1951 film by Edwin L. Marin
Raton Pass is a 1951 American Western film directed by Edwin L. Marin and starring Dennis Morgan, Patricia Neal and Steve Cochran.[2]
Plot
New Mexico Territory, 1880. Pierre Challon and son Marc own a big ranch that encompasses both sides of Raton Pass. They lease additional acres from homesteaders to accommodate their cattle. It is an uneasy arrangement, leading to occasional feuding. Against this background, two strangers arrive: an attractive woman, Ann, and a ruthless gunfighter, Cy Van Cleave, with whom she flirts. After making lunch plans with Cy, she observes an altercation between Cy and Marc, who emerges as the victor. She immediately snubs Van Cleave for Marc, who is quickly enchanted with her feminine charms. Before the town realizes it, the two get hitched. The newlyweds are pleasantly surprised by Papa Pierre's wedding gift, a title deed transferring ownership of the ranch to the happy couple.
As 50% owner, Ann wants a say-so in the ranch's operation. Being a woman in the Old West, of course, no one takes her seriously. She becomes dissatisfied, bored, and sullen -- until Prentice, a Chicago banker, arrives. Ann sees an opportunity to manipulate the banker and further her plans. So when Marc and his father go on a business trip, Ann and Prentice are left free to (a) engage in a huge but risky land-irrigation venture and (b) embark on a torrid love affair. When the Challons return, they are stunned to discover Ann and Prentice in a romantic clinch, planning to swindle Marc out of his share of the ranch. Pierre Challon urges his son shoot his adulterous wife and avenge family honor. To his father's dismay, Marc sells his 50% to Ann. He is confident her irrigation deal will backfire and leave her broke, allowing Marc to buy back the land for pennies on the dollar.
Lena Casamajor, a homesteader's niece, has always hankered for Marc. She fears Ann will despoil the landscape for everyone, ranchers and farmers both. So she sets up a meeting between Marc and the homesteaders. He offers them a deal to finance irrigation for all parties if they agree to help him deny Ann access to the grazing acreage Marc still leases from the homesteaders. Not to be thwarted, Ann hires Van Cleave as ranch foreman to instigate a range war. Soon, bullets fly from all directions. At one point, Van Cleave shoots Marc in the back. Miraculously, he survives. Meanwhile, fed up with the bloodletting, Prentice abandons Ann, who tries her wiles on Van Cleave. Unfortunately, Prentice is shot by Van Cleave for his trouble. The Challons are the only ones who can stop him now—and they do, but not before the murderous foreman turns his deadly aim on Ann.
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