Border Incident (1949)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Anthony Mann

Writers:

John C. Higgins (screenplay)
John C. Higgins (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

28 October 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Drama

Plot:

Mexican and American federal agents tackle a vicious gang exploiting illegal farm workers in southern California.

Plot Keywords:

California | Farm | Mexico | Federal Agent | Torture

Cast

Ricardo Montalban	...	Pablo Rodriguez
George Murphy	...	Jack Bearnes
Howard Da Silva	...	Owen Parkson
James Mitchell	...	Juan Garcia
Arnold Moss	...	Zopilote
Alfonso Bedoya	...	Cuchillo
Teresa Celli	...	Maria
Charles McGraw	...	Jeff Amboy
José Torvay	...	Pocoloco (as Jose Torvay)
John Ridgely	...	Mr. Neley
Arthur Hunnicutt	...	Clayton Nordell
Sig Ruman	...	Hugo Wolfgang Ulrich
Otto Waldis	...	Fritz
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Harry Antrim	...	John MacReynolds (uncredited)
Lita Baron	...	Rosita (uncredited)
Tony Barr	...	Luis (uncredited)
Robert Cabal	...	Bracero (uncredited)
Frank Conlan	...	Postal Clerk (uncredited)
Miguel Contreras	...	Bracero (uncredited)
David Cota	...	Bracero (uncredited)
George L. Derrick	...	Bracero (uncredited)
Joe Dominguez	...	Bracero (uncredited)
Gerald Echaverria	...	The Padre (uncredited)
Henry A. Escalante	...	Mexican Sergeant (uncredited)
Elias Gamboa	...	Bracero (uncredited)
Martin Garralaga	...	Colonel Rafael Alvardo (uncredited)
Fred Graham	...	Leathercoat with motorcycle (uncredited)
Gordon Harris	...	Bandit (uncredited)
Al Haskell	...	Bracero (uncredited)
Samuel Herrera	...	Bracero (uncredited)
Rozene Jones	...	Señora (uncredited)
Jack Lambert	...	Chuck (uncredited)
Mitchell Lewis	...	Older Bracero (uncredited)
Manuel López	...	Mexican Lieutenant (uncredited)
Knox Manning	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Paul Marion	...	One-Armed Man (uncredited)
Edwin Max	...	Doc Bryler (uncredited)
John McGuire	...	Norson, Immigration Officer (uncredited)
William 'Bill' Phillips	...	Jim, the Signalman (uncredited)
Jerry Riggio	...	Bracero (uncredited)
Charles Rivero	...	Bracero (uncredited)
Riley Sunrise	...	Bandit (uncredited)
Danilo Valente	...	Bracero (uncredited)
Lynn Whitney	...	Bella Amboy (uncredited)
Roque Ybarra	...	Bracero (uncredited)
Georgiana Young	...	Woman (uncredited)
Nedrick Young	...	Happy (uncredited)

Directed by
Anthony Mann

Writing credits
John C. Higgins		(screenplay)
John C. Higgins		(story) and
George Zuckerman		(story)

Produced by
Nicholas Nayfack	....	producer

Cinematography by
John Alton		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Conrad A. Nervig

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons
Hans Peters

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup designer

Art Department
Ralph S. Hurst	....	associate set decorator

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording supervisor

Music Department
André Previn	....	musical director

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1951) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #13741) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Goofs:

Continuity: Near movie's end, Pablo Rodriguez (Montalban) is almost fully submerged in quicksand. However, immediately upon being pulled out, he looks like he's had a shower; the quicksand that had been on his face and hair is completely gone.

Quotes:

Jack Bearnes: How do I know you won't double-cross me?
Owen Parkson: You don't. It's dealer's choice and I'm the dealer.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American Cinema (2002)

Anthony Mann-John Alton Duo Do It Again!

Here is some spectacular film noir photography by the same team (Director Anthony Mann and cinematographer John Alton) that brought you He Walked By Night, Ray Deal and T-Man. The photography is as good as anything in those movies, if not better. This is good stuff; great direction, with interesting closeups, wide-angle lenses, low-angle shots, tons of shadows and light. Instead of a big city, we had the desert as the main area. The DVD transfer is terrific, too.

All of this, to me, was more fun to watch than the actual story, although the second half of this movie is extremely tense and well done. It makes up for the first half which is a bit on the sordid side at times and a bit slow at times, but definitely film noir material meaning a feeling of dread just around each corner. The suspense gets really thick in the last 20 minutes when George Murphy is discovered by th sadistic criminals to be an undercover lawman. What happens to Murphy is memorable.

Howard da Silva and Charles MacGraw are effective as the main villains. MacGraw's distinctive voice alone makes him a film noir Hall of Famer. Murphy - known more for his light-hearted hoofer films - does a credible in here and it was interesting to see Ricardo Montalban (of TV's "Love Boat" fame) as such a young man. Those two play the good guys.

This is a tough, all-male cast with no romances or soft stuff. In a way, the atmosphere reminded me a bit of another tough noir, "The Big Combo," although the subject matter here is entirely different than any other noir I know about: immigrants crossing the border. However, unlike the real-life situation that is a major story today, this involves Mexicans crossing the border to do migrant farm work, and then getting robbed and killed by bandits on the way home. Still, the subject of "illegals" is a big part of this story and ironic to watch today in light of what's happening now.

Anyway, if you enjoy literally-dark stories, and am a fan of film noir, check this movie out.