Belle Starr (1941)

With the Confederacy defeated in the American Civil War, the feisty “Belle” (Gene Tierney) has to juggle the largely unwanted attentions of Yankee major “Crail” (Dana Andrews) with her desire to help rebel captain “Starr” (Randolph Scott) stay out of his clutches. That doesn’t go so well, and though he manages to escape it means her grand mansion house is reduced to ashes in punishment. This just drives her further into the arms of “Starr” whom she duly marries and whom, together with some other like-minded spirits, decide to make Missouri as unwelcoming for the blue-coats as they can. Their considerable success attracts a few unsavoury characters which disturbs “Belle” as she is fighting for a principle, and that doesn’t include robbing (or worse) innocent civilians. “Starr”, on the other hand, sees it all as fair game if it damages their enemy. So what is to become of their marriage, and their love if they can’t compromise? Some of the “Robin Hood” elements of this work at times, and Tierney can’t be accused of playing half-measures, but Scott and Andrews just don’t deliver well at all. I always found Scott a little too weak around the knees, so as a nasty - even for a cause - he just doesn’t cut it. This routine feature also reminds you just how important the second string actors were for this genre, and without a Brennan, Bond or McLaglen figure to enliven and characterise it, this is all a bit sterile.