I'm with CJ on this. The romantic subplot ways the film down . . .
You mean you're with CJ and SL!
Very true And might I add, Van Cleef's brief screen time is probably the best part of the movie.
I'm with CJ on this. The romantic subplot ways the film down, luckily when we get to Tombstone we don't have to put up with it anymore.I'll agree that Lancaster is mis-cast but I really like Douglas as Doc Holiday. The only problem with his portrayal is, except for the occasional cough, we don't get the sense that Doc is ever ill up until the final bits.
In My Darling Clementine, the romance subplot is complicated and consists of this: Chiquita loves Doc; Doc loves himself; Clementine thinks she loves Doc, but gradually transfers her affections to Wyatt; Wyatt is attracted to Clementine but is too inhibited to declare himself. The fact that much of the love is undeclared/unconsummated works to build tension in the story. The resolutions are not Hollywood standard: Doc dies, Wyatt rides off alone. This arc runs parallel to the revenge story and does not interfere with it. I think this is an excellent example of how to use a love story--or two--in a Western. The film is able to maintain its hard edge throughout.It's true there isn't much of interest in the way of dialogue, but then MDC is less about what is said between the characters and more about what goes unspoken. Maybe this is a good time to refer to my "gaze theory"?