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TLWAdministrator · Site Admin Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 100

Discuss Dead Mans Hill

santacrux · Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 279 Location: BC

I love a good western.

Hang Em High

An obvious homage to this old movie. Will Snow sure looks like 'the man with no name' in this one. The scene where he sits in the rocks after clobbering Challenger and before being pistol whipped by Ringo, they have a tight close-up. There's the Eastwood squint and sneer.

The Hanging Tree

Another old movie from my past. The focus of some great scenes-often in silhouette. Rather a frail-looking tree for such grisly goings-on.
There were other wonderful Western conventions: the characters themselves, the campfire breakfast, the gopher stew, burning out the farm, sending away the riderless horse, swapping lead in the hills.

Dust to Dust

Figuratively and literally. A lot of people bite the dust this episode. And the dust is everywhere. It smudges our view of the rescue, it discolours the black outfits of Johnny Ringo and Maylene, it's all over Challenger as he scrambles around his campsite and Roxton has to dust off his boots. Goodness knows it must fly through the cracks in that cabin of Maylene's; doesn't it get cold in Wyoming in the winter?

The widow Montgomery

I really had not expected that Ms Blakely could do such a wonderful job of playing a "timid little mouse". Her looks lead one to think she'd only thrive in more flamboyant roles. But that crooked little smile, the wide-eyed wonder, the soft voice, the plain speaking, the pleasure-filled face when Roxton awakes, the misery she displays when she tries to shoot him for the murder of the husband and can't; it makes her another person entirely from Marguerite. The scene where she describes her life
"I'm a rancher's wife... a rancher's widow .... These plains are where I'll live and die. All the rest is moonbeams and starshine, my Martin would say." I think that's just beautiful, sniff.

Best friends

Violet and Maylene demonstrate more closeness in five minutes than Veronica and Marguerite have in almost three years. Nice how Violet warns Roxton not to hurt Maylene and her dying words were touching.

Best of enemies

Ooh, Johnny Ringo is nasty (did anyone else have the old Lorne Green song rolling around in their head -a #1 hit in '64). After he gave the piano a flesh wound in an earlier scene, he put it out of its misery at the end. And he was so cute, why did people keep knocking him down and shooting him?
Challenger made a great sheriff- cunning and cruel. Must be a relative; his arrogance was his undoing in the end.

Miscellaneous

Roxton's leary of M's cooking even when it's not her -no wonder, gopher stew the colour of pea soup.
Nice to finally see the Red River Valley whistling sequence; I've heard so much about it.
Loved the way Johnny and Violet's guns dropped at the same time.
Roxton's face through the noose just before the fade back to the west -great on its own and very like the cover art for 'Hang Em High'.
Roxton's faith that if he could just reason with Challenger, he'd been their ticket home.
Roxton as tenderfoot -literally and figuratively.
Veronica: "Whiskey?"
Roxton: Maybe when we've sorted this out."
Veronica: You really aren't from around here, are you."

Great lines

"You walked some, I carried you some." (M)
"I don't have anywhere to go" (R)
"I lost my man.Nothing else matters after that." (M)
"There's treachery afoot. ... I won't let it fester." (C)
"I didn't have anything kind to say to her after that. So I left." (M)
"You're makin' me sorry I ever killed the doctor." (Johnny R) "I imagine he's sorry, too." (V)
"Don't kiss me again." (M)
"I never met the woman who could break my heart...(smile)...till I met Marguerite." (R)

"(The noose and tombstone appear in the jungle) where a good man might find it and set things to rights... in this world or the next."
Challenger's explanation at the end raises as many questions at it answers.
1. It seems to me that the pivotal action was not that of a good man but rather Maylene's soft heart for a man being hanged -right there the scene changed, the noose was broken. J Roxton was not hanged.
2. what does he mean by 'this world or the next'? heaven and hell? another life? the 'spirit world'?

One last thing. When Roxton suggests that he and Marguerite ride off into the sunset, didn't it seem that she was considering the possibility seriously?
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California gal · Joined: 18 Jun 2007 Posts: 348 Location: Surf City USA

Good one, santa crux. Makes me want to dig out my DVDs and watch again. I haven't for a long while. Brought back some wonderful memories... including Lorne Greene's one and only hit record!

One of my favorite tags, the little discussion between Roxton and Marguerite on the seat by the window. Love her expression when she realizes that Maylene looked just like her.
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kaly · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 10:31 pm Post subject:

First I have to say I loved Ned Malone with a 5 o'clock shadow. Really toughens him up. Put a smile on my face.

I also loved the relationship between him and "violet". Especially when he said something about her making him sorry he shot the doctor. Great line, and great come back from her. And after she shoots him he says, "women!". Cracked me up.

I thought it was so sweet the way Roxton spoke about Marguerite to Marlene. He really is mush when it comes to her.

Episodes like this that keep me hooked.
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Beckers · Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 3:00 am Post subject:

Ah yeah, still a fav ... May have to break it out this evening .... Smile

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Tina · Joined: 22 Jun 2008 Posts: 330 Location: Bulgaria/Austria

I always liked westerns, so I really liked the story of this episode (which is one of my favourite episodes from S3). I like the characters as well: Veronica as Violet, Malone as Johnny Ringo. M & R were great, but it was really hard for me to imagine Marguerite as Maylene (you know how different they are). But actually I prefer Challenger as a scientist, than a sheriff.

Santacrux, that was a really good one... you said everything about the episode. You're pretty good in wrighting. Very Happy

treehouse hero · Joined: 16 Jun 2008 Posts: 90

I Love it when Roxton says something like head for the high ground so we can make a stand, then they run out of ammo and him and marguerite jump of that cliff into the water that is great