Rancho Notorious

Undeniably an oddity in the oeuvre of director Fritz Lang, Rancho Notorious is a Technicolor revenge western with noir themes and plot points even if it lacks the sumptuous expressionist B&W cinematography for which Lang is so famous. Marlene Dietrich is the centerpiece as Altar Keane, owner of the Chuck-a-Luck, a horse ranch that doubles as a hideout for fugitives, while Arthur Kennedy plays Vern Haskell, a new arrival secretly searching for the man who raped and murdered his wife. Another “tenant” named Frenchy Fairmont (Mel Ferrer) has been romancing Altar, but she becomes distracted by Vern, who plays along with her only as a means to an end: vengeance. While another male lead might have amped up the onscreen chemistry, and the folksy theme ballad becomes a little excessive, it’s fascinating to see what Lang can do with sweeping, crepuscular vistas in vivid oranges and reds.