For this project, I’m focusing on the story itself, including dialogue, character development, any subplots, how a story presents itself, the speed at which it moves, if it slows down unnecessarily, etc.
A Brief Summary
(Taken from D23)
A rancher, Smith, who is trying to make a go of a small spread, sometimes aggravates his family with his lackadaisical ways and his friendship with the local Nez Perce Indians. When one of the Indians, Gabriel Jimmyboy, is falsely accused of murder, Smith comes to the rescue at the trial. The accused is freed and the Indians are grateful, coming to the Smith ranch to help with the cutting of the hay crop, and to train Smith’s son, Albie’s, prize Appaloosa. Released on March 21, 1969.
What works
- I talk about it a lot in my video review of this movie (both in the Tiktok and Youtube versions), but I really enjoyed the cast. I’ve been a fan of Nancy Olson’s (Norah Smith) since she was in Pollyanna, and I was excited when I found out that son (Alpie Smith, played by Christopher Shea) was also the voice of Linus Van Pelt in several Peanuts shorts, including It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!
What may or may not work
- Whoever came up with the designs for the opening credits, I’d like a word. The same goes for the songwriter for the theme song (Bobby Russell, who also sang the song). Neither was good, especially since I’m coming off the lighthearted fun that was the Love Bug theme song. Really getting off to a good start.
- Smith (the character) comes off as the only white adult character on the Native Americans’ side. I don’t think his role would be considered a white savior, based on the definition of a “white savior” role. I don’t like, however, that he’s put up on such a pedestal at the cost of the Native Americans’ competency. I blame the writing a bit here; the characters could have been written differently so that Smith wasn’t needed quite as much throughout the movie, and then when he was needed, it would have been more impactful.
- I’m not a big fan of Norah and Smith. I like Nancy Olson (who was in a number of Disney movies since the 1960s’s Pollyanna), and I like Glenn Ford (this is the first film of his that I’ve seen), but I don’t like the characters. I actually like the two of them together, but the dialogue and the way the characters are written aren’t helping them any.
- The main conflict of the plot is around Gabriel Jimmyboy, who was accused of murder, and his trial for whether he will be hanged or not. Yet we don’t get to hear much about the trial, and the outcome of the trial hangs, essentially, on a speech that Ol’ Antoine gives about listening to a speech by Chief Joseph decades before. Not that I didn’t enjoy the speech, I did, but with how the rest of the trial went, it felt lackluster.
- I mentioned above that I enjoyed the cast, and that remains true, but I don’t think the story lived up to the cast’s potential.
Honorable Mentions
- Listening to Glenn Ford, he reminds me of John Wayne, especially in the movie McClintock!. Coincidentally, that movie title ALSO ends with an exclamation point like “Smith!”.
Side Questions
- There’s a scene where Smith and Alpie run into Walter Charlie at a restaurant on their way to get Ol’ Antoine out of jail. As Walter Charlie leaves, he bumps into a guy who starts getting after Walter Charlie. Smith steps in (as is his character), and then the chef (misunderstanding that Smith is against Walter Charlie) comes out and starts beating up Smith. Walter Charlie sneaks out, and the guy who he’d bumped into was trying to calm the chef down. My question is why the flip for the other guy?
Would I watch this movie again?
- I don’t think so, unless I was with someone who really wanted to watch it. I liked the promo clip that I watched before renting this for this project, but was disappointed with the movie by the time the promo clip arrived (and it happened to be a clip from the END OF THE MOVIE). So it dulled my enjoyment of that promo clip scene by the time it actually arrived.
If you’ve seen Smith!, what are some of your thoughts? Share in the comments below!
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