Winchester ’73 was the first of several memorable collaborations between Anthony Mann and James Stewart in the so-called genre of psychological Westerns, and what a great start to their journey this was! This fervently-paced muscular Western had Stewart playing Lin McAdam, a deeply conflicted drifter and a crack-shot who is trotting around on his horse with a loyal friend of his with the sole motive of avenging his father’s death. And his nemesis happens to be another crack-shot by the name of Dutch Henry Brown – who also happens to be his half-brother. The movie starts with a competition held at Dodge City in order to find the winner of a “One in a Thousand” Winchester ’73 rifle. Lin wins the target-shooting duel, only for Dutch to steal it on his way out of the town. And thus starts a fascinating journey for the prized gun through a plethora of hands, as also a maniacal and nerve-racking pursuit by Lin through the harsh and treacherous terrains in order to seek vengeance and closure. The film might not boast of spectacular performances as such; nonetheless, there are a couple of interesting turns in it – most notably by Dan Duryea as a psychotic outlaw. But acting-wise, the movie belongs to Stewart for his restrained portrayal of a seemingly mild-mannered man who is nevertheless willing to go to extreme lengths of insanity – both physiologically and psychologically, in order to kill Dutch and get his rifle back. The movie, by the way, is filled with the kind of archetypes that this iconic genre’s aficionados of are so in love with.
Director: Anthony Mann
Genre: Western/Psychological Western
Language: English
Country: US
8 comments:
Yeah, I love the Mann/Stewart Westerns, this one included. Some of the later ones are better and more psychologically intense (especially The Naked Spur and The Man From Laramie, my 2 favorites) but this one is also quite great. As you say, Stewart owns this movie, as he does with the entire Mann cycle, just radiating intensity and violent emotions.
Thanks Ed. Yes, I too prefer The Naked Spur over this one, but this too remains a solid Western. Stewart did a really good job at portraying the seemingly placid nature of the character with the single-minded & maniacal nature of his pursuit - he captured this apparent dichotomy really well.
Naked Spur is probably my favorite of the Mann-Stewarts but Winchester is still a brilliant achievement. Here, in one of three westerns he released in 1950, Mann succeeds in adapting his film-noir techniques and sensibility to outdoor adventure, investing the proceedings with nearly unprecedented intensity. Stewart is a revelation here and would be again in Spur, Laramie and The Far Country. You sum it up quite nicely.
Thanks Samuel. Well, to be honest, I haven't yet watched all the Mann-Stewart collaborations yet, and I hope to correct that sooner rather than later. But having watched a couple of B-noirs made by Mann (both of which I really liked), I quite agree that he brought his noir sensibilities her too, and with great effect I must add.
Shubhajit great summary here. I agree with everyone that The Naked Spur is better, but there is something still special to Winchester and I do really enjoy the structure as we essentially "follow" the gun. I know there are some other films that do that (follow an object) but having a hard time remembering what else.
Thanks Jon. Yeah, the idea of making the gun one of the chief subjects of the movie, and juxtaposing the gun's journey with that of Lin, was what made this movie quite unique & memorable. Coincidences do play an important role for the rifle, but at the end of the day they didn't interfere into the bigger picture for me.
Well, another movie that I remember off the top of my head where an object was followed through various hands was, Red Violin.
I think I recall that Tales of Manhattan also followed this structure as it followed a man's tuxedo throughout the film.
Oh, that sounds quite interesting.
By the way, I've gotten hold of 2 more Mann-Stewart Westerns - The Man from Laramie & The Far Country. I'll try to watch them soon.
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