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Border Incident (1949)
Today on the Classic Movie Reviews Podcast, we are taking on Border Incident (1949). This is a great cross-border Film-Noir with a very strong cast.
The film is rated a very low 7.1 on iMDB.com[1]. It doesn’t fare any better on rottentomatoes.com, with 67 percent on the Tomatometer and 58 percent audience approval[2].
Roger Westcombe of Flinders University Department of Screen and Media:
“…compared the film to classic Westerns: “Yet far from a typical Western’s sense of freedom, Border Incident shares with [director Mann’s previous Film-Noir] T-Men that film’s inky, submerged visual quality. These are ‘wide’ but not ‘open’ spaces, as Alton’s beautifully registered grey-toned but grim visuals make the distant horizons as closed as the American border. The constant presence of vulnerable, innocent peasants adds a piquancy to Border Incident, raising the stakes from the destiny of a mere two police agents to that of an entire underclass.”[3]
Director Anthony Mann was basically making a remake of T-Men (1947) using a different government agency. John Alton was the director of photography. I guess we will have to credit Eddie Muller for finding this gem and programming it on TCMs #NoirAlley.
Actors – Border Incident (1949)
Returning
Ricardo Montalban plays Mexican immigration agent Pablo Rodriguez. This great actor was introduced in the Film-Noir Mystery Street (1950).
Sig Ruman was cast as Hugo Wolfgang Ulrich, the leader of the Mexican gang. Ruman was first covered in House of Frankenstein (1944), but he is probably best known for playing Shultz in Stalag 17 (1953).
Charles McGraw was tough as nails as American coyote Jeff Amboy. McGraw was first mentioned in the Film-Noir Brute Force (1947), but he was extensively covered in The Narrow Margin (1952) as he growled his way along on a train trip.
Arthur Hunnicutt was another American coyote named Clayton Nordell. Hunnicutt was first covered in Cat Ballou (1965).
Alfonso Bedoya was a Mexican coyote named Cuchillo. Bedoya was recently covered in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948).
John Ridgely played Mr. Neley, a supervisory American immigration officer. Ridgely was first covered in Film-Noir The Big Sleep (1946).
New
Otto Waldis played the role of Fritz, a member of the Mexican gang. Waldis was born in 1901 in the Austria-Hungary Empire. He began his acting career in Vienna and made his film debut in “M” (1931). In 1940, he moved to America, ahead of the Nazi scourge. He was a character actor and photographer. He best-known films include the previously mentioned “M” (1931), The Fighting O’Flynn (1949), The Whip Hand (1951), drive-in favorite Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958), and Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). Waldis died in 1974.
Howard Da Silva played American farmer and migrant smuggler Owen Parkson. Da Silva was born in Ohio in 1909. He started working as a steelworker but began state work in New York at the age of 20. He must have left steel working after Rudy’s friend fell in the vat. He worked on Broadway for 1930-1982 as an actor, writer, and director.
He was a popular character actor, and his films include Sergeant York (1941), The Big Shot (1942), The Lost Weekend (1945), The Blue Dahlia (1946), and They Live by Night (1948). Da Silva played Benjamin Franklin three times. The first was in the Broadway production of ‘1776.’ This was followed by a National Park Service film used in the interpretation of his home in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love and sisterly affection. Finally, he was great and hilarious in the musical movie 1776 (1972).
In 1947, actor Robert Taylor was called before the un-American House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). He named Da Silva as a possible Communist. He was also later named by writer Martin Berkeley. This let to an FBI investigation, and Da Sila was called before HUAC on March 21, 1951. He was the first Hollywood affiliate person to legally use his Fifth Amendment rights granted under the U.S. Constitution. He was not one of the so-called Hollywood Ten. Da Silva was blacklisted but returned to film after more than a decade. He died in 1986, two years after his last film, Garbo Talks (1984).
Story – Border Incident (1949)
With narration, the agriculture of California is shown. It talks about the need for labor coming from Mexico. On the border, Mexican workers called braceros are waiting to get a work permit. However, there is another group that crosses the border illegally. They are plagued by bandits on both sides of the border.
A group is heading back to Mexico after they have worked and have money in their pockets. The border is a barbed-wire fence. Lookouts in Mexico direct a group of mounted Anglos and Mexicans towards the workers. In a narrow valley, the travelers are caught, robbed, and murdered. In the group of murderers are Zopilote (Arnold Moss) and Clayton Nordell (Arthur Hunnicutt). The bodies are placed in quicksand as the robbers flee.
The Mexican and US governments respond to the growing number of murders by sending agents. Pablo Rodriguez (Ricardo Montalban) and Jack Bearnes (George Murphy) are part of a task force formed to stop the problem. The agents and their supervisors meet in Mexico across from the California border. Rodriguez and Bearnes know each other from a case they worked in Brownsville, the hottest and driest place on the planet.
The plan is for Rodriguez to pretend to be a bracero, and Bearnes will follow recording the connections. Bearnes will also have fake numbered permits to smoke out the American side. Rodriguez moves into the crowd of braceros waiting on work permits. He tells the other he doesn’t want to wait. Juan Garcia (James Mitchell) advises that he not take the illegal route but shows him to a man that can arrange the crossing for 70 pesos. He is given a flower to wear in his hat and told to be at the La Fortunate Barberia at 10pm. Rodriquez makes contact with Bearnes and passes the information. Juan sees the beautiful shirt Bearnes is wearing.
A survivor of one of the crossing makes it back and confesses the story to a priest. Juan meets with his wife and decides to come along on the crossing. That night in front of the La Fortunate Barberia they are gathered up by a man (Miguel Contreras) and led to a doorway in the back. Cuchillo (Alfonso Bedoya) opens the door. Bearnes is watching as the men enter. An old woman checks hands to determine if they are really laborers. She tips off Cuchillo that Rodriguez is not a bracero. The old woman sees Bearnes and sends Fritz (Otto Waldis) to check on him. Bearnes gets the jump of Fritz and KOs him with one punch.
At another stop, Rodriguez is grabbed and taken to a room away from the group. Zopilote collects the money from the other men. Cuchillo tells Zopilote about Rodriguez. Zopilote tells Clayton to load the truck with the workers. Hugo Wolfgang Ulrich (Sig Ruman) comes into the room where Rodriguez is being held. I guess Hugo hid in Mexico after World War II. Rodriguez spends a pretty good tale. Bearnes has the local police raid the bar to help Rodriguez getaway.
The truck carrying the workers moves north along rough roads. An old man gets sick, and they insist that the truck stop. The man dies before anything can be done. The two coyotes dump the body in the desert. The men in the truck pray for the dead man. They are taken to the narrow valley where the lookout now watches for border patrols on the American side. They lower the fence and drive into the US.
Waiting on the American side is Jeff Amboy (Charles McGraw). Jeff has the men get out of the truck and he loads them into a trailer. Jeff pays the coyote $30 for each worker. Jeff tows the trailer to a large farm. Farm owner and head US coyote Owen Parkson (Howard Da Silva) wants the workers to be taken off his property because the supplier of fake work permits didn’t come through. Jeff is talking smack until Parkson shows up. Jeff convinces Parkson that they would not be able to get past the interior border check at Indio. Parkson orders Jeff to check on why the permits didn’t come through.
In the morning, all of the workers are taken to the fields to work while guards stand over them with rifles. Bearnes checks in with his contact Mr. Neley (John Ridgely). He tells that he has lost Rodriguez. Neley also knows about the man that sells the fake permits and has him under surveillance. They post wanted posters for Bearnes under a fake name saying he stole the permits. They also give him a contact in Kansas City for requesting more permits.
Parkson and Jeff are waiting in the office. He calls Hugo and tells him not to send anymore bracero until further notice. Bearnes shows up in Hugo’s bar and has a drink. When he leaves, he leaves a blank work permit on the counter. Hugo sends Pocoloco (José Torvay) to follow Bearnes.
Bearnes wakes up in his room, and a big knife is against his nose. Pocoloco, Cuchillo, and Zopilote rob him and take his gun. They plan to rob him of any permits. Cuchillo steals his shirt, and he doesn’t need a badge. He is taken back, and Fritz tortures him. Finally, Bearnes tells him to look in his left shoe. In there is the wanted poster. Hugo comes in and wants to know where the other permits are. Bearnes tells them they are in the US, but he can get them if he is paid.
Cuchillo and Zopilote go to see Parkson about the permits. Cuchillo is wearing the Bearnes stolen shirt. The two men look for stuff to pilfer as they wait in the house. Parkson comes in, and they tell that they come from Hugo about permits. They show Parkson the wanted poster. They want $20 for each permit. He sends the two men away to the bunkhouse to eat. Juan sees the shirt that Cuchillo is wearing.
When Cuchillo and Zopilote get back, Clayton and Jeff come in with Bearnes. Parkson makes the two give Bearnes his shirt and jacket back. Bearnes clinks their heads together stooge style. Parkson begins negotiating with Bearnes. Clayton and Jeff have stolen Bearnes from Hugo. Bearnes says he wants $10 each for the permits. Parkson says the permits must be sent to the postmaster. Bearnes also tells that Jeff tried to double-cross Parkson. Parkson then calls a contact in Kansas City.
Later Rodriguez is explaining to the men how they are being robbed. A guard bursts in and breaks up the meeting. Juan has been beaten for feeding the man locked in the water tower. That man is Bearnes. Juan has seen the shirt again on Bearnes and tells Rodriquez.
Rodriguez sneaks out and heads to the water tower. Clayton is standing guard below the room in the water tower. Clayton hears Rodriguez climbing. He checks on Bearnes. Rodriguez contacts Bearnes. Bearnes tells Rodriguez to get word to Neley about his location but not to try and break him out. Rodriguez escapes down a tree and gets away from Clayton. In a streak of bad luck, Rodriguez is caught by Jeff trying to get into town.
Parkson has Bearnes in his office, but they send a man on a motorcycle to pick up the permits. Neley is waiting in the back. When he sees it is not Bearnes, they decide to tail the motorcycle. In some fine riding and some excellent camera work, the car chases the motorcycle along dirt roads until the motorcycle cross a rail bridge and drives in the furrows of fields. The motorcycle rider makes it back to Parkson’s house. Parkson calls Hugo and asks for 100 workers to be sent across.
That night, they are sending the workers, with their new permits to other locations in the southeast. Parkson begins to pay off Bearnes when he gets a call from Kansas City. Doc (Edwin Max) followed the man that received Bearnes’ wire and found that he went directly to the immigration office after he got the wire. Parkson and Bearnes get in a fight, but Jeff stops him with a gun at the door.
Jeff and Clayton take Bearnes out to kill him. Rodriguez cuts his way out of the truck and drives it back to the farm. The original driver hangs onto the window for a while before falling. Rodriguez and Juan make it to a ditch on the edge of the field where the others are planning on killing Bearnes.
Bearnes makes a break and is shot by Jeff. He then clunks Jeff in the head, so he is knocked out. Jeff gets in a caterpillar that has disking blades on the back. He begins driving towards the knocked out Bearnes as Juan and Rodriguez watch. Bearnes wakes as the cat gets closer. But he is the star so he will be fine. Juan and Rodriguez can’t get past Clayton. Bearnes tries to crawl away. I’m sure he will be fine. Help must be coming! The tractor crawls over him, and he is cut to pieces. The most horrific black and white death scene I have ever seen. Clayton sees the other two men and begins firing at them. They make it back to the truck and escape.
They stop at a farmhouse, and Rodriguez forces his way inside to phone Neley. He tells what is happening and where the laborers are moving. He tells that Jeff and Clayton are wanted for murder. Just then the lady, Mrs. Amboy, comes in with a gun and orders Rodrigues to hand up. Neley heads for the Amboy house. She calls Parkson and her husband Jeff and lets him know who she has captured.
Parkson, Jeff, and Clayton go to the Amboy house. They load Rodriguez in the truck with the workers and are going to take them all to the canyon to be killed. Mrs. Amboy gets in the car with Parkson. Rodriguez tells the men in the truck what is going on and that they should get weapons ready if they have any. Clayton orders the Mexicans back into Mexico. Parkson wants to travel with Jeff’s wife, but Jeff sends her to Nogales. He forces Parkson to go with him for the killing.
Clayton takes one cliffside, and Jeff takes the other. They leave Parkson with a rifle driving the Mexicans forward. US immigrant folks arrive at the fence and I guess they invade Mexico. Neley tells an officer to have the Mexican immigration come in from their side into the Canyon de la Muerte. The canyon of death. Jez, avoid that place.
Rodriguez jumps behind a rock and ambushes Parkson when he comes along. Rodriguez gets the gun and forces Parkson to walk with the Mexicans. They force him into the lead. When he comes to the killing spot, Cuchillo, Zopilote, and other killers are waiting. Parkson calls out to them, but Jeff shots him. He falls into the quicksand and is struggling. Clayton and Jeff begin firing at the laborers. Rodriguez returns fire. Fritz and the other killers attack, and the workers begin fighting back with their improvised weapons. Rodriguez shots Jeff pretty low in the belly, and he falls to his death.
Cuchillo attacks Juan. Rodriguez is shooting it out with Zopilote but runs out of bullets. They begin wrestling, and they both go in the quicksand. Zopilote goes under first. Juan kills Cuchillo. Juan then pulls Rodriguez out of the quicksand with the help of others. He is completely clean in the next scene.
Bearnes is given a posthumous medal from Mexico, and Rodriguez is given an American award. Juan and his wife are there, and we are told that the workers bring the food forth.
Summary – Border Incident (1949)
This movie was made under the working name “Wetbacks.” This film was able to show criminals on both sides of the border. They were getting pressure to show American businesses as pure from the growing anti-Communist folks. They clearly and with balance showed the struggle that continues until this day.
You have probably heard me talk about Brownsville, Texas, a time or two. The first time I drove down there I was shocked to learn that they had border control stations hundreds of miles inland. They mentioned the same thing in this movie about going to Indio and having an interior border station. In Texas, I dubbed the area between the US/Mexico border and the second checkpoints as the autonomous tribal region, much as you see on maps of Pakistan. Is the government saying it is okay to go this far, but no further?
Perhaps you have seen the meme that says, “as a child, I thought quicksand would be a bigger problem.” Have you ever even heard of someone dying in quicksand? I spent 30-years working in the woods and never saw the stuff, although once in the Everglades, I thought I would find it.
If you an OK Boomer, quicksand as a plot device was at its’ zenith in the 1960s. An article in Slate magazine said that at its’ peak in the 1960s almost 3 percent of movies had people sinking into some form of quicksand.[4]
owlcation.com says, “Quicksand can kill people; however, it typically doesn’t kill people by drowning them. Humans are actually less dense than quicksand. Humans may sink up to their waists but will go no further.”[5] You may die from exhaustion or exposure but not drowning.
One thing about this movie, they were dropping so many bodies in the quicksand that by the time Ricardo Montalban went in, he would be able to stand on a pile of bones.
World-Famous Short Summary – Cualquier cosa puede pasar en la frontera – Anything can happen on the border [Common phrase from the southern US border]
Beware
the moors
[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041198/
[2] https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/border_incident
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Incident (Original only accessible on the Wayback Machine website)
[4] http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2010/08/terra_infirma.html
[5] https://owlcation.com/stem/Oobleck-Quicksand-Cornstarch-And-Water
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