lend some weight to what could easily become pulpy nonsense (not that I’ve ever complained about that).
Richard Widmark (The Swarm) plays Mike Latimer, a washed up, drunk author trying to escape his life in Mexico. Jane Greer (Out of the Past) plays Katherine Connors, reporter for Sight magazine. She’s tracked Mike to this remote corner of the country to get the inside scoop on his disappearance from the public eye. As the two spend time together they naturally fall for each other (as people do in these kind of situations I guess). Katherine starts to doubt her conviction to write the story and tries to skip town. Mike offers to fly her in his plane to Mexico City. Due to a hidden magnet set too close to a compass (women) they fly wildly off course and run out of gas, crashing in the dense jungle below. And now the real fun begins. The pair immediately runs into two suspicious guys, Browne (the great Trevor Howard of The Third Man, Around the World in Eighty Days, Von Ryan's Express and The Great Muppet Caper) and Dr. Van Anders (Peter van Eyck of The Wages of Fear and Mr. Arkadin). Before you can say “Zaroff” Mike and Katherine are running for their lives through the jungle with hunting dogs on their tails.
So, yeah, I had a pretty good time watching Run for the Sun. Usually I end up taking notes during the films that I review that I can refer to while I’m writing. I didn’t do that here. I got completely sucked in. The plot has enough turns to keep you on the edge of your seat and the performances are all top notch. If I had one complaint it would be that the beginning is a little slow going. But it gives Widmark and Greer some room to breath in their characters before the shit hits the fan. Widmark and Greer are both great in their roles as usual and there is a lot of chemistry between the two. Of course Trevor Howard always elevates whatever film he appears in and Peter van Eyck is good as the German doctor Van Anders. The film features some great Technicolor jungle photography from Joseph LaShelle as well.
That Technicolor comes off a little too muted for my tastes in MGM’s DVD-R presentation. Technicolor is supposed to pop and it just doesn’t here. Otherwise, I think that things look pretty good here. There’s hardly any print damage that I can see and everything seems clean. There are a few instances of compression issues during the jungle scenes but busy scenes like this seem to always be problems with MGM’s DVD-R series (see also Hornet’s Nest, Hannibal Brooks and The Music Lovers). If these were at least dual layer discs those problems would probably clear up. Of course, this being a “Limited Edition Collection” film you get no trailers or special features of any kind. Just be happy you get to see the film at all.
[rating:4]
Theatrical Release: July 30th, 1956
DVD-R Release: May 29, 2012
Rating: UnRated!
Directed by Roy Boulting
Review by Craig Sorensen
Run for the Sun is everything that I love about ‘50s action films. The plot is fairly unconventional (some will say that this is just a rip-off of The Most Dangerous Game but that’s a stretch) and the film is peppered with great character actors which lend some weight to what could easily become pulpy nonsense (not that I’ve ever complained about that).
Richard Widmark (The Swarm) plays Mike Latimer, a washed up, drunk author trying to escape his life in Mexico. Jane Greer (Out of the Past) plays Katherine Connors, reporter for Sight magazine. She’s tracked Mike to this remote corner of the country to get the inside scoop on his disappearance from the public eye. As the two spend time together they naturally fall for each other (as people do in these kind of situations I guess). Katherine starts to doubt her conviction to write the story and tries to skip town. Mike offers to fly her in his plane to Mexico City. Due to a hidden magnet set too close to a compass (women) they fly wildly off course and run out of gas, crashing in the dense jungle below. And now the real fun begins. The pair immediately runs into two suspicious guys, Browne (the great Trevor Howard of The Third Man, Around the World in Eighty Days, Von Ryan's Express and The Great Muppet Caper) and Dr. Van Anders (Peter van Eyck of The Wages of Fear and Mr. Arkadin). Before you can say “Zaroff” Mike and Katherine are running for their lives through the jungle with hunting dogs on their tails.
So, yeah, I had a pretty good time watching Run for the Sun. Usually I end up taking notes during the films that I review that I can refer to while I’m writing. I didn’t do that here. I got completely sucked in. The plot has enough turns to keep you on the edge of your seat and the performances are all top notch. If I had one complaint it would be that the beginning is a little slow going. But it gives Widmark and Greer some room to breath in their characters before the shit hits the fan. Widmark and Greer are both great in their roles as usual and there is a lot of chemistry between the two. Of course Trevor Howard always elevates whatever film he appears in and Peter van Eyck is good as the German doctor Van Anders. The film features some great Technicolor jungle photography from Joseph LaShelle as well.
That Technicolor comes off a little too muted for my tastes in MGM’s DVD-R presentation. Technicolor is supposed to pop and it just doesn’t here. Otherwise, I think that things look pretty good here. There’s hardly any print damage that I can see and everything seems clean. There are a few instances of compression issues during the jungle scenes but busy scenes like this seem to always be problems with MGM’s DVD-R series (see also Hornet’s Nest, Hannibal Brooks and The Music Lovers). If these were at least dual layer discs those problems would probably clear up. Of course, this being a “Limited Edition Collection” film you get no trailers or special features of any kind. Just be happy you get to see the film at all.
[rating:4]
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