Very disappointing...

To me, this movie is perfection.

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Good movie but grossly overrated

No wonder we never got more than a fleeting look at the supposed Apaches, lofting arrows into the members of a rescue party. The director must have recognized that his movie would be laughed at by anyone with an elementary knowledge of Native Americans. While the fade out provides some hope that the characters played by Gary Cooper and Susan Hayward might find some happiness together, with or without any gold they managed to scavenge, this tale is basically a tragedy. The supposed main purpose of the expedition into hostile Apache territory: to save the life of Susan's husband((John Fuller), injured in a mine shaft cave in, is a failure, due primarily to interference by Apache, rather than to his death before they arrived. The additional goal of bringing out enough gold to, at least, pay the high wages of the rescuers, is left unanswered, as survival in the presence of the Apache became the overriding concern. It would have been nice to add a scene at the end, where Cooper and Susan discuss their future, and show some romantic feeling for each other. Left as was, he aren't even sure if the Apache have given up hope of killing them.....The expedition was also a tragedy for the Apache families of those slain by the expedition members, although this is given no consideration.Susan reminisces that the Mexican who gave her a map of this region called it 'The garden of evil', partly because of the Apache, but also partly because a volcanic eruption had covered various previous gold mining operations, killing the miners. Furthermore, as dramatized in this film, the dangers inherent in mining are a significant risk. Fuller knew that he was much slowing down the attempt to leave Apache country alive. Thus, he rode off by himself to await his fate at the hands of the Apache. Interestingly, the Apache tied him upside down on a stone Christian cross, his body shot full of arrows. Perhaps this had a symbolic significance, assuming the Apache were familiar with the significance of the cross as a Christian symbol.Presumably, the ship that brought these 3 adventurers to this backwater village of Puerto Miguel, was primarily a freighter, as we see no hint of other passengers being deposited on shore while the engine is repaired. As they were on route to try their luck at finding gold in CA, probably , this was 1849 or 50, very early in the age of steam travel across oceans. Although they claimed they were strangers to each other, it's difficult to imagine that they had not struck up some familiarity on such a long voyage, as the presumed only passengers. Once ashore, they were drawn to the cantina where the beautiful Rita Moreno was singing a romantic song. But, they seemed more interested in the American played by Susan, who sauntered in later, looking for a few brave souls to help her get her husband out of harm's way. Only one Mexican signed up: the one who claimed Rita as his girlfriend. Presumably, he wanted to bring back a big paycheck and perhaps some gold with which to impress Rita. As things turned out, the other Mexicans were smart to pass up the opportunity for riches.There are a number of dialogues of interest, most taking place at the mine. Susan's husband(John) goes on a tirade about how all women are only interested in how much gold(in the broad sense) their husband can bring home to satisfy their fancies. Susan claims she no longer loves John, but is willing to risk her life and that of others to extricate him from his otherwise fatal situation. Perhaps she does this largely out of guilt over bringing him to this evil place to try to strike it rich. This should bring up in our minds the question of how much risk to the lives and property of others is justified in attempting to rescue a person, with the consideration of what are the chances of a successful rescue. Some of us have to make such decisions rather frequently.Filming took place in several Mexican locations. See it in color at YouTube.

Copyright 23 June 1954 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Roxy: 9 July 1954. U.S. release: July 1954. U.K. release: December 1954. London opening at the Odeon Marble Arch. Australian release: 14 October 1954. Sydney opening at the Plaza. 8,868 feet. 99 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Stranded in a Mexican fishing village, three American gold hunters agree to help rescue a man trapped in a remote mine.NOTES: Fox's 13th CinemaScope movie and the first to be photographed with an improved CinemaScope lens that provided greater clarity, sharpness and depth of field.VIEWER'S GUIDE: A borderline case. May be too violent for some children.COMMENT: Without CinemaScope it's doubtful if "Garden of Evil" would have recouped its negative cost (including three high-priced stars, plus lots of location lensing in the ruggedly picturesque mountainous wilds of Mexico). That it actually made a fair profit is a tribute to CinemaScope's box-office drawing power. Of course it's always possible that in the energetic yet stylish hands of Hollywood's master of action and location lensing, Henry Hathaway, and with stars like Cooper, Hayward and Widmark, the movie would have made money even in normal-screen black-and-white, but it would certainly have been a gamble. With CinemaScope (plus Bernard Herrmann's full-blooded, atmospheric score in stereophonic sound) there was never a day's worry that the film would fail to pull in the paying customers. This still is a finely crafted movie, with plenty of stirring Hathaway action including a heart-pounding chase climax down a steeply twisting, rock-strewn, narrow ledge of a mountain trail, plus appealing performances from a top group of charismatic players.

This long-forgotten western boasts a great cast with Gary Cooper, Susan Hayward, Richard Widmark and Cameron Mitchell, filmed extensively in seldom seen remote Mexican locations. Most of the actors were underused, with the exception of Susan Hayward who gave a committed performance while both Coop and Widmark practically 'walked through' this film, albeit under arduous conditions. This is primarily due to a weak storyline which veteran director Henry Hathaway couldn't do anything about. A band of soldier of fortune landed somewhere in Mexico and met a woman(Hayward) who seek help to rescue her injured husband in a far away mine(gold) offering a large sum of money(gold coins). The ride took days with ominous attacks by Apache along the way. The rescue was a failure and the group had to ride back to safety for survival. A forgettable western.

"If the world was made of gold men would die for a handful of dirt". So goes the theme of this somewhat unusual western directed by Henry Hathaway in 1954. With lovely locations in Mexico this was Fox's first western in the then new process of Cinemascope and Stereophonic sound and boasted a top notch cast in Gary Cooper, Susan Hayward and Richard Widmark.From a fine screenplay by Frank Fenton - Cooper and Widmark together with Cameron Mitchell and Victor Manuel Mendoza are four adventurers contracted by Leah Fuller (Hayward) to go back with her into the wilds of Mexico to rescue her husband (Hugh Marlowe) who is lying trapped and injured in a gold mine. They journey to the mine and perform the rescue but on their way back they are pursued by Apaches (a brilliant chase sequence) and must ward them off in a well staged attack on a hazardous cliff-face trail.A good adventure yarn if a tad slow in parts but the widescreen picture looks great and the small cast are excellent. Cooper as Hooker is at his laconic best, Hayward is as gorgeous as ever, Mitchell in a good part as a temperamental and impatient young gun, Mendoza as the likable and amiable Mexican companion and Widmark shines as Fiske the droll and garrulous gambler who cuts for highest card to see who goes and who stays behind.Beautifully photographed in Cinemascope and colour by Milton Krasner it is all excitingly handled by Hathaway. The picture also has an excellent score by the ubiquitous Bernard Herrmann. This was the only real western Herrmann ever tackled if you discount Burt Lancaster's early frontier epic "The Kentuckian" (1955) and some obscure episodes of TV's "The Virginian" in the sixties. Herrmann scored the film rather as a conventional adventure story and avoided the usual clichéd style of writing associated with westerns except perhaps the theme for Hooker (Cooper) where the composer hints at a "cowboy" tune with its wonderful long loping Americana tinged melody. But the score is mainly an intense and strident work full of suspense and foreboding. The main theme, first heard over the credits, is a brilliant defiant statement for full orchestra and is played in different guises throughout the movie. Particularly clever is the ominous figure on the octave flute which points up the unseen but ever watching Apaches. There is no love theme as such but tender music in the composer's gentlest manner underscores the Hayward character. All the stops are pulled out for the brilliant climactic music cue for the chase sequence (where the Apaches are in hot pursuit of the interlopers). It is a sensational swirling and thundering piece calling for some virtuoso playing from the magnificent Fox orchestra which they zealously deliver."Garden Of Evil" is available in a small Fox western box set along with two other western classics - the wonderful "Rawhide" (1951) and Henry King's "The Gunfighter" (1950). Enjoy!