Passion (1954)

Passion (1954) posterCornel Wilde is the dashing Juan Obregon, a south-of-the-border cattleman who returns home to find his lady love, Rosa, has given birth to a son. He goes to town to arrange a marriage.

When he returns, he finds the ranch where she lived burned to the ground, his baby, his wife and her parents dead. Only Rosa’s sister (Yvonne De Carlo as Tona Melo) escapes harm.

From that point on, Obregon is on a mission of vengeance, trying to track down and kill his wife’s murderers one by one. That sets him at odds with an old friend, Capt. Rodriguez (Raymond Burr), who must track Obregon down or risk losing his position.

Among the culprits are Don Domingo (Richard Hale), a wealthy landowner who decides to chase all the smaller ranchers from the valley, and his henchmen Castro (Lon Chaney Jr.) and Sandro (Rodolfo Acosta).

Rating 3 out of 6Review:

Pretty looking piece of fluff. And, no, you aren’t seeing double early in the film. Yvonne De Carlo. who never looked lovelier, plays two roles — that of Tona and her sister, Rosa.

Capt. Rodriguez, his hands tied because of Don Domingo’s power, is sympathetic to Juan’s plight early on. He even allows him to escape capture after killing Castro in a knife fight. But when Juan keeps killing, he’s forced to act.

And that includes chasing Juan into a snowy wilderness as he hunts down Sandro, the final villain responsible for his wife’s death. Tona joins the chase, too. She has news that might make Juan more careful about risking his life.

The cast also includes Clayton Moore of Lone Ranger fame and Stuart Whitman in small, uncredited roles.

Cornell Wilde as Juan Obregon and Raymond Burr as Capt. Rodriguez in Passion (1954)Directed by:
Allan Dwan

Cast:
Cornel Wilde … Juan Obregon
Yvonne De Carlo … Rosa / Tona Melo
Raymond Burr … Captain Rodriguez
Anthony Caruso … Sgt. Munoz
Lon Chaney Jr. … Castro
Rodolfo Acosta … Salvator Sandro
Richard Hale … Don Domingo
Frank DeKova … Martinez
Peter Coe … Colfre
John Dierkes … Escobar
John Qualen … Gaspar Melo
Rozene Kemper … Grandmother Melo
James Kirkwood … Don Rosendo
Belle Mitchell … Senora Carrisa

Runtime: 84 min.

Memorable lines:

Captain Rodriguez: “I’ll get Juan Obregon, if I have to dig to Hades to do it.”

Gaspar: “Everyone is well. Our family has increased, that is all.”
Juan Obregon: “With the passage of time, that is natural.”
Gaspar: “Natural? Uh, do you know one of the heifers you left now has a little calf with your brand.”

Capt. Rodriguez, to Tonya, who thinks she recognizes the voice of one of the attackers: “I cannot arrest voices in the dark.”

Juan Obregon, preparing to knife fight Castro: “Give him his knife, Tonya.”
Tonya: “All he deserves is a bullet.”

Tona: “Oh, Juan.”
Juan Obregon: “Don’t worry. It’s hard to kill a man who has much to live for.”

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One Response

  1. Howard Roller June 21, 2017

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