zardoz-13 Stalwart thesping by a veteran cast and stunning mountain scenery cannot compensate for the predictable script in "Broken Arrow" director Delmar Daves' modest ranching epic "Jubal," with likable Glenn Ford cast as the eponymous character. The story is fairly basic material. A lone cowboy staggers out of the mountains and onto the trail, starved, on foot without a horse, and practically dead. The owner of a sprawling ranch picks him up and brings him onto his property. Good Samaritan rancher Shep (Ernest Borgnine of "Marty") is a genuinely pleasant fellow who takes the cowboy, Jubal Troop (Glenn Ford of "Texas"), in and gives him a job. Meanwhile, one of the ranch owner's hands, Pinky (Rod Steiger of "On the Waterfront") doesn't like Shep's charitable gesture of kindness. He doesn't like it for another reason. Shep's beautiful wife Mae (Valerie French) is a no-good spouse who lusts after Jubal behind her husband's ignorant back. Pinky knows better, too, and does his best to aggravate a potentially nasty predicament. While Shep is hopelessly gracious to his men, overlooking Pinky's antagonism to Jubal, he is a complete fool where women are concerned and doesn't see what his faithless wife is doing to him. Pinky's wrath toward Jubal mounts when Shep gives him the rank of foreman. Meanwhile, some Christian settlers venture across Shep's land and Pinky leads an army of Shep's cowhands and other ranch hands from different ranches to drive these harmless folks out. Jubal intervenes on behalf of the settlers. Predictably, Pinky rides back to the ranch and warns Shep about Jubal's treachery. Initially, Pinky didn't like Jubal because he smelled sheep on him."Jubal" was one of those 'adult-themed' westerns that Hollywood made in the 1950s. The lady of the ranch throws herself at the hero, but he isn't having anything to do with her because he likes her husband. Unfortunately, Daves and scenarist Russell Hughes refrain from developing the roles into three dimensional characters. In other words, nobody changes over time. Every character remains steadfastly the same. Pinky epitomizes evil incarnate when he is not given his way. At one point, Pinky and Jubal opens fire their weapons on each other. As the only lady in this horse opera, Mae doesn't change an iota either. Eventually, Pinky convinces Shep that Jubal and Mae are having an affair under his nose and Shep calls an unarmed Jubal out. The ending leaves something to your imagination with regard to Pinky's comeuppance. Jack Elam and Noah Beery, Jr., co-star.

Wuchak Released in 1956, "Jubal" is easily one of the best 50's Westerns and ranks with my all-time favorites.THE STORY: An injured drifter, Glenn Ford as Jubal Troop, is rescued by ranch-owner Shep (Earnest Borgnine), who ultimately promotes him to foreman of his ranch. This stirs up the envy of ranch-hand Pinky (Rod Steiger) and the desire of Shep's young sexpot wife, Mae (Valerie French), which results in even more hostility from Pinky since he used to enjoy the adulterous attentions of Mae until Jubal came along. The captivating drama is as old as the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife from Genesis 39.Add to this mix a group of trespassing Mennonites (or perhaps Quakers) who have in their company Naomi (Felicia Farr), a godly woman who attracts Jube's romantic eye, and Reb (Charles Bronson), another drifter who befriends Jube.WHAT WORKS: For the first hour and ten minutes or so "Jubal" is captivating cinema of the highest order. Shep (Borgnine) is simpleminded and naïve, but likable and full of mirth. Mae (French) is fully clothed at all times, yet somehow oozes sexuality with every simple glance or word, proving that sexiness involves way more than merely showing skin. Naomi (Farr) is an interesting addition to the story: her purity attracts Jube just as much as Mae's adulterous tactics turn him off.Rod Steiger is perfect as the villainous Southerner-turned-Westerner "Pinky." Notice how his hostility toward Jubal is rooted in arrogance, envy and jealousy. Also notice that his strategy to destroy Jubal is deception -- getting others to believe lies. This is how it happens in real life with enemies who hate you for no actual reason. Since there's no grounds for their hatred they resort to lies to destroy your reputation and poison people's minds against you.Glenn Ford is perfect as the tragedy-laden drifter and how can you go wrong with (a young) Charles Bronson?A big bonus is that the film was shot on location with the mighty Grand Tetons as a backdrop the entire story. These magnificent Wyoming mountains are nothing short of breathtaking!The last act is potent in that it reveals the destructive power of a lie, IF it's believed. The only people liars can deceive are simpletons with no discernment; the wise remain skeptical until they observe concrete proof. You'll notice that two of Shep's men refuse to take Pinky as his word because they discern his fleshly motivations, not to mention they likely caught him in lies before. WHAT DOESN'T WORK: There's too much scampering around in the last act as the plot ties-up loose ends, but it's redeemed by the powerful subtext. Also, the opening credits score is understandably dated but, thankfully, the rest of the score isn't bad for the 50s; in other words, it doesn't prevent you from enjoying the movie.BOTTOM LINE: Make no mistake, "Jubal" is a powerful psychological Western; there's thankfully no Disney-like unrealistic vibe anywhere to be found, nor lame attempts at humor (like "The Desperadoes"). The film expertly touches on issues of friendship, envy, jealousy, competition, lust, hate, love, hope and the destructive power of a lie. Let me add that Jubal is a man of fascinating noble character: he amazingly resists the skillful advances of the luscious Mae, like Joseph with Potiphar's wife, obviously because he wanted something better -- a woman he could trust!"Jubal" is a must for every Western fan's film library.The film runs 100 minutes.GRADE: A

Jeff (actionrating.com) Skip it – This is a heart-warming western, but the plot has been recycled so often that you've probably seen it a dozen times. A mysterious man joins up with a ranch and impresses everyone with his cowboy skills. He quickly works his way up the ranks and wins the trust of the boss. But the man who wants to be foreman gets jealous and tries to turn the boss against him. That's it in a nutshell. This western does feature a great cast including Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, and Rod Steiger. But if a plot is unoriginal, you need more than a great cast. You need action - and on that front, this movie does not deliver. There's only one significant gunfight to speak of. Most of the movie feels like a soap opera.

Martin Bradley Othello out West. Delmar Daves' great and unjustly neglected western finds Glenn Ford's title character falling prey to ranch-hand Rod Steiger's Iago-like jealously when Ernest Borgnine's Othello-like father figure picks him as his foreman and surrogate son. Throw in the machinations of wife Valerie French who has the hots for Ford and it isn't difficult for Steiger to convince Borgnine that there's something going on.If Shakespeare's play is the blueprint, Daves' film is suitably complex in its own right and if Steiger displays a tendency to chew the scenery as he was wont to do, both Borgnine and Ford are outstanding, with Ford in particular proving something of a revelation. He has a terrific scene with Felicia Farr in which he describes his appalling childhood and how it made him the man he is. It's also magnificently photographed in cinemascope by Charles Lawton Jr; the exterior scenes are often breathtaking while the interiors use the widescreen to superb spatial effect.