The Iron Mistress (1952) User Reviews

Colourful Biopic.

[jpdoherty · 5/10 · 19 November 2009]

After more than ten years with Paramount Pictures one of their biggest stars Alan Ladd signed a new seven year contract with Warner Brothers. His first movie for that studio was the colourful biopic THE IRON MISTRESS.The star had just completed his masterpiece "Shane" for Paramount which was about to be released but THE IRON MISTRESS reached theatre screens first.

Of all the pictures Ladd would make for Warners over the next seven years THE IRON MISTRESS is about the best of them! Beautifully photographed in Technicolor by John Seitz (Ladd's favourite cinematographer) it tells the story of impoverished lumber merchant Jim Bowie (Ladd) who came from the backwoods of 1820's Louisiana and rose to become a property tycoon through land speculation, gambling and - some say - by other unorthodox methods. Along the way he would make some bitter enemies in the resentful New Orleans business world and for his protection he designed the famous knife that bears his name and which gives the film its title. Bowie acquired something of a bad reputation because of some dubious business dealings and also his knife-wielding dispatch of many of his adversaries. Nevertheless, his reputation not withstanding, Jim Bowie's name has gone down in American folklore as one of the heroes who died in the famous Battle of The Alamo in San Antonio Texas in 1836. THE IRON MISTRESS is based on a book by Paul Wellmann and was fashioned into a fairly good screenplay by James R.Webb. Henry Blanke's colourful production was ably directed by Gordan Douglas.

However, although John Beckman's Art Direction and George James Hopkins' set designs are spot on for the lavish gambling halls and bars of New Orleans, the picture is marred by too many indoor studio exteriors. A main street scene of the city near the beginning looks like a stage play and Bowie's family home in the Bayou marshland is so unreal it cheapens the movie. Unconvincing also is the scene where Bowie goes to have his famous knife forged! Firstly the blacksmith's name simply couldn't be Mr. Black, could it? And why on earth would the blacksmith (David Wolfe) fuse part of his treasured meteor fragment (which he has under lock and key) into the making of a knife for a complete stranger? ("your knife has a bit of heaven in it sir - or a bit of hell"). Nonetheless there are reasonably good performances throughout! Virginia Mayo steals the acting honours as the scheming, spoilt socialite who sneers at Bowie's marriage proposal ("What do you want me to do - live in a cabin in the wilderness?"). Ladd is his usual laconic self and watch out for the pint-sized actor being surrounded by smaller players particularly the actors Richard Carlyle and Dick Paxton playing his two brothers who are actually smaller than Ladd. And also in the well staged Ballroom sequence Mayo's flat shoes can clearly be seen under her gown in a low angle shot as she dances the aptly titled the Virginia Reel with our star. A plus for the movie is a marvellous climactic set piece of a sword and knife fight in a dark room where only intermittent flashes of lightning make it possible to see the two antagonists in mortal combat.

Another plus for the movie is the terrific score by Max Steiner. His main theme is an anthem-like piece which points up, not only Bowie's backwoods antecedents, but his tenacious determination to make something of himself. Then there is the gorgeous theme for Judalon (Mayo) which the composer fashions into a ravishing love theme and we are treated to some wonderful strident action cues in the unmistakable Steiner manner for the various knife fight sequences. THE IRON MISTRESS is not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination but it has good atmosphere and enough flair and colour to hold the interest!

Alan Ladd's "Arkansas toothpick"

[NewEnglandPat · 7/10 · 9 April 2003]

Alan Ladd heads a fine cast in this film biography of Jim Bowie, a life that was marked by thrilling adventure and violence which ended at the Alamo. Bowie's travels take him to New Orleans where fate takes a hand and changes the course of his life and American history. A central figure in the film is a beautiful but vain and selfish Creole girl with whom Bowie is hopelessly smitten. This girl is responsible for the deaths of several men over a period of many years, because of duels, accidental killings or outright murders. Bowie himself is obliged to fight duels for various reasons and his expertise with a knife becomes legendary. His reputation, forged by the iron mistress, follows him like a shadow throughout his life as he tries to put the young woman and his violent past behind him. The film has beautiful color, lavish sets and Max Steiner's brooding music score.

psuedo historical fiction but fun

[jaybob · 7/10 · 8 June 2001]

This is an adventure story using fiction to tell about the early years of James Bowie,prior to his martyrdom at the Alamo a few years after this film ends. This is a typical romantic adventure story with Alan Ladd giving an erstwhile honest portrayal in the role that Richard Widmark did years later in THE ALAMO. Mr Ladd was short in stature,but you would never really know that,. as all of the actors were either his height or 1 or 2 inches either way. Virginia Mayo is as usual very beautiful & well dressed,She was never considered a great actress but she could portray a very selfish woman with perfect ease. The rest of the cast is just what you would expect in this type of vehicle. Good production values with a very good knife fight in a dark room with only lightning bolts to highlight the action. A bit long at 112 minutes, but entertaining. a low *** rating or a 7 on the IMDB scale

as always

Jay Harris.

The Reel Jim Bowie

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 20 September 2006]

After a decade at Paramount Sue Carol negotiated a new studio contract for Alan Ladd at Warner Brothers. Sad to because her husband's greatest film was ready for release at Paramount and they had no great urgency to feature him in the publicity. But that's another story.

Alan Ladd became another one of a good list of players to take on the role of Jim Bowie. He plays him as heroic as Richard Widmark, MacDonald Carey, Sterling Hayden or Jim Arness did. Problem was of all the legends of the American frontier, Jim Bowie was probably the one who got the biggest whitewash in history.

The man was a thoroughgoing scoundrel. As a merchant he was as unscrupulous as a latter day robber baron. He was involved in several land swindle scams. He also bought and sold slaves as well. And he wasn't even honest in that. He and Jean Lafitte had a fine racket for a while with Lafitte capturing runaways in Texas and bringing them back to the U.S. for Bowie to sell, not necessarily back to their original masters.

He did have a knife built to his specifications as per the film and with his activities he did tend to get into a lot of violent disagreements. That's the Bowie knife, the Arkansas toothpick, the Iron Mistress of the title.

But Ladd plays Bowie as heroically as the legends have him and as the novel by Paul Wellman has him. He's caught between two women, the selfish French creole aristocrat Virginia Mayo and the daughter of the Governor of the province of Coahuila in Mexico which included Texas, Phyllis Kirk.

Bowie was a violent man in a violent era. Ladd plays him like he was Shane and he was being faithful to the novel if not the real Bowie. But then we've never seen the real one on screen any time.

Still for those who liked Ladd's portrayal of Shane, The Iron Mistress is a good film for you.

Well-done period piece starring Alan Ladd

[chuck-reilly · 7/10 · 8 February 2007]

Viewers of this film shouldn't confuse anything here with actual history. By all accounts, Jim Bowie was a violent, unscrupulous fellow who later became a raging drunk after his wife and child died. Whether or not he died fighting at the Alamo, or just simply died there confined to his bed, has never been determined by any historian. That said, Alan Ladd does a fine job as an "heroic" version of Bowie in this film, taken from the popular 1950's novel of the same name. Virginia Mayo never looked better than she did in this film. The fact that her character has very few good qualities only helps the film and her performance. The production values of this film are high and in keeping with the standards of the day for period pieces. Director Gordon Douglas does excellent work with his cast, despite the mediocre material and some dubious history in the script. This movie did very well at the box office upon its release, and it's easy to see why.

Continues the Legend

[skallisjr · 7/10 · 27 March 2005]

As with most films, story details had to be compressed to fit it into a normal running time, but it still catches much of the flavor of the novel. The Alan Ladd portrayal is believable, though Paul Wellman's novel takes the saga all the way to the Alamo and the film ends long before that. However, it has the feel of a good period piece.

The manufacture of the famous knife is foreshortened from that of the book, where Bowie discusses the design in detail with Black, the man who forges the knife. The action in the forging of the iron is quite dramatic and worthy of the reputation that the knife .. er .. carved out.

The "duel in the dark" sequence was dramatically enhanced by momentary flashes of lightning, which wasn't half as ruthless as in the novel, where the entire duel was fought in pitch black.

Major spoiler: The end of the film has Bowie treat the knife in sharp contrast to what happened in the novel, and for that matter, history (he gets rid of it). This may have been to create a Hollywood happy ending, but is a major shift from the novel, and from history.

A forced fit of romance and knife fights, gun fights, sword fights, fight fights...

[secondtake · 6/10 · 17 June 2010]

The Iron Mistress (1952)

I don't get the whole call of honor that leads to duels at the slightest provocation (or less). In some movies it's a fabulous dramatic point, but here it's a nagging and recurring trick, a reason for some male chest-thumping and a little bloodshed. It also represents the way the movie depends on forced drama to make the events jump.

There are exceptions, like a really beautiful and unusual hand-to-hand knife/sword fight occurring in a darkened room, with an occasional bolt of lightning like a strobe going off. This is cinema trickery, a real pleasure, not part of the real story, but it's a moment of relief from the costume drama and dueling the rest of the time.

This is how this movie goes. Moments of unique drama are followed by long stretches of stiff plot development. I'm not sure how the movie reflects the real story of James Bowie, whose name was given to the famous Bowie knife (knives naturally have a big role in the movie, including the forging of the first true Bowie knife). But what works best is the sense of period sets and time-travel to pre-Civil War Louisiana. The romance isn't highly romantic, and the plot is generally stiff, but it is a kind of history story come to life. If you overlook the obvious liberties and gaffes, it's not an unwatchable movie, just a routine one. Alan Ladd, it must be said, is a little cool even for Alan Ladd (an understated actor).

The film does lay out the gradual shift in cultivation of the South to cotton farming, and brings out lots of old rules like the fact divorce was impossible in Louisiana without an act of the legislature. People interested in this certain kind of movie making, for its own sake, should check out "Drums Along the Mohawk" (a better movie by far, but with a similar feel somehow). Here, the camera-work by the talented John Seitz is strangely dull (though it is in true Technicolor), and the scored music by the incomparable Max Steiner is straight up functional. Most of all, the many ordinary parts are put together without great art or intensity.

Too much soap opera, not enough of the actual life of James Bowie!

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 12 September 2010]

While I am no expert on the life of James Bowie, I know enough to realize that this Warner Brothers production is pretty limp. Instead of focusing on the man's actual exploits (and they were many and amazingly wild for a man who died so young), the film focuses too often on a soap opera-like relationship between him and some dame (Virginia Mayo)--and I assume most, if not all, of this was made up for the movie. It's a shame, as the man was truly a rugged individualist and a bit dangerous--just the sort of thing that SHOULD have been a lot more interesting than this film.

There are a few things I wish the film had shown, they would have made it more fun and interesting. In the crazy duel run amok where Bowie is shot (which is in the film), the actual evens are even crazier and bloody--not only was Bowie shot but he was smashed in the head with the gun butt and stabbed with a sword--a sword that got stuck in him!! As the assassin tried to dislodge it, Bowie eviscerated him with his knife!! Also, there is really nothing about Bowie and the War for Texan Independence--not just his death at the Alamo but all the fighting he did BEFORE this! Because of this, the film just seems very incomplete and focuses on the dullest (and probably apocryphal) aspects of his crazy life.

Bowie County Resident about this movie

[denverbarndude · 11 April 2017]

I live in Bowie County, one of 37 counties in Texas that were made while Texas was a Republic, and this County was named for James Bowie, a hero of the Alamo and a Hero of the the Republic. The rest of the story is not so heroic. James Bowie was a forger, thief, horrible human being and land thief. In this area of Texas, he is loved for being at the end of the Alamo and being an irascible scoundrel who forged land grants, forged Spanish grants and just did some terrible, fitful things. He killed a lot of people in duels but having his name being kindly lent? Nope. Now in Texas, where I live, the Bowie knife is a real and really big thing. I own one and strap it to my leg when I go out to the wilderness. And it is a big wilderness. The area where Jim Bowie plied his trade (thievery) is full of big pines and lots, and I mean lots of water. We go out to the big lakes, but not one has been made by man. Only Caddo Lake, South East of where I live, is man made. That's where Jim Bowie made his claim. I don't want to go any further into this but Jim, or James Bowie as he has been called in this area, is claimed as a hero. But this movie is terrible at accuracy, wonderful for remembrance.

Blade Ruiner

[writers_reign · 7/10 · 23 November 2007]

Gordon Douglas was something of a poor man's Michael Curtiz at Warner Brothers inasmuch as he could turn his hand to just about any genre the studio assigned him to. In the early fifties Alan Ladd had run out of exotic locations to meet Veronica Lake and William Bendix at Paramount and although his greatest performance and greatest Paramount film by far (Shane) was already in the can though unreleased his agent wife Sue Carroll brokered a deal that took him to Warners who, being hip to his stand-out performance in Shane, laid on another 'Western' to welcome him aboard. As a biography of Jim Bowie it fits where it touches and concludes with no reference to the Alamo - probably a bit tricky as Bowie winds up the movie married to the daughter of a Mexican official. That aside it's a fine example of the genre with Ladd on top of his game albeit playing Bowie as a nice guy who can't seem to help killing people, mostly as a result of his involvement with super-bitch socialite Virginia Mayo. In terms of Ladd's overall career it ranks well inside the top half and will surely entertain nine out of ten viewers.

Is it Gatsby or Bowie

[pensman · 5/10 · 8 June 2013]

I suspect the screen writer owes a lot to F. Scott Fitzgerald for this script. Jim Bowie, Alan Ladd, is a bit of a backwoods bumpkin who meets Judalon de Bornay, Virginia Mayo, while on his first trip to the big city of New Orleans. Blinded by her beauty he fails to discover her true nature as a highly manipulative Daisy Buchanan who uses him to obtain her own ends. One has to enjoy how she manipulates him to provoke a knife fight which win or lose may end the thrall her husband Phillipe de Cabanal, Alf Kjellin, owes to gambling and Black Jack Sturdevant, Anthony Caruso. There may be some history in this film but very little. As the movie progresses even the most credulous viewer has to be willing to suspend all belief. You may not be able to repeat the past but you certainly can redress plots in new periods. And the scene, big spoiler, where Phillipe de Cabanal and Black Jack Sturdevant kill each other while believing their opponent is Bowie is over the top. At least Bowie finally has an epiphany as he states, "No woman is worth the lives of eight men." And there is even a little Titanic here as Bowie tosses his knife into the water and goes on to marry Ursula de Varamendi, Phyllis Kirk. Confused? Wait for a rainy day and hope TCM is running the film.

Weapons, snowballs!

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 24 September 2008]

Jim Bowie sets off to sell lumber in New Orleans, but once there he is captivated by the beautiful Judalon de Bornay and finds that life here is vastly different to that of home. Getting himself into many scrapes on account of his feelings for Judalon, Bowie invents a new kind of Knife, the Iron Mistress, and from here a legend is born.

Nobody should go into this picture expecting a Jim Bowie biography, in fact Western fans who haven't seen it should be advised that it barely registers as a Western piece. What it is, is a fine picture that certainly appears to be undervalued {if a little under seen} on the IMDb site. It's full of dandy men fighting and duelling with honour and guts, beautiful women that are surely worth fighting for, and of course it introduces us to the legendary Bowie Knife.

It's based on a Paul Wellman novel, and by all accounts the film is pretty loyal to Wellman's ideals, it doesn't however take us all the way to the Alamo. Alan Ladd takes the lead role of Bowie, shiny blonde hair and brooding for all he is worth, fans of his performance in Shane should definitely check this one out, it's a great performance from Ladd, the kind that makes the gals go gooey and the boys to thump their chests. Virginia Mayo is Judalon and positively simmers with sexual beauty, the character is akin to a viper, and the pot boiling sexual tension is palpable in the extreme, she is in short, a woman men will die for.

Some scenes are just terrific, a duel in a darkened room that is only lit by the odd flash of lightning thru a window, a knife fight as two men with one arm tied to each other face off in a circle of honour, and of course Jim Bowie in every encounter, his violent gutsy bravado fearsome as his reputation escalates. At the time of writing only 141 people have voted on this picture, only 10 people have bothered to write a user comment for it, that's a shame because although it may not be a Western as such, it's a damn fine romantic, dandy, drama with a Western legend at its core. 8/10

Okay, not spectacular

[Zoooma · 7/10 · 15 March 2014]

Fictionalized biography of American pioneer who died at The Alamo, Jim Bowie. I never thought anything of Alan Ladd but he's a capable tough guy as well as gentleman who plays his part very well. Being set primarily in New Orleans in 1825, this is more of a period piece than a western which is what I found it categorized under. Not much that's western about it. But the direction, cinematography and Technicolor give this a nice feel. The action was good yet a little ridiculous with the gentlemanly duels that were common back then. Not sure I'd ever watch it again but I enjoyed seeing it.

6.4 / 10

--Zoooma, a Kat Pirate Screener

Average and a little boring biopic about the mythical Jim Bowie , pre-The Alamo

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 11 December 2013]

Western adventure with Jim Bowie (Alan Ladd) a man with his name on a knife and two women (Virginia Mayo , Phyllis Kirk) with a weapon all their own . This is a mini-biography of the life of Jim Bowie in which he faces off bloody duels . It starts In 1825, Jim Bowie travels to New Orleans to sell the lumber output from the sawmill he runs with his brothers . He soon meets the gorgeous as well as manipulating Judalon De Bornay (Virginia Mayo) and falls in love for her . Jim attempts to wed Jedualon , but the woman has wed playboy Phillipe (Alf Kjellin) . Jim's business interests lead to violent fights where a lot of people are killed and there takes place a struggle with local saloon owner and nasty Black Jack (Anthony Caruso) . Then , Bowie is rescued by an attractive Mexican girl (Phyllis Kirk) , the daughter of the Vice-Governor of San Antonio .

Barely historical presentation about the mythic character , Jim Bowie , who invented the famed frontier knife . This colorful as well as spotty picture contains action , thrills , soap opera , knife-fights , luxurious balls and results to be entertaining ; however , being also mediocre . Slightly interesting screenplay by James R. Webb , Western usual , being based on a novel by Paul Wellman . Passable acting by the main starring Alan Ladd , and gorgeous Virginia Mayo who subsequently reprised her film role in Lux Radio Theater broadcast , a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie. Support cast is frankly well , such as Joseph Calleia as Juan Moreno , Phyllis Kirk as Ursula De Varamendi , Alf Kjellin as Phillipe De Cabanal , Douglas Dick as Narcisse de Bornay and special mention to Anthony Caruso playing as crook Black Jack . Atmospheric and thrilling musical score by the classic composer Max Steiner . Colorful as well as evocative cinematography by John F. Seitz , filmed on location in New Orleans and surrounds .

The motion picture lavishly produced by Henry Blanke was regularly directed by Gordon Douglas . He was an expert on adventure genre as ¨Black arrow¨ , ¨Fortunes of Captain Blood¨ , both starred by Louis Hayward and Western , as he proved in the films starred by Clint Walker such as ¨Fort Dobbs¨, ¨Yellowstone Kelly¨ , ¨Gold of seven Saints¨ , Gregory Peck as ¨Only the valiant¨ , ¨Chuka¨ with Rod Taylor , ¨Rio Conchos¨ starred by Richard Boone , being considered his best Western , and about bandits legendary as ¨Doolins of Oklahoma¨ , ¨Great Missouri raid¨, among others .

The real events about James Bowie's life are the followings : Texas hero and knife-fighter whose name was made world famous by the type of broad-bladed knife he used and is said to have originated . Born in Georgia , he made money by selling black slaves before going Texas , where he settle in San Antonio , legend tells us he searched for and found the lost Spanish silver mine in the San Saba region . In 1830, he became a Mexican citizen married the daughter of the Vice-Governor of San Antonio and became a wealthy landowner . He lost his wife and children in a cholera epidemic . When the Texans rebelled against Spanish rule he joined the rebels and was made captain , engaging in several victories over Mexicans . With the rank of colonel he held joint command of The Alamo fortress with Colonel Travis until stricken down with fever , he died fighting , from his sickbed , with the rest of the garrison while defending the Alamo against an overwhelming Mexican army . Bowie made his reputation as a formidable knife-fighter in a number of duels , but it is not clear if he or his brother , actually designed the original Bowie Knife .

Loved the Bowie knife more than the movie.

[jhrobe · 7/10 · 29 July 2016]

Watched the movie this week on TCM. As a new collector and knife hobbyist, I was more interested in the Bowie knife than the story line. I noticed that the Bowie knife used in this movie was almost identical in size and configuration to the Bowie knife used in the movie "The Alamo" starring John Wayne. Since there are dozens of possible configurations that could have been used in each movie and since the two movies were made several years apart, I am fascinated that these two "movie props" were made almost identical. I can only fantasize how great it would be to have both of these Bowies in my collection if it were possible that they could still exist.

Bowie According to Hollywood.

[rmax304823 · 4/10 · 9 July 2012]

In this film, Alan Ladd is Jim Bowie, who comes to New Orleans to sell timber from the rural family farm in Louisiana. He wins some money, get all decked out in the finest fashion, meets and falls for the beautiful but treacherous Virginia Mayo, and fights or witnesses innumerable duels with knives, sword, and pistols.

We follow him through business deals too, in which he makes a good deal of money gambling and trading things and speculating on land values. He keeps running into Virginia Mayo, which is not a bad idea in itself, but she deliberately lures him on and then dumps him for someone with more power, money, or breeding. Finally, he wises up. Two things have gotten him in trouble over the years -- Miss Virginia Mayo and that damned knife of his, supposedly forged out of meteorite iron; the knife, that is, not Miss Virginia Mayo, though she might have been. He blows off both of these trouble makers and marries a beautiful Mexican woman.

I'm not a historian, but Wikipedia is available to everyone. That beautiful Mexican girl was Ursula Veramendi. She was the daughter of a powerful politician. Bowie promised to pay the family more than a quarter of a million dollars for the privilege but he lied about the land he owned. He lied about his age too. Ursula was nineteen and Bowie claimed to be thirty, although he was actually thirty-five.

And here's how he made some of his money. It was illegal to import slaves into Louisiana, though not illegal to own or sell them. A reward, equal to half the value of the slaves, was given to anyone informing on slave importers. So Bowie would buy illegally imported slaves from a pirate, turn himself in as an illegal importer, and get half the value of the slaves as a reward for turning himself in. Then he would use the money legally to buy slaves for himself. A regular entrepreneur.

None of this is in the movie, nor should it be. This is Hollywood's buffed-up version of the life of a man who started out poor and naive about women, but who finally won both a fortune and the love of a nice girl. He's a hero. At the fade out, he and Ursula are kneeling in church and being married. The Alamo is never mentioned. The Independence movement isn't mentioned either.

Ladd, the principal figure, is ligneous. This wooden quality served him well in "Shane," where his character was supposed to be reserved, guarded about himself and his past, deliberate in thought and movement. Here, he's rather dull. Nothing much can be said for Virginia Mayo's performance either. She was fine as a Goldwyn Girl, the heroine of light-hearted action movies, and even as floozies in "The Best Years of Our Lives" and "White Heat." This is supposed to be a dramatic role and her problem is the opposite of Ladd's. She over acts. When her face is snuggled up next to his, Ladd's features are vacant while hers are twisted with gleeful deceit.

The costumes and appointments are colorful and impressive. This is Southern society in 1830. Nobody's clothes are wrinkled or dirty. At least some of the duels we see really happened. Dueling lasted much longer in the South than it did in the North. New England was settled by Roundheads -- uptight, very religious, practical people with community commitments. The South was settled by Cavaliers, willing to take chances, to risk things, given to action rather than introspection, and they brought with them a culture of honor. It could be argued that the higher homicide rates in southern states are a relic of that tradition, what anthropologists call "the founder effect".

But never mind all that. The film is strictly routine entertainment. It's Alan Ladd in fancy clothes trying to make out with Virginia Mayo and sometimes getting into fights. That's about it. Would this movie have been made if Jim Bowie's name had been Marmaduke Cherkovitz?

Fact or Fiction this is still a great adventure/action film...with a clever twist at the end

[Ed-Shullivan · 8/10 · 13 April 2017]

Okay so let's first get this fiction out of the way. Jim Bowie as portrayed in The Iron Mistress as the true romantic and a gentlemen hero is more fiction than fact based on folklore and "he said, she said". In real life historians have acclaimed Jim Bowie as a somewhat shady land purveyor who in 1831 after he married nineteen- year-old Maria Ursula de Veramendi, then in 1983 he lost his wife and two children to cholera and began to drink a lot and thereafter not caring anymore about his attire.

But film producers do not necessarily have to note in advance and/or clarify that some parts of their film may be embellished or that the facts may not all be known. I for one really enjoyed Alan Ladd in the lead role as the folklore hero Jim Bowie and his long lost love affair with the attractive Judalon de Bornay played by Virginia Mayo. There were at least three (3) different scenes in the film where Judalon de Bornayand and adventurer Jim Bowie were caught in an embrace and Judalon can be deliberately seen rolling her eyes and smirking directly towards her film audiences in our seats and telling us that she does not really love Jim Bowie and is just using him to get what she wants...money, murder, and to cause more trouble.

As Jim Bowie would eventually say to his former love Judalon de Bornay "no Judalon I don't think we can be together, you have caused the death of at least eight (8) men and that is enough." I am a big fan of Alan Ladd and especially the classic westerns (Shane) and adventure films (Boy on a Dolphin) that he starred in. There is one scene in particular in The Iron Mistress near the end of the film that is a very clever twist where by accident or by premonition Jim Bowie is indirectly responsible for the sudden fate of two of his male combatants and his former love, Judalon. This particular scene for me wrapped up the film in a neat little and justifiable bow that reminds me that this is only a film based on a real life person whose reputation precedes him as a dashing, handsome and daring adventurer.

Alan Ladd and Virginia Mayo played their parts exceptionally well so if you like good adventure/westerns/biographies then you will most likely enjoy The Iron Mistress which the title is based not on a woman, but on Jim Bowie's specially designed hunting knife.

I give the film an 8 out 10 rating.

re: Really good movie

[carl170 · 10/10 · 29 December 2005]

Great Movie.. with the legendary Character Jim Bowie, and the legendary Knive, and how it came to be.

Tales of how Jim Bowie came to become the legend; and how not to fall for the wrong women.

If only he had listen to his brother/s and family about his love. Alan Ladd was excellent in this, as was Virgina Mayo....and he rest of the cast.Great movie. It really is.

Is this released as a DVD yet? Please can someone tell me...???? I would love to get this film on DVD

Maybe even this film could be remade for a new generation with even more detail given to how the knife was made etc, etc

But who would star????

One of my favourites...

[Davo-CC · 9/10 · 19 July 1999]

I've never really been a fan of westerns, I didn't grow up with them and I always thought the genre was overrated personally.

Occasionally however a film comes along which has distinct appeal despite its genre, this is such a film. I'm not 100% sure why I liked it or why it stood out from the pack, there is a certain intangible aspect to it which really appeals; the closest thing that I can think of is `The Mountain' (1956, Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner), it is a film which I believe has that same intangible quality.

I'd recommend this one for both western fan and non western fan (like myself) alike.

One of Ladd's Best!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 10 February 2018]

Alan Ladd's westerns were not only super-popular with the fans, but the critics too. And even the corduroy set loved The Iron Mistress for which Paramount loaned Ladd to Warner Brothers - so we're fortunate that this one has now been released on DVD by the Warner Archive!

On the other hand, Saskatchewan (1954) is among the least interesting, even though it is available on an excellent Universal disc. In fact it is rather routine and the principal characters, played by Ladd, Shelley Winters, Robert Douglas and Hugh O'Brian, are so unconvincingly motivated that director Raoul Walsh is forced to subordinate the plot to the scenery.

Of Drum Beat (1954), Santiago (1956), The Big Land (1957), The Badlanders (1958), Guns of the Timberland (1960), and the superb One Foot in Hell (1960), written by Aaron Spelling and Sydney Boehm, none were available when I wrote these notes except Badlanders (from Warner Archive). But what is available - on the worst DVD of all time (blurry photography, impossible sound and to add insult to injury, printed in the wrong format) - is Duel of the Champions (1961), an Italian costume splurge, which is every bit as bad as everyone says it is. In fact, it's far worse!

Make this Your Mistress

[Richie-67-485852 · 8/10 · 18 March 2018]

Excellent entertainment for the movie-goer regarding Jim Bowie, his knife and a snapshot of his life real or imagined. It doesn't matter how accurate this is as it is not a biography or documentary but instead entertainment. Furthermore I like Alan Ladd which makes for a treat. There are some familiar faces for the cast for their time making it even more enjoyable. One thing I always look for in classic movie showings is whether the movie is watchable a second time. It all depends on memorable scenes and this movie has quite a few that make you want to "comeback" for more. Too bad it is not longer as they would have just loaded it up with more good viewing dynamics. I watch this every 2-3 years for decades and it is still holding my attention just like the first time out. Excellent movie to eat with while watching with a tasty drink. Snack ups it considerably too. Hey....

Solid Mistress

[Richie-67-485852 · 8/10 · 12 April 2017]

You got to like Alan Ladd first off. He gave a good show in this performance and with a good story and supporting actors, this remains premium entertainment. In addition to the Bowie legend, we are introduced to the Bowie knife. A large no-nonsense will get the job done specially made knife that in the right hands can do quite a bit of damages if you are a master of said knife. Alan Ladd is that man. In addition to a nice flowing story-line, we are introduced to many memorable scenes which make this a must see movie again and again. We get a glimpse of the way it was way back when the country was young, Way back when, there was opportunity everywhere, brave men who took risks and danger to put them in their place if they made one wrong move. Many did. The movie emphasizes a moral code in its story of which men will duel over if not honored and obeyed. It wasn't enough to win or kill but how you win and kill that mattered as a mans reputation was the most important asset he had. Banks would loan on it, people would support it and others would imitate it making a person's character very valuable. Boy has that been compromised over the ages but not wiped out. If one finds an honest man who practices righteousness, faith is restored and good will toward men takes place. If many are found keeping this, then we are either closer to paradise or we are in Christmas! Pay attention to the leading ladies vanity. She has everything yet she has nothing and we are treated to a close-up glance of vanity at work and even more, pride in large doses too. Worthy time spent on this little gem. I have seen it perhaps ten times and am watching it now. What joy. Waste no more time reading this. Go and be entertained. Highly recommend eating while watching, a decent snack and a tasty drink. Please enjoy and if you recorded this off of TCM, watch it and save it and watch again in about 3 weeks. You will thank me!

One of Alan Ladd's greatest movies.

[velacortavia · 10/10 · 4 July 2020]

I loved watching this movies, a fantastic movie great story.

Another view of the American legend

[kurtstigelman · 8/10 · 28 January 2021]

Watching this fine cast spin the in-depth story of Bowie was a rewarding find for me! The production is top notch; a historical biography of a side to Bowie that this viewer only knew of from the 1956-58 TV series I loved as a kid. Ladd's lady-killer suave is overdone; but it always was in his best roles. I'm very glad to have accidentally found it-I agree it is a undervalued piece- Bravo 👏👏