Jacques Tourneur is best known for Out of the Past and his wonderfully titled run of B-horror in the 40s (Cat People, I Walked With a Zombie and The Leopard Man). He's the poor man's Michael Curtiz, letting the story and actors take the spotlight while moving from genre to genre without screaming "I'm an AUTEUR."
I've now seen 11 of his films, and Nightfall is my favorite. It's a sharply written crime drama with consistently superior dialogue and a few original riffs off the standard noir melodies. "I don't carry a gun. That's why we pay taxes, so the police can do that for us."
As for Stars in My Crown, it features one of the best "lone man standing up to the mob" speeches I have ever seen, bringing to a climax the Our Town/Mayberry take on the traditional homesteader vs land baron Western rivalry. Overall though, pretty bland.
Rating: 5 out of 10
Recommended instead: Wagon Master by John Ford, which elevates the Muzak Western
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