Run for the Sun (1956)

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Amateur movie with Big budget

A different way of telling a story

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

People seem to generally dislike Run for the Sun (1956), but I rather like it. Sure it has its flaws, such as poor pacing, but the elements it gets right, it does well.The love story between Mike and Katie is touching and maturely handled. I thought both characters were interesting, especially Mike, who is a Hemingway-like author who feels like he has lost his inspiration. Katie is intelligent and collected, though her icy demeanor melts once she falls for Mike-- unfortunately, she becomes rather damsel-like once the climax hits.The odd part about RFTS is that it works best before we get to the "people hunting people" scenario. Honestly, the bit with the Nazi war criminals feels tacked on and isn't nearly as interesting as the romance or the original Connell story (and for that matter, the superb 1932 film of the same name). There's little sense of danger or suspense either, making the last twenty minutes feel like an anti-climax.Not as effective as it could have been, but certainly better than its reputation among film-goers would imply. A worthy remake.

Viewing this challenging to produce adventure film, you wonder why actors go through such a demanding discipline when they could just take "walk through" film parts like "Cash McCall" and spare themselves the physically-exhausting grind? In fact, Jane Greer subsequently became severely ill with a virus from over-exposure to the perils of the jungle, in tandem with the punishing and wearisome film-shooting regimen.Greer plays the part of a magazine "spy" journalist, seeking to catch up with a celebrated societal "drop out" author, played by Richard Widmark, a.k.a. "Ernest Hemingway without the beard," which she does in the small Mexican fishing village of San Marcos. Soon enough she falls for this reclusive, charismatic "loner," to the point where she defaults on her "exclusive story" assignment, and begins the trek homeward to New York City.The first leg of the trip home entails Widmark flying the lady in a small private airplane, to Mexico City. Alas, the result of faulty compass readings, instead of reaching Mexico City, the couple finds itself off-course with a low-fuel crisis over the heart of desolate jungle terrain, where there are forced to crash land.At first it seems fortunate that, shaken up by the impromptu landing as they are, they are assisted by a combination of two English-speaking "landlords" of the isolated jungle estate where they landed, and some native cohabitants in that setting.Slowly, Widmark and Greer come to realize that their hosts are not simply Englishmen doing archaeological research, but in fact are Nazi war criminals on the dodge, with one of them (Trevor Howard), being an English "turncoat" who threw in with the Nazi's and married the (late) sister of the one with whom he is in seclusion, far removed from civilization.As these revelations dawn upon Widmark and Greer, however, their antagonists become aware that their security has been breached, thus the resolution of the film depicting the literal struggle for supremacy and survival pitting the now rival factions, replete with the requirement that the combatants on both sides exhibit "survival school" resourcefulness, as the chase is on and the stakes are high.The film is well-scripted, certainly well-directed (Roy Boulting, "There's A Girl In My Soup") and superbly acted, with the lush Technicolor production offsetting the pristine surroundings quite lavishly. And Jane Greer, for all her "Out Of The Past" film noir celebrity, never looked more stunningly beautiful, abetted by the strong and complementary magnetism she and Richard Widmark share throughout their collaboration on this film.Highly recommended suspenseful film - for its visual splendor and for its sustained-interest plot which winds down many arcane twists and turns of fortune for the protagonists.

An implausible story, but a great romantic adventure nonetheless.Starring Richard Widmark, very good as the Roman a Clef Hemingway, one of Widmark's best performances IMO, except for those roles that involved wheelchairs, and Jane Greer, as the tenacious journalist/love interest.And Nazis too: Trevor Howard, one of my favorites, as a fictitious Lord Haw Haw, very sinister, getting his comeuppance, and other Nazis too.Widmark, Greer, and Howard are all excellent.It's a very exciting and entertaining film, if you're willing to suspend disbelief.Definitely worth watching.

Run for the Sun (1956)This begins in Mexico, with a charming and warmly photographed encounter between a reclusive Hemingway-like novelist on the outs and a too-beautiful reporting trying to track him down. They have a series of interactions that establish both the man's independence and self-criticism (positive qualities) and the woman's weakening resolve, since she kind of likes the guy and doesn't want to blow his seclusion. He doesn't know what she's up to at first, and she just wants to give up and go home before he discovers her duplicity.But this is just a set-up so that the rest of the movie, the most dangerous game part, where the two are pursued through the jungle for a hour of exhaustion. Richard Widmark makes a convincing writer/adventurist out for himself, drowning in alcohol, and then surviving in the jungle. And surprisingly, Jane Greer, often something of an ornament in movies because she looks so good, is perfectly tough and (later) weary while still playing the female reporter a little out of her league. The two are also given time in the first scenes to develop a genuine understanding for each other, the basis for a growing affection. When thing get dire later and they cling to each other (this is no spoiler, surely), you expect and need it. Ostensibly (and officially, in the opening credits) this second half of the movie is based on the Richard Connell short story, "The Most Dangerous Game," though it's too far removed from the original to count. The core of the story is about a famous hunter becoming the prey to a slightly crazed man who loves to hunt the most dangerous of animals: humans. But this is not a twist of roles, or a matter of wanting to test a man's hunting skills against human prey. This is just about two innocents who learn something they shouldn't and have to run for their lives.Though the Connell story has a creepy originality to it, I rather like this movie more than either of the earlier adaptations (the 1932 "The Most Dangerous Game" and the 1945 "A Game of Death). Both of those are closer to the original, though both take the liberty of adding a woman to the story and the improbably and convenient outline of an unnecessary romance. "Run for the Sun" has morphed into something new, and better, the romance becoming central.Director Ray Boulting, who got his start making documentaries, gives the film a kind of British flavor (Connell was American), making the bad guy a twisted diplomat for Britain who went bad during WWII. The whole scenario in the Mexican jungle feels like that classic situation of a Brit somewhere far from London going native but bringing a little bit of England with him, with tea and good books and indigenous servants. In the end, the events are fairly straight forward, which is its largest flaw. The realistic filming of the chase (most of it is believable, both rugged and unsensational) compensates for the fact that you sort of know the outcome. A clever trick with a bullet near the end is a fun, almost James Bond, innovation. The glue, and the sugar, here is the acting, Widmark above all convincing both in his delivery and for his physical energy. Greer is just fine, though she's given little to do but respond, and get very very tired. It's her clever magnetic notepad holder that gets them in trouble, if you pay attention. The evil Mr. Browne? Played by a very British Trevor Howard to perfection. The filming is first rate, and it's no wonder with Joseph LaShelle behind the camera. He did some classic noirs, but then moved to a decade of terrific wide screen color films, including several with Billy Wilder. Here, the camera-work is really nice, and the color itself is truly striking and clean. Naturally, it's still top notch Technicolor and not one of the Kodak competitors which were still thin by comparison. And it's shot about 50 miles from Mexico City. The hacienda is beyond gorgeous.If you just approach this movie for what it is, a kind of less outrageous "African Queen" without the star power, it's a lot of well made fun. If you come into it expecting another "The Most Dangerous Game," you'll have to make some adjustments quickly.