Border Incident

Border Incident
Border Incident
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Anthony Mann
Screenplay by	John C. Higgins
Story by	George Zuckerman
Produced by	Nicholas Nayfack
Starring	Ricardo Montalbán; George Murphy; Howard Da Silva; James Mitchell
Cinematography	John Alton
Edited by	Conrad A. Nervig
Music by	André Previn
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	October 28, 1949 (United States);
Running time	94 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$749,000
Box office	$908,000

Border Incident is a 1949 film noir featuring Ricardo Montalbán, George Murphy, Howard Da Silva. Directed by Anthony Mann, the MGM production was written by John C. Higgins and George Zuckerman. The film was shot by cinematographer John Alton, who used shadows and lighting effects to involve an audience despite the fact that the film was shot on a low budget.^[2]

Premise[]

The story concerns two agents, one Mexican (PJF) and one American, who are tasked to stop the smuggling of Mexican migrant workers across the border to California. The two agents go undercover, one as a poor migrant.

Cast[]

Ricardo Montalbán as Pablo Rodriguez
George Murphy as Jack Bearnes
Howard Da Silva as Owen Parkson
James Mitchell as Juan Garcia
Arnold Moss as Zopilote
Alfonso Bedoya as Cuchillo
Teresa Celli as Maria Garcia
Charles McGraw as Jeff Amboy
José Torvay as Pocoloco
John Ridgely as Mr. Neley
Arthur Hunnicutt as Clayton Nordell
Sig Ruman as Hugo Wolfgang Ulrich
Jack Lambert as Chuck
Otto Waldis as Fritz

Production[]

The film was among a number of lower budgeted movies produced at MGM under the regime of Dore Schary.^[3]

Reception[]

According to MGM records the film earned $580,000 in the US and Canada and $328,000 overseas resulting in a loss of $194,000.^[1]

Critical response[]

Roger Westcombe compared the film to classic Westerns: "Yet far from a typical Western's sense of freedom, Border Incident shares with [director Mann's previous film noir] T-Men that film's inky, submerged visual quality. These are 'wide' but not 'open' spaces, as Alton's beautifully registered grey-toned but grim visuals make the distant horizons as closed as the American border. The constant presence of vulnerable, innocent peasants adds a piquancy to Border Incident, raising the stakes from the destiny of a mere two police agents to that of an entire underclass."^[4]

References[]

Notes[]

^ ^a ^b ^c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
^ Border Incident at the American Film Institute Catalog.
^ Thomas F. Brady Special to The New York Times (Dec 21, 1948). "Metro is Planning Low-Budget Films: 'Border Incident,' To Be Made Next Year, First of Series – Cost Set at $550,000". New York Times. p. 33.
^ Westcombe, Roger Archived March 1, 2005, at the Wayback Machine. Big House Film, review. Last accessed: December 25, 2007.

Bibliography[]

Harry Tomicek: Das grosse Schwarz. Border Incident, von Anthony Mann, Kamera: John Alton (1949). In: Christian Cargnelli, Michael Omasta .(eds.): Schatten. Exil. Europäische Emigranten im Film noir. PVS, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-901196-26-9.

External links[]

Border Incident at the American Film Institute Catalog
Border Incident at IMDb
Border Incident at AllMovie
Border Incident at the TCM Movie Database
Border Incident film trailer on YouTube

[Mannix-1] The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

[2] Border Incident at the American Film Institute Catalog.

[3] Thomas F. Brady Special to The New York Times (Dec 21, 1948). "Metro is Planning Low-Budget Films: 'Border Incident,' To Be Made Next Year, First of Series – Cost Set at $550,000". New York Times. p. 33.

[4] Westcombe, Roger Archived March 1, 2005, at the Wayback Machine. Big House Film, review. Last accessed: December 25, 2007.

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