Dark Command

"A drama of undying love."

1940 1h 34m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 63

DramaRomanceWestern

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When transplanted Texan Bob Seton arrives in Lawrence, Kansas he finds much to like about the place, especially Mary McCloud, daughter of the local banker. Politics is in the air however. It's just prior to the civil war and there is already a sharp division in the Territory as to whether it will remain slave-free. When he gets the opportunity to run for marshal, Seton finds himself running against the respected local schoolteacher, William Cantrell. Not is what it seems however. While acting as the upstanding citizen in public, Cantrell is dangerously ambitious and is prepared to do anything to make his mark, and his fortune, on the Territory. When he loses the race for marshal, he forms a group of raiders who run guns into the territory and rob and terrorize settlers throughout the territory. Eventually donning Confederate uniforms, it is left to Seton and the good citizens of Lawrence to face Cantrell and his raiders in one final clash.

“A drama of undying love.”

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Cast

Claire Trevor
Miss Mary McCloud
John Wayne
Bob Seton
Walter Pidgeon
William 'Will' Cantrell
Roy Rogers
Fletcher 'Fletch' McCloud
George 'Gabby' Hayes
Andrew 'Doc' Grunch
Porter Hall
Angus McCloud
Marjorie Main
Mrs. Cantrell / Mrs. Adams
Raymond Walburn
Judge Buckner

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Raoul Walsh
Writers: F. Hugh Herbert, Grover Jones, Lionel Houser
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

86 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Raoul Walsh, shot by Jack A. Marta. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Victor Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor William Morgan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Claire Trevor and John Wayne and Walter Pidgeon carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A drama of undying love.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0032383 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 63 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Raoul Walsh directs. Jack A. Marta behind the camera. Victor Young scores. William Morgan cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Raoul Walsh, shot by Jack A. Marta. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Victor Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor William Morgan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Claire Trevor and John Wayne and Walter Pidgeon carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "A drama of undying love.".
7IMDB entry: tt0032383 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 63 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jack A. Marta
Original score: Victor Young
Editing: William Morgan
Costume design: Adele Palmer
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Dark Command (1940)

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Raoul Walsh

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-04-26
★ 7/10
On to Kansas we go. Loosely based around a true story, Dark Command sees John Wayne play Bob Seton, an uneducated cowboy from Texas who wins around the people of Lawrence, Kansas to become their town Marshall just prior to the outbreak of the civil war. This angers the previously respectful town teacher, Will Cantrell (Walter Pidgeon), who after being beaten on the vote by Seton, forms guerrilla groups to raid, pillage and gun run around the Kansas countryside. Seton, now ensconced in the ways of the law, sets about crushing Cantrell and his unfeeling raiders, but there is also another matter at hand. Both men have deep affection for the same woman, Mary McCloud (Claire Trevor appearing with Wayne again after Stagecoach the previous year), so things are just that little bit more spicy between them as things start to come to a head. Directed by Raoul Walsh and adapted from the novel by W.R. Burnett ("Little Caesar" & "High Sierra"), the picture also contains fine support from Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes and features a pleasing score from Victor Young. Though historically dubious, Dark Command is no less enjoyable for being a creaky distortion of the "Quantrill's Raiders" (Re: Cantrell} period in history. Those after a history lesson would be well advised to source from elsewhere in that respect. Catching John Wayne just as he was about to become the towering presence he was, the film also serves as notice to a time when stunts and character interplay were precious commodities. Walsh, ever the sharp eye for action, delivers some wonderful sequences here, horses and carts are a thundering, even careering over cliffs at one point. Whilst the final raid on Lawrence is a blood pumping feast for the eyes. But it's with the feel of the film that it ultimately succeeds as a period piece of note. The mood is dark as the civil War looms, slave trading and gun running sit distastefully with dubious politics, and then the war, with Cantrell and his raiders taking their spoils of war leaving a particularly nasty taste in the mouth. All of which is moodily cloaked in a Raoul Walsh inspired sheen. A tip top production all round, and a fine cast on form makes Dark Command a must see for Republic Studios enthusiasts. See it if you can. 7/10

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