Winchester ’73 ***** (1953, James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Stephen McNally) – Classic Movie Review 638

James Stewart stars in this landmark 1953 Western in which he plays Lin McAdam, whose marksmanship competition winner’s prize Winchester rifle is stolen at a contest by the runner-up next-in-line, Dutch Henry Brown (Stephen McNally). McAdam’s mighty upset and goes after the villain and the rifle, which then changes hands several times. And then Stewart’s involved in romance with Shelley Winters (as Lola Manners) and a battle with the Native Americans in his relentless quest to get it back that ends in a shoot-out on a rocky mountain peak.

The movie’s success springs initially from Robert L Richards and Borden Chase’s excellent screenplay (from a story by Stuart N Lake), with its fully-fleshed characters, dynamic narrative and incisive, spiky sense of humour. There’s a splendid cast headed by Stewart, a seemingly city-type who in the 50s surprisingly took to Westerns to boost a then flagging career and scored an enormous success. McNally and Dan Duryea (as Waco Johnny Dean) are memorable villains trying to end up with the hero’s Winchester 73 rifle. Jay C Flippen plays the cavalry sergeant Sgt Wilkes besieged by the Native Americans, Will Geer plays Wyatt Earp and John McIntire is Joe Lamont.

The kind of classy cinematography that really makes a big difference in any Western is photographed by veteran William H Daniels, though unfortunately it’s in black and white when colour would be great. The pace, mood and atmosphere of the movie are all finely controlled by director Anthony Mann, in his first collaboration with Stewart. It feels epic but it’s fast-paced, dynamic and short at only 92 minutes. And it’s fun to see young Universal contract players Tony Curtis (Doan) and Rock Hudson (unfortunately cast as an Indian, Young Bull) in early appearances.

It was successfully remade by the same studio Universal as a TV movie in 1967,  in which Duryea plays father of stars Tom Tryon and John Saxon.

Mann’s five films with James Stewart are Winchester ’73 (1950), Bend of the River (1952), The Naked Spur (1953), The Far Country (1955) and The Man from Laramie (1955).

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 638

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