Copper Canyon is directed by John Farrow and written by John Latimer. It stars Ray Milland, Hedy Lamarr, Macdonald Carey, Mona Freeman and Harry Carey Junior. Music is by Daniele Amfitheatrof and cinematography by Charles Lang.In the bitter period after the Civil War a band of Confederate veterans hoped to start life anew in the rich copper country of the West. They were prepared for the hardships of nature - but not for the greed of men.Much of this production is beautiful and handsome, tech credits are high end, the Technicolor sizzling, costuming sharp, the locations (Vasquez Rocks/Red Rock Crossing/Cathedral Rock et al) a joy for the eyes. Then of course there's the stars, Milland with his elegant looks, Lamarr cute as a button with blood red lips, and Freeman, a classic beauty if ever there was one. So it's with a touch of sadness to report that prettiness is what you ultimately remember most about the pic.Story relies of a filmic Civil War trait that has Yankees and Rebs still feuding post the war, on this occasion the Union people are trying to drive out the Confederates who are trying to make hay (copper) while the sun shines on copper canyon. Enter Milland, who is thought to be an ex Confederate leader now plying his trade as a magician/entertainer/marksman etc. Denying he is the ex soldier in question, he nonetheless gets well and truly involved in things, including courting Lamarr, who may or may not be the axis of the pain brought down on the Confederate miners.The mystery angle involving the principals remains intriguing for the most part, and as old hat as it is, the good guy bad guy shenanigans (Mac Carey of course on chief villain duties) is fun viewing. There's splashes of action, with shootings and chases, the best of the latter unfurling through magnificent scenery, while the big battle at film's end is action packed - even if it is sadly a false dawn since the big face off is a damp squib. But in spite of the beauty and the highlights it still remains a nothing piece, a bit of dressage over substance.It really should have been something more, something other than a pretty play kinda going through the motions. Frustrating. 6/10

Ray Milland gives an excellent performance to lift this above most of the Westerns of the period. Milland often lifted movies with his generally laid back style and occasional moments of striking intensity. One thinks of "Dial M for Murder," "X, the Man with X-ray eyes," "Love Story," and his appearances on "Columbo." He is like a great singer who knows you only have to hit a few striking notes to make a memorable song.His character, Johnny Carter, is a gentle, humorous, trick shooter and vaudeville performer who dislikes violence and enjoys women. The character foreshadows the wonderful gambler, Maverick, that James Gardner would make famous seven or eight years later. Milland has the roguish charm of Cary Grant and a little of the blushing modesty of George Reeve.Hedy Lamarr doesn't come off quite as well. This movie was two years after her hit movie "Samson and Delilah," She brings only a little of Delilah's sexiness to her role. At moments she does foreshadow Joan Crawford in "Johnny Guitar," but unfortunately there's not enough for her to create a memorable character as Crawford did in that role.Macdonald Carey shines as a sheriff who abuses his power and gives law and order a bad name. He is not as psychotic as Jack Palance in "Shane," but he does stoop to shooting men in the back and refusing to fight fair.As others have noted, the Technicolor is good and the movie is pretty fast paced, with enough plot twists and action sequences to hold our attention. Fans of Westerns should enjoy it and fans of acting should appreciate Milland's delightful performance.

that's what Ray Milland and Hedy Lamarr are like in this film. I hate to be the fly in the ointment after reading all the other good reviews about this movie, but I found it very bland and somewhat boring. To be sure, the Technicolor is fantastic, the production values are high, and the scenery is gorgeous, however the two stars just don't fit well in this genre. Ray Milland looks like he's asking himself "how did my career come to this?" Hedy Lamarr in what has to be one of her final screen roles (maybe the last?) shows her age. While Hedy may have been "the most beautiful girl in the world" at one point (in the '30's), the close-ups of her show that she is middle aged and led a life that has left the years on her face. I like Ray Milland in other films, and ditto Hedy Lamarr in her earlier efforts (she didn't make many movies).The real problem is that neither is believable in a western setting. Ray is too urbane and sophisticated, Hedy is too glamorous and chic. As a result, it just doesn't feel like a western. It seems too 'manufactured' if you know what I mean. Too phony.The script and storyline is also not the best. I think even Stewart or Wayne would have had trouble breathing life into this one, but at least you'd have had their personality to fall back upon. Ray Milland can be a terrific 'actor' (Lost Weekend) but he does not have the personality that shines through bad or mediocre material.

First off, I love Ray Milland. He's so cool and collected. The man can wear golden hoop earrings and fend off Marlene Dietrich without looking the slightest bit unnerved (see "Golden Earrings"). He's calm in this also, and he doesn't even attempt to let you in on the whole "Is he the guy or isn't he?" conflict that runs through this film. (I also enjoy the COMPLETELY different "Is she or isn't she?" of "Johnny Guitar," but that's another story.) I rarely discuss the plot (I'm usually distracted) but Ray Milland is approached to help some former Rebels who are being cheated by former Yankees. Sort of a "You killed my son so I won't buy your product" thing. That gives Ray a chance to deliver a disgustingly sappy speech direct from Abraham Lincoln. Discrimination of any kind is a touchy subject, and it is difficult to get it into a film without offending someone, so A for effort on that point.Hedy "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" Lamarr is the good-bad girl. Or is it the bad-good girl? She's the seemingly bad girl who proves to be good in the end. There we go. She's gorgeous in color, and that's definitely the highlight of her performance. There has never been any reason to have women in westerns--I've always hated that. They just stand around looking delicate and lovely (how they managed to do that in the old West where the ratio of men to women was staggering I'll never know). They're something to fight over, but that's it. Hedy tries to worm her way into the plot, but when the action starts she's out of the running. "Johnny Guitar" isn't like that, but those aren't regular "women" in the usual sense of the word. I for one desperately wanted to see Hedy pick up her shotgun and blow her corrupt not-boyfriend right out of the saddle. But no. She had to stand on the porch and watch the action from afar. She did blow him out of the saddle a few times, but that was different, and of course sex-related. I think I would have appreciated this film more had Ray Milland been a simpering entertainer and Barbara Stanwyck a rough-and-ready female rancher with bone to pick with everyone. Not that Hedy Lamarr's bad, but this isn't her thing. (I also love the obligatory explanation of her accent. In this, she's from New Orleans, where everyone has an accent of some kind. In "Come Live With Me," she's naturally from Austria. They can't just let us wonder why a foreign-accented beauty turns up in Nevada and starts playing poker with the sheriff.)All in all, it's entertaining, but don't roll out the red carpet yet.