The Hanging Tree

"From The Prize Novel -- A Picture Of Thundering Power!"

1959 1h 47m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 131

Western

Synopsis

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Joseph "Doc" Frail is a doctor with a past he's trying to outrun. While in Montana, he comes across a mining camp with a hanging tree and rescues a man named Rune from the noose. With Rune as his servant, Frail decides to settle down, and he takes over as town doctor. He meets Elizabeth, who is suffering from shock, and the two soon fall in love. But when Elizabeth is attacked, Frail's attempt to help her lands them both in trouble.

“From The Prize Novel -- A Picture Of Thundering Power!”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Gary Cooper
Dr. Joseph "Doc" Frail
Maria Schell
Elizabeth Mahler
Karl Malden
Frenchy Plante
George C. Scott
George Grubb
Karl Swenson
Tom Flaunce
Virginia Gregg
Edna Flaunce
John Dierkes
Society Red
King Donovan
Wonder

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Delmer Daves
Writers: Halsted Welles, Wendell Mayes
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 / 7

ERA

Did you know

67 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Delmer Daves, shot by Ted D. McCord. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Gary Cooper and Maria Schell and Karl Malden carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "From The Prize Novel -- A Picture Of Thundering Power!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0052876 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Delmer Daves directs. Ted D. McCord behind the camera. Max Steiner scores. Owen Marks cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

167 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Delmer Daves, shot by Ted D. McCord. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Max Steiner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Owen Marks shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Gary Cooper and Maria Schell and Karl Malden carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "From The Prize Novel -- A Picture Of Thundering Power!".
7IMDB entry: tt0052876 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ted D. McCord
Original score: Max Steiner
Editing: Owen Marks
Costume design: Marjorie Best
Makeup / hair: Gordon Bau
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Hanging Tree (1959)

Also by

Delmer Daves

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2024-10-10
★ 7/10
Ahead-of-its-time Western with Gary Cooper, set in the Great Northwest In 1873, an embittered doctor (Cooper) sets up practice in a small gold mining town along The Montana Trail. After acquiring a dubious bondservant (Ben Piazza), he tries to help a wounded Swiss immigrant (Maria Schell). But this stirs up the town’s moral police biddies and the jealousy of a lecherous prospector (Karl Malden), not to mention his successful practice threatens the livelihood of a faith healer (George C. Scott). "The Hanging Tree" (1959) was Cooper’s second to last Western. He passed away due to prostate cancer less than three years after it was shot in the summer of ’58. He was 57 during shooting and carries the film with his towering presence, which doesn’t feel like a 50’s Western, but rather one from the mid-60s. The colorful locations and town set are as good as you’ll see in any Western, very realistic, while angelic Maria Schell is a highlight, the older sister of Maximilian (by four years). Not everything in the story is spelled out. The intelligence of the viewer is respected and thus expected to put the pieces together based on clues offered. It’s good, just kind of ambiguous, which explains its failure at the box office and eventual sleeper status. It no doubt plays better on repeat viewings. This was George C. Scott’s breakout into feature films, but his character isn’t given much screentime and he hams it up a bit too much as the wild-eyed preacher, a one-note loony tune. More dimension was needed in order to ring true. The film runs 1 hour, 47 minutes, and was shot in the general area of Yakima, Washington, including Nile (the mining town) and Goose Prairie (the opening scene). This region is located about a 2.5-hour drive southeast of Seattle. GRADE: B

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