Broken Lance

Broken Lance —whose original English title is Broken Lance— is a 1954 American film directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner and Richard Widmark.

Plot

Wealthy rancher Matt Deveraux (Spencer Tracy) created a ranching empire from scratch. During that time he treated his children tyrannically except his youngest son Joe. One day he raids the lands of a copper miner, who, by smelting the ore, contaminates the river waters that he needs for his cattle. To protect himself from repercussions, he divides his property among his children. Even so, one of these, Joe (Robert Wagner) decides to take responsibility for the assault on the miner's land to protect his father from jail, because he knows it would be fatal for him to go there. That way he goes to jail for three years.

During this time, however, his other children led by his eldest son Ben, rebel against their father by taking advantage of the power they now have, leading to his death. For this reason, Joe swears to take revenge on his brothers for what they did during his confinement as soon as he is released from prison by putting a spear in his burial place. When he leaves prison, Ben, the true architect of what happened, awaits him once he returns to his father's house, now abandoned, where he meets his mother and Two Moons, the man most loyal to his father.. He makes sure that his brothers can't interfere and tries to kill him when he wants to see Barbara, the woman he loves.

The deadly combat nearly ends with Joe's murder, when Two Moons, foreseeing Ben's behavior, follows Joe and kills Ben before he achieves his purpose. Time passes and Joe has married Barbara. They decide to leave the place and visit Joe's father's grave one last time. There Joe breaks the spear and with it the feud he had with his brothers and leaves the place with Barbara.

Cast

• Spencer Tracy like Matt Devereaux.
• Robert Wagner like Joe Devereaux.
• Jean Peters like Barbara.
• Richard Widmark as Ben Devereaux.
• Katy Jury as Mrs. Devereaux.
• Hugh O'Brian like Mike Devereaux.
• Eduard Franz like Two Moons.
• Earl Holliman as Denny Devereaux.
• E. G. Marshall as the Governor.

Awards

Oscar 1954