Untamed (1940)

Very disappointing...

Fresh and Exciting

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Not everybody is searching for their Shangri-La so it seems, and when an alcoholic doctor from New York arrives in the Canadian North West, he discovers his own Lost Horizon. Ray Milland is first seen heading to work, right from the party, his hand shaking so bad that there is no way he could make it through surgery. He is ordered to take a rest, and his pal William Frawley (seen in a tuxedo and top hat in the first scene, not at all like the dungarees worn by Fred Mertz) escorts him way above the U.S./Canadian border. During the final stages of their arrival, Frawley and Milland (along with tracker Akim Tamiroff) are attacked by a bear whom they kill, but another bear gets into a tangle with Milland, injuring him. He is taken to Tamiroff's cabin to recover where he meets Tamiroff's pretty wife (Patricia Morison), a big city girl who has endured the hardships of the country winters with a strong desire to return to Seattle.The neighbors (lead by the gossipy Esther Dale and the morally righteous Eily Maylon) spend more time gossiping about Morison's life than dealing with their own, and before Milland arrives, Morison gets a good lick in at the binocular drawn Maylon by shooting a gun through her window. These old biddies resent her youth, vitality and beauty, and I guess if I looked like an old mule like Dale or a pickle-pussed frump like Maylon, I might resent it too. These character actresses (and many others) took what they accepted in themselves for being non-beauties to play similarly unlikable characters, and I bet in their off-time from making movies, they were quite the opposite of their characters. On the other hand, the lovable Jane Darwell offers Morison total non-judgmental support and even gives the two old biddies a piece of her mind, much like Clara Blandick did to Margaret Hamilton in "The Wizard of Oz".The tensions really heat up when Tamiroff heads off into the wilderness, leaving Milland and Morison alone, with Milland assisting local doctor J. Farrell MacDonald just to have something to do. But even old country doctors have their expiration date, and soon, Milland has taken on his duties as winter explodes around them. Ironically, he is heading out into the wilderness for medication for the evil Maylon when Morison pleads with him not to go, declaring her love for him in front of the nasty Dale. When Tamiroff returns, he finds his wife gone and Darwell making explanations, but Dale steps in and turns Tamiroff into a jealous, raging lunatic, heading out after the two with a rifle in his hand.With a plot line that seems straight out of a silent movie (it highly resembles the Lillian Gish classic "Way Back East"), this colorful romantic adventure is totally gripping and never lets go. It's nice to see a big city party boy find out what life truly is all about, dealing with real people (the good and the bad) and finding himself and his destiny in the meantime. Milland is excellent. Morison, still with us on planet Earth at age 100, has perhaps her greatest leading role, and one thing is very clear in her characterization. Unlike the role of Lilli/Kate in the original Broadway production of "Kiss Me Kate", she does not "hate men".If you really like films that celebrate "wide open spaces", then this is the movie for you. The Canadian scenery is post-card perfect, both tranquil and deadly. The elements of winter explode with sinister force and nothing is left to the imagination of showing the agony of living through such a dangerous environment. The photography is superb with Leo Tover, one of the greatest cinematographers in Hollywood history, behind the camera. Certainly the story by Sinclair Lewis has its drawbacks, but for the most part, the challenge is met here and the result is an excellent adventure film with super direction by George Archainbaud and performances by leading actors whose characters you truly root for. Fortunately, there is no "perfect" conclusion, but the writers take great sensitivity to make sure that the emotional impact of the two leads is felt and brought to a finale that will leave the viewer satisfied and content that it wasn't wrapped up so neatly.

Handsome surgeon Milland travels to the Canadian wilderness for some much need R & R. He because good friends with Tamiroff, a French-Canadian trapper with a young and very beautiful wife (Morison). While Tamiroff is away hunting . . . well, need I go on?Tossed into the story are gossipy old women, a blizzard, an epidemic, and a race against time and elements to get a vaccine.This isn't a great film, but it's also not the turkey that the Maltin review suggests. The filmmakers obviously took care to make a quality picture, as it boasts good production and beautiful Technicolor photography. The scenes set during the blizzard are quite convincing, as frost from the actors' breath is visible.Milland gives a sincere performance and draws upon his casual debonair. Patricia Morison, an actress who was usually wasted in unsympathetic supporting roles (the scheming villainess, the haughty "other woman," etc.), is a lovely and charming heroine in this film (love that long, dark hair of her's!) The supporting cast is also fine.If a romantic soap opera is your cup of tea then this film is one that might make for pleasant time filler. Just make sure you see it in a good Technicolor print.