Great Historical Drama If Not Great History

In The Baron of Arizona, Vincent Price plays James Reavis, a flamboyant character who threatened to take over the territory comprising most or all of what became the state of Arizona and possibly change the border with New Mexico. The United States was honoring old Spanish land grants and he saw a way to take advantage. James Reavis was a real historical figure. There is an extensive Wikipedia article on him. Someone posting on MovieChat claimed that “Reavis” is to be pronounced with a short “a” as in “heaven,” not a long “a” as in “steamer,” but cites no source for this. The movie consistently uses a long “a.” The film does use Reavis’s and his wife’s real names but changes too many details to relate.

The film doesn’t attempt to give any background for Reavis as to why he chooses to perpetrate his hoax, he just shows up one rainy night looking for an heir and chooses a young orphan girl being raised by a poor Mexican peasant. He then embarks on years of fraud and forgery to establish her claim to a Spanish land grant. On his way he proves to be a regular chick magnet, attracting women who will do anything for him and using them to further his schemes. He returns to marry the orphan who is considerably younger and proceeds to wreak havoc on Arizona and its inhabitants.

What elevates this movie from good to great is of course Vincent Price! His whole performance is wonderful but what I particularly enjoyed was a couple of magnificent evil stares with a sinister eyebrow raise. Not to mention there is an awesomely cool model train.

This movie contains a lot of smoking, particularly cigars, and some drinking. There is a dramatic angry villagers with weapons and torches scene. Some violence including a near lynching but much less than many westerns. The unspoken irony not to be lost on the modern viewer is a mob of white American farmers utterly livid at losing the land they paid for and worked for, while a few Native Americans stand silently in the background.

The movie gives a good “crime does not pay” moral and I believe is fine for kids to watch but will probably more appeal to adults.