This blog entry is part of my "movie year countdown round #2". Read more about that here.
Winchester '73
Here's another western. They were doing pretty well there in the early 50s. I haven't seen too many Jimmy Stewart westerns yet. I always see him as more of an innocent character than some of the other iconic western figures like John Wayne of course! In fact their wonderful pairing in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is the only other western I think I've seen Stewart in (other than his voice in his final film An American Tail: Fievel Goes West).
The story here is fun but nothing profound. The best part of it, which is also the best part of a lot of westerns, is the interesting characters that come up in a lot of the supporting roles. Dan Duryea as Waco Jonnie Dean is probably the most watchable character in the movie. Jimmy Stewart even mentions on the DVD commentary track that Dan had a style unlike anyone else working at that time. And I'd be hard pressed to name anyone even comparable to him since. I need to search out some more of his movies. John McIntire also provides an amusing character in trader Joe Lamont. And you can even spot some early roles for Tony Curtis and Rock Hudson as a Native American!
There's also something about Shelley Winters too. I don't know what it is. She has a slightly unusual look and manner to her from a lot of female leads of that time but I love watching her.
Rating: 8/10