While surveying a telegraph line in 1861, Western Union engineer Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger) is severely injured in an accident. He is discovered by Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott), an outlaw on the run from a posse. Forced to travel on foot after his horse was hurt, Shaw at first considers stealing Creighton's horse, but changes his mind and takes the man with him, saving his life.
Sometime later, following his recovery, Creighton returns to Omaha, Nebraska and plans the construction of a telegraph line from Omaha to Salt Lake City, Utah. Facing considerable opposition to the line from Confederate soldiers, Indians, and outlaws, Creighton elicits the help of his sister Sue (Virginia Gilmore), foreman Pat Grogan (Minor Watson), and assistant Homer Kettle (Chill Wills).
Looking to put his outlaw past behind him, Shaw arrives at Creighton's Western Union office looking for honest work and is hired as a scout by Grogan who is unaware of his past. Creighton recognizes him among the men and allows him to stay despite his suspicions. Creighton also hires tenderfoot Richard Blake (Robert Young), a Harvard-educated engineer as a favor to Blake's father. Shaw and Blake are both attracted to Sue and vie for her attention, but their romantic rivalry is cut short when construction of the telegraph line starts on July 4, 1861.
After work commences on the line, one of the men is killed apparently by a mysterious band of cattle-rustling Indians. Unconvinced that Indians are to blame, Shaw rides out to investigate and follows the rustlers' trail to the camp of Jack Slade, a former friend and cohort, whose gang committed the killing disguised as Indians—the gang Shaw left following his last bank robbery. Slade reveals that they are working for the Confederacy to disrupt Western Union because they believe the telegraph service will help the Union. Shaw rides away and returns to the line. Not wanting to turn in his former friends, Shaw tells Creighton that a large band of Dakota Indians stole the cattle, and recommends that they simply replace the herd and not risk a fight with the Indians.
Sometime later, a confrontation takes place between men working on the forward line and a band of drunken Indians. When one of the Indians tries to steal some equipment, a nervous Blake shoots him, ignoring Shaw's order to remain calm. After word arrives that the main camp is under attack by other Indians, the Western Union men rush back to help with the defense. At the main camp, Slade's men, who are again disguised as Indians, steal the Western Union horses. The company discover the ruse when one of the wounded Indians turns out to be a white man. Forced to buy back their stolen horses from Slade, Creighton becomes suspicious of Shaw's involvement, especially when he admits to knowing the gang.
Soon the U.S. Army arrives and announces the Indians have now refused to allow the telegraph lines to go through their territory in response to Blake's shooting of the drunken Indian. Creighton, Shaw, and Blake ride out to convince Chief Spotted Horse to allow them to build the line through Indian territory, even though the man Blake wounded was Spotted Horse's son. Creighton is finally able to persuade the Indians to allow them passage, and work continues until the company approaches Salt Lake City.
Sometime later, Shaw receives word that Jack Slade wants to meet with him. On the way to see Slade, Shaw is captured and bound by Slade's men. Slade says his group is going to burn down the Western Union camp and they don't want Shaw to interfere. After Slade and his men ride off, Shaw escapes from his ropes but arrives back too late to prevent the fire. He helps rescue some of the Western Union men from the flames and burns his hands in the process.
After the fire, Creighton confronts Shaw for an explanation, but Shaw does not reveal what he knows and is fired by Creighton. As Shaw leaves the camp, he tells Blake that Slade is actually Shaw's brother and that he, Shaw, will find Slade's gang and stop them from interfering with the telegraph project. Shaw rides off and finds Slade and his men in a nearby town. At the barber shop, Shaw confronts his brother, whose gun is concealed under the barber's sheet. Slade shoots Shaw through the sheet. Shaw fights back in spite of his wound, killing some of the gang members, and then dies. Blake arrives and continues the fight with Slade who dies from his wounds. Soon after, the Western Union line is completed and the workers celebrate. When Sue laments the absence of Shaw, Creighton tells her that Shaw can hear them.
电影中的点睛之笔多来源于旁白，因为那是文豪巴尔扎克写就的。场景精美严整，演员表演也各安其分，就仿佛是一场精雕细琢的歌剧。主角的行为动作总是慢慢的，初期在乡间自矜于贵族血统的舒慢，进城后极力模仿和融入大贵族们的怯慢，投入名利场后放浪形骸的迟慢，万事皆空爱人死去后的痴慢。就算他最后走入湖中，泪也是慢慢的染开，水波也是慢慢的散开。卢西安就是这么慢半拍的度过他激荡的青年时代，也与他想要的东西都曾只差一步之遥，无论是爱、头衔或永恒的文学，而他最终“不再期待，开始生活”。巴尔扎尔人生中一定见过至少一个卢西安，而巴黎造就了很多卢西安，因为每个人都可能是卢西安。
根据巴尔扎克同名小说《幻灭》里的吕西安那一条线改编，文学性强，观赏性也不差。真是“美梦易醒、韶华易逝、镜花水月”般的幻灭。看完联想到了为了梦想在大城市漂泊的那些人，像吕西安般结局的人是不是大多数？
-很古典？就说它匠气；
感想是，不要和依然秉持当年的三观的人们混在一起...
没读过同名原著小说，从我读过的巴尔扎克的“高老头”“欧也妮葛朗台”我觉得多兰把这部拍的很好啊，就不分析媒体人如何为了钱或者媒体都是有倾向性的，资本怎样，或者贵族如何如何的，我觉得考完这部反而觉得吕西安会东山再起的。
220721 住院期间第一部电影。没有看过原著，拍出来的剧情比《红与黑》要吸引人。惊讶于当时贵族的阅读量，原来人真的可以看这么多份报纸。。。。
看完后的回想，才感觉到电影精彩的地方。没有冲击的画面，但是氛围很强。
三星半，完成度很好，但是能拿这么多凯撒大奖估计也是确实很合那些白人老头评委的胃口吧，毕竟片中的法国文化应该是他们从小长大中耳濡目染的吧？不过我倒还蛮喜欢的，看历史片也很有意思。看完出来，我和发财都惊讶道：多兰竟然一点魁北克口音都没有？
没有看过原著，有点羞愧。但这部电影并没有辜负巴尔扎克，成功勾起了我对于纯文学的再度热爱。声色犬马的巴黎幻影下，人物灵魂被层层剥离，最后见好就收，留给观众足够的空间去品尝这苦涩的人生余味。
个人很喜欢 很感慨 旁白配合影片 一点都不枯燥 大场面制作也很精美 小细节做的也很妙 在我们日常生活里 许多人何尝不是眼看他起朱楼 宴宾客 眼看他楼塌了 …
一部古典而强有力的影视作品，它在保证了影视化改编的观赏性的同时也没有完全失去作为一部文学巨著的顽强的生命力，很有欧洲古典主义的气质
不知道誰翻譯的字幕⋯今天出來SRT字母了，由於名著改編，必須先來一牙三星。剛開始觀看。
纷繁乱世，最难的不是看清局势，而是弄不明白自我
比预想好太多！！剧情的戏剧和细节的呼应、人物立体的塑造，加上反复的象征隐喻，把disenchantment的主题放在了几世纪前巴黎的浮华大背景，讲述了一个人不断寻求改变或被迫改变但逃不过某种执念的宿命。
单单是这种one's life story can be told的感觉就是近几年久违的了，唯二两部似乎就是这部和《法比安》，结尾的水也跟《法比安》不谋而合。巴尔扎克的底子在那里，节奏掌握好就不会差，不过相比之下预告和海报的感觉莫名浅显，可能会流失潜在观众。算是朝着现代狂奔的法国影业少有的优秀古装片。(P.S.虽说多兰做导演是为了演戏，但现在再看他演戏：这就是多兰自己嘛这也太出戏了...
一百年前的故事和今天没有多少差别，富人的虚伪和底层对名利的穷追不舍也是一模一样
看完后的回想，才感觉到电影精彩的地方。没有冲击的画面，但是氛围很强。
不愧是巴尔扎克，但旁白是不是有点多余…（意思是旁白好在巴尔扎克写的绝，但念出来意味着电影没拍出来
历史不过在周而复始
让法国人来拍这样足够宏大的名著 做到还原是没什么问题的 但是如果不处理再加上用旁白来推进剧情就很没有说服力 may一切都顺理成章但是一切都点到即止 《85年盛夏》的男主不错的
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