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The Walls Of Jericho

1948, Movie, NR, 106 mins

The Walls Of Jericho: Review

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A cross-blend of a soap opera and a biblical tale set in an agricultural area just after the turn of the century, THE WALLS OF JERICHO has all the deadly sins Sunday school teachers have always warned about: envy, greed, hate, murder, and the list goes on. It's 1908 in Kansas; Wilde is a lawyer in the town of Jericho. His wife, Dvorak, is a drunk and doesn't much care who knows it. The Wilde-Dvorak relationship is further muddled by his love for Baxter, another attorney, and the fact that his best friend (Douglas) has a wife (Darnell) who is making eyes at him. Wilde can't handle three women at once so he spurns Darnell, who gets steamed and starts trouble for Wilde. Douglas runs a newspaper and, under Darnell's prodding, begins a smear campaign by printing Wilde's alleged transgressions, thus ruinin any political ambitions Wilde may have had. Wilde decides that the town of Jericho is no longer friendly, so he packs up his gear and exits. With Wilde out of the way and with Darnell spurring him on, Douglas goes into politics, wins the election, and departs for Washington, DC. With hubby out of the way, Darnell continues weaving her web of influence in the town, a fact that Douglas is unaware of. Wilde and Baxter meet again later when a mutual friend is charged with a capital offense. The newspaper headlines proclaim that Dvorak is suing Wilde for divorce on grounds of adultery and Baxter is cited as the woman who made it all happen. Darnell keeps agitating matters and gets Dvorak so angry that she grabs a gun and plugs Wilde. He is taken to the hospital, as Baxter, trouper that she is, goes into court, stifles her emotions, pleads the case, and gets her client sprung from the manslaughter charge, thereby convincing herself that she has what it takes to be a big-time counselor. Later, when Dvorak has dried out, she admits that her accusations in the press and her subsequent violent behavior were caused by Darnell's needles. Douglas comes to the realization that he has been married to a shrew and calls a halt to their life together. Baxter visits the hospital and lets Wilde know what's happened, telling him Douglas has tossed Darnell aside. Good triumphs over evil in an ending that offers no surprises. A few individual scenes stand out, but the characterizations are too broadly drawn. Douglas carries off his supporting role well in this, his fifth movie. Townsend turns in a good performance as the accused killer. leave a comment
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