Runtime: 103 minutes
Directed by: Anthony Mann
Starring: James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp, Cathy O’Donnell, Alex Nicol
From: Columbia
I was going to post this review last night, but... my next review (tonight) will arrive here on time.
While my DVR is only about ¼ full it makes sense for me to ensure that it never becomes too full and thus the task to whittle down the programs on there (mostly movies, but not exclusively) won’t become overwhelming. As this was recorded two full months ago on HdNet Movies, it felt like time to experience the last Western directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart—yes, their presence is a big reason why the program was recorded.
Stewart was indeed a man from Laramie in the Wyoming territory. While trying to discover who sold rifles to the Apaches that killed his brother, he stumbles into conflict with a family in a remote town, a male member of which (Dave) is immediately shown to be a rather loathsome SOB-although he’s not the only bad apple in that bunch. That’s the basics but the full plot is much more complex and psychological than I will reveal here. Stewart isn’t the “awww, shucks!” character you might expect him to play; he gets humiliated early on and well, he at least tries to get his revenge. It will always amuse me to see him get in brawls and kick some ass! Heck, he even makes passes at women 15 years his junior.
As the movie is shot in the original Cinemascope ratio of 2.55:1, as expected that made the rural New Mexico scenery a treat for the eyes. However, it’s the story and the characters which made me think this was very good overall. There are plenty of interesting personalities on display; the highlight for me was Aline McMahon (a lady I only knew from some 30’s Warner Brothers pictures) as the owner of a competing ranch who was as salty a tough old lady as I expected. Between this and the equally very good Winchester ’73, I need to check out the rest of the Mann/Stewart collaborations.
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