Winchester '73 (1950)

Winchester '73 is a reasonable western, with superb secondary characters.The main story of the film was rather lackluster. We don't find out that Dutch is Lin's brother and that he killed their father and why he killed him, till later in the film. But that's not even the biggest problem, the biggest problem is not showing us and giving us a reason to care about it. I found many of the minor roles and stories in the film to be the most interesting. Waco Johnny Dean was the most lively character and provided much needed entertainment. Steve Miller cowardly leaving Lola to die and then seeing there is help near by and then having to deal with the shame of his actions. Then there is Joe LaMont, cheating Dutch at cards to obtain the much wanted rifle only to be burned by the Indians. Shelly Winters playing a damsel doesn't work for me, she is better suited to role of the loud mouth drunk. The two scenes of Lin and Dutch were quite poor. The one at the marksmanship contest was silly, they're not robots, they cannot shoot bullseye every time and hit the center of a moving coin every time. The other being the final shootout at the rocks, nothing interesting or clever about it at all, Dutch just decides to stand in the open and get shot.

Director Anthony Mann teamed up with Jimmy Stewart in the first of many westerns they made together, and this is the best, as it tells the story of Lin McAdam(Jimmy Stewart) who wins a shooting contest where the prize is a much sought-after Winchester '73 rifle, which is stolen by evil Dutch Henry Brown(played by Stephen McNally) prompting an enraged Lin to pursue him across the west, as the rifle passes through many different hands, dooming all who possess it. Dan Duryea plays Waco Jimmy Dean, a gunfighter that Lin forces him to tell where Dutch has gone, and whom he will encounter later on. Other people he meets are a newlywed couple(played by Charles Drake & Shelley Winters) who become involved with an Indian attack that they barely survive. All will converge in a final showdown between Lin & Dutch over a rocky mountain range, in battle not only for the stolen Winchester, but an old grudge, since both men know each other from way back...First-rate western with excellent direction and a strong, career changing performance from Jimmy Stewart, who conveys the rage and frustration felt extremely well. Fascinating story and exciting finale all contribute to making this a classic western.

Winchester '73 is one of the most enduring and popular films of James Stewart's career, for several reasons; it was the first of five teamings with brilliant, underrated director Anthony Mann, who retooled Stewart's drawling, 'aw-shucks' persona into a laconic, edgier, more flawed hero; it featured a brilliant cast, including Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Stephen McNally, John McIntyre, and, in VERY early appearances, Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis; visually, it is spectacular, one of the most beautiful Black and White films ever made, with deep-focus photography highlighting rugged Arizona settings that literally leap from the screen; and, most of all, it is a terrific variation of 'Cain and Abel', told through the premise of the search for a 'one-of-a-kind' rifle Stewart wins in a competition, then loses through treachery. It's the kind of film that offers new insights each time you view it, as the actions and motivations of 'good' brother Stewart and 'bad' brother McNally become better understood.What truly makes this DVD an 'essential', though, is the bonus track...Described as an 'interview' with Stewart, it is actually an audio commentary that runs through the film, offering not only his reflections about the making of Winchester '73, but insights about his career, working with John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock, and his great friends Henry Fonda and John Wayne, even a nice story about his long-time mount, Pie. Recorded several years ago for the laserdisc edition of Winchester '73, it provides a rare opportunity to hear a screen legend reminisce (and makes you wish Wayne and Fonda had lived long enough to have offered personal observations about THEIR classic films!) This is a DVD NOT to be missed!

Winchester '73 (1950)This is the most highly regarded of Anthony Mann's James Stewart Westerns, but it's my least favorite. I just saw it again and remembered why: the first third of the movie is almost comically clichéd, with townsfolk gathering for a gun shooting contest and a woman entering the scene. It's not terrible, but I prefer the grit and terror and fear of a good Western.But it's worth saying the second third of the movie is a transition to a more classic hunt and chase of a series of bad guys, and the third third brings it to a head with some real tension and wonderful filming.Jimmy Stewart is of course the star, and he's one of those actors I can't find much much fault with (he does seem to overact a couple times here). Shelley Winters makes a few brief but key appearances, and is a refreshing change to some of the other types you find in a whole range of Westerns (though not as refreshing as Marlene Dietrich in that earlier James Stewart masterwork). And the last third of the movie rises above partly because we finally get to see Dan Duryea, whose quirky delivery is just perfect for cutting through a lot of similar and more common types of good guys and bad guys.You might say the main character of the movie is a gun, a specially well made and perfectly balanced Winchester rifle. It is almost like some Aesop's fable because the gun moves from hand to hand and curses everyone who wants it or uses it. Violence follows it because everyone covets it and yet it's special abilities do help anyone actually survive owning it. It's a fun if slightly contrived way to see a series of rather serious confrontations unwind. But it is useful and cohering, narratively.There is no faulting the movie in its acting or construction. In some ways there is an echo of "Stagecoach" in how there are several phases to the movie, and a relentless progression. There is of course the battle with some wild Indians, and of course the Indians fare badly, something that's still hard to quite swallow. Did real Native Americans have such bad fighting and shooting skills? Or are the movies of the time too stuck in audience expectations to turn it around now and then? These battles are not the main drift of the movie, at least, and are well done. In fact, the whole movie is "well done" and if you like Westerns in general, and like to get away from John Wayne Westerns, this (and the other Anthony Mann versions) is a great place to go.