THE MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER On Blu-ray From Kino

 

THE MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER is a 1953 period tale from Universal, starring Tyrone Power. It's a film that is usually included alongside the many Westerns made by Universal in the 1950s, although personally I don't think it belongs in that genre. 

Tyrone Power plays the dashing Mark Fallon, an expert gambler who arrives in New Orleans seeking to make his fortune. Fallon falls for the high-spirited Angelique (Piper Laurie), the daughter of an aristocrat who was an old friend of his father. Angelique's hard-to-get attitude and her ne'er-do-well brother cause Fallon plenty of problems as he tries to build his own casino while staying above the treachery of the pre-Civil War South. 

Getting Tyrone Power for THE MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER was something of a coup for Universal at the time. The part of Mark Fallon is absolutely perfect for him. What makes Fallon different from Power's many other costumed adventurers is that the man is an honest gambler with a strong sense of fair play. The problem is that nearly everyone else in the movie doesn't follow Fallon's standards, putting him in a number of complicated situations. Tyrone Power was a real movie star, and his overwhelming screen presence allows him to make the material better than it is. He also looks incredibly handsome in Technicolor (he has as many costume changes as the leading ladies do). 

Piper Laurie is a good foil for Power, although her character's pouty attitude gets tiresome. Julie Adams doesn't show up until about 50 minutes in the film, but she still manages to make a big impression. Adams plays a woman who is given help by Fallon, and she (understandably) comes to adore him. (One problem with the script of this movie is that Fallon treats Adams' character like a kid sister, while still going through all sorts of trouble in dealing with Piper Laurie. I'm sure most viewers would say Fallon went after the wrong lady.) Adams' adoration of Power was genuine--in her autobiography she states that Power's magnetism was just as potent off-screen as on, but despite that, he never acted like a big star on set, and he treated everyone with courtesy. 

The great character actor John McIntire plays Power's gambling associate, while Dennis Weaver has a small role as another wayward brother, this time Adams'. 

THE MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER has a few action scenes--Power gets to do a couple fencing matches, takes part in a duel, and he has a few fistfights. But this is not a tough adventure saga. Power spends most of his time dressed to the nines, sitting at a card table or in a salon with one of the leading ladies. The movie was written by Seton I. Miller, who had a long career as a screenwriter on a number of famous classic Hollywood films, and it was directed by Rudolph Mate, who was better known as a cinematographer. Despite Mate's camera credentials, THE MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER has a no frills to-the-point visual style. The colorful wardrobes and fine set designs do liven things up. 

Kino's Region A Blu-ray of this film looks very good overall, but it wouldn't say it's a spectacular transfer. The main extra, other than a trailer for the movie, is an audio commentary by Toby Roan. He spends most of his time reciting biographical facts about the cast & crew. He does take time to mention that the movies Rudolph Mate directed were not as expressively visual as one would expect. 

THE MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER is Tyrone Power's show all the way, and it's a great example of a story tailored for a true classic Hollywood star. Julie Adams fans will want to see this, even though her part is small and underwritten.