The one and only Spencer Tracy stars in Broken Lance (1954) as a fierce rancher who has raised his sons (played by Richard Widmark, Robert Wagner, Earl Holliman, and Hugh O’Brian) with a potent work ethic but little paternal affection. Before long, the brothers are at each other’s throats, with dramatic results for the whole family. Also starring Katy Jurado, Oscar®-nominated for her performance as Tracy’s outcast wife, and Jean Peters as the young woman who catches Wagner’s eye.

***

A Western remake of ”House of Strangers” (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1949), there is also a touch of King Lear in the story, in form of the brothers and their relationship to their father. But its only a touch, and King Lear would not be adapted into Western before “The Man from Laramie” (Anthony Mann, 1955). It nevertheless is interesting with what ease themes from King Lear can be carried over into the Western.

Joe Devereaux (Robert Wagner) has just spend four years in jail and now discovers, that not only is his father (Spencer Tracy) dead, but his brothers have taken over the ranch and sold it off to an oil company. Refusing to become part of the enterprise, he revisits the ranch, thereby the past, and eventually comes face to face with the elder brother, Ben Devereaux (Richard Widmark).

By itself a classic Western, noting upon the birth of the west, where men took law into their own hands, and how that part of the west died away, with the introduction of towns, and as such laws and banks. Tracy is superb as the self-made rancher, who is betrayed by his oldest son.
 

Henrik Sylow

There is also a European Blu-ray floating around but I suspect the quality is inferior:

2.52:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 5.61 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 2.52:1

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 2.52:1

Edition Details:
• None

DVD Release Date: February 21, 2005
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Chapters 12