mark.waltz When a chance meeting from a tough farm woman and a southern soldier, his mute son and their beloved sheep herding dog, a supposed temporary situation seems like it might go permanent. It's right after the end of the civil war, and strong but quiet Alan Ladd arrives far up north with his son (David Ladd). A fight with bullies trying to steal the dog lands him in trouble, and to prevent the two from being separated, hardworking and independent farm woman Olivia De Havilland agrees to pay his fine and take the elder Ladd on to aide her in fixing up her farm. A kinship develops between the foursome, but the loss of the younger Ladd's best friend and threats by de Havilland's bully neighbors threaten to destroy the vulnerable youngster who is mute as the result of a long ago tragedy.A smartly written and amazingly well acted and directed family drama is a surprise on many fronts, particularly De Havilland's bold and refreshingly real performance. Gone are the cloying overly noble mannerisms that made you think that butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, and you will find her totally believable as a spinster farm woman. She's Melanie Wilkes with a spine and a bit of Scarlet O'Hara sass: honest, no nonsense and filled with the soul of all the earth mother's put together.Pop and son Alan and David are a perfect match, with the elder Ladd as memorable as he was in "Shane". Young David will steal your heart, already loving his dad and dog, and coming to love his surrogate mother. There's Dean Jagger as the ruthless land baron out to steal Olivia's, a young Harry Dean Stanton as one of his brutish sons, Cecil Kellaway as a kindly local doctor, Henry Hull as the local judge whom Olivia hoodwinks, and cameos by John Carradine and Mary Wickes. A tale of greed, nobility, determination and retribution tie this together in the direction by the legendary Michael Curtiz who directed Olivia in many of her early films. There's no need to toss a strong romance with Alan and Olivia in this; the story makes you realize, "Whatever happens, happens". In a sense, all four leads are proud rebels, and their cause is one to be with, not without.

DKosty123 Michael Curtiz Directs A top shelf MGM picture here which was hung up with legal problems for a long time and just aired on Turner Classic movies. The pictures scenery and color make this one a great visual feast on a large screen. Alan Ladd and his son David (who won the Globe Award) are the main characters in a western drama where man has lost his wife in such shocking fashion that his son has become mute. This pulls the viewer in as Ladd is in search of a doctor who can get his son to speak again.On this quest they run into and evil Dean Jagger whose a sheep farmer who initially tries to steal their dog. There is plenty of other solid support from John Carradine and other. Olivia De Havilland here is as good as ever as a barley farmer facing down Jagger and the sheep men, enlists the aid of Ladd and son for needed help. All the strength's here of cast and quality show through as the performances are stellar and the production is a step above many films. Alan Ladd is as good here as he was in Shane in 1953. The emotion between his character, his son and Olivia DE Havilland and Dean Jagger add substance to this movie making it very Watchable. Olivia proves she is still very appealing and talented as an actress at age 42 here. I dedicate this review to her as the lawyers got this overlooked performance released for us to enjoy in time for her 100th birthday on July 1st, 2016. The quality if this movie would look good on an IMAX screen though real western dramas rarely get played on the venue.

PamelaShort The Proud Rebel is a touching tale, performed simply and effectively with the fine acting talents of Olivia De Havilland, Dean Jagger, Cecil Kellaway and Alan Ladd. The surprising winner is eleven year old David Ladd in his biggest film debut, playing Ladd's mute son, he gives an astonishingly professional and realistic performance. With outstanding cinematography and filmed on spectacular scenic locations in Utah and professionally directed by Michael Curtiz, The Proud Rebel deserves the title of timeless classic. I will not give a synopsis of this film as so many have already adequately done, but I do insist this heartwarming drama must be seen to be fully appreciated. This film will appeal to all fans of Alan Ladd, Olivia De Havilland, Western Films and anyone who enjoys a sentimental story about the love between a boy and his father and the forever loyalty of a beloved dog.

Spikeopath The Proud Rebel is directed by Michael Curtiz and adapted by Lillie Hayward & Joseph Petracca from the story "Journal of Linnett Moore" written by James Edward Grant. It stars Alan Ladd, Olivia de Havilland, Dean Jagger, David Ladd, Cecil Kellaway & Henry Hull. Jerome Moross scores the music and Ted McCord is the cinematographer. It's a Technicolor production and the location for the shoot is Cedar City, Utah, USA.John Chandler (A Ladd) is a proud Southerner, the Civil war war may be over but he is still finding hostility in the North. He is searching for a doctor who can help his mute son David (D Ladd) speak again, the youngster has been unable to talk since the death of his mother in a fire at the family home. After being taunted for his Southern roots, John gets into a fight that lands him a 30 day jail term. Luckily a kindly local lady called Linnett Moore (Havilland) offers to pay the fine to keep John out of jail, she can see that young David needs his father, and a man about her farm will come in handy. From here John gets involved with Linnett's struggle to keep her land from ruthless local landowner Harry Burleigh (Jagger). Burleigh and his sons will do what it takes to get their way. As bonds and affections are formed, some real tough decisions must be made, can the proud rebel, and those he cares for, triumph in adversity?.Make no mistake here, this film is as formulaic as it comes, any fan of the genre that reads the plot synopsis will know exactly what to expect. That, however, doesn't mean this isn't a smashing film, because it completely is. It's the kind of film that that all family members can sit in front of the TV and enjoy. When a plot arc in a film involves the bullied standing up to the bullies it's always rewarding, but The Proud Rebel doesn't just stop at pulling that particular heart string, it pulls at a couple of others involving the quest for David to speak again, and a lovely emotive strand involving Lance the dog. Even tho the expected finally arrives, you would have to be made of granite to not feel like whooping with joy as you swat away that fly in your eye.Michael Curtiz directs and does, as usual, a brilliant unfussy job, but even he would surely have acknowledged the integral part the score plays in this story. Jerome Moross' score is simply wonderful, every frame comes to life as the music itself envelopes the characters and also brings them to life as well. Gorgeous and at times desperately sad, it's a score very much to savour. Alan Ladd as John slips quite easily into Shane mode, acting opposite his son David, he emotes with great conviction, and during some of the more sadder scenes he is quite heartfelt and believable. Olivia de Haviland as Linnett Moore is sturdy and tough, how nice it is watching de Haviland perform so well in this type of role. The supporting actors are all effective, most notably Jagger, Kellaway and of course young David Ladd, whilst keep an eye out for future great character actor Harry Dean Stanton.If you like Shane and films of that ilk then this is for you, a perfect family picture that pulls at all the respective emotional threads. 7/10