Behold a Pale Horse Reviews

Reportedly based on the real-life exploits of Francisco Sabater, BEHOLD A PALE HORSE tells the story of a Spanish guerrilla named Manuel Artiguez (an oddly cast Gregory Peck), who lives in exile in France and still leads raids on Spain from Pau, continuing a nearly one-man effort after the end of the Spanish Civil War. Twenty years later, Artiguez is told that his mother, Pilar (Mildred Dunnock), is dying in Spain. What he doesn't realize is that this is a trap set by Capt. Vinolas (Anthony Quinn), the vicious Spanish police chief who has been after Artiguez for years. Pilar, aware that her son has been set up, pleads with a priest, Fr. Francisco (Omar Sharif), to inform her son of the danger, and since Fr. Francisco sees himself more as Artiguez's fellow human being than as his enemy, he agrees. Artiguez, however, is determined to visit his mother. Lots of preachy moralizing and allegory mark this artistic film directed by Fred Zinnemann (HIGH NOON) from a novel by British filmmaker Emeric Pressburger (longtime collaborator of Michael Powell), which never found its expected great commercial success. Nonetheless, Peck is very good, Quinn is superb, and everyone involved with this powerful movie should take a bow.