For this week's edition of Movies for Monday, head on over to Gary Dobbs' blog The Tainted Archive where I had the honor of being a guest blogger. In anticipation of the June 1st Wild West Monday the Third, I wrote about Anthony Mann's The Naked Spur (1953), which stars James Stewart as a bounty hunter on the trail of wanted outlaw Robert Ryan. A psychological Western shot on-location in the Colorado Rockies in glorious Technicolor, the film also stars Ralph Meeker and Millard Mitchell as Stewart's cohorts and Janet Leigh as Ryan's young girlfriend. Even under the magnificent expanse of the Western sky, the film still has all the claustrophobic tension you'd expect from one of Mann's noir films as greed slowly tears the group apart and tests the loyalty of everyone involved.
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There’s a deceptive beauty to
Western landscapes. It’s true, the open skies represent the possibility
of freedom, and the vast areas of land carry the promises of growth and
renewal. But beneath the beautiful surface is its dangerous terrain,
demanding and unforgiving. In the barest of elements, there is little
that can stay hidden for long, either by nature – or by man. The naked
truth – whether raw and brutal, or hopeful and poetic – will eventually
emerge. And this transformation is at the core of Anthony Mann’s
magnificent Western The Naked Spur (1953).
James Stewart
plays a bounty hunter chasing down a price on Robert Ryan’s head. Along
the trail, Stewart enlists the help of failed gold prospector Millard
Mitchell (who would sadly pass away shortly after completing the film)
and dishonorably discharged soldier Ralph Meeker. When they catch up
with Ryan, they discover he isn’t alone – with him is a young Janet
Leigh, whose family has all died and who has no one in the world except
for Ryan. With their captive atop a mule, the quintet starts the long
journey out of the wilderness to collect the reward. Ryan’s only chance
is to plant seeds of distrust amongst the group, and watch as their
bickering turns to anger and their hasty reactions threaten to destroy
one another.
Each
of the actors delivers one of the finest performances of their careers
as they wrestle with their deep-rooted anxieties and psychological
distress. They are all haunted by the past and desperate for a better
future – which leaves them with the difficult task of dealing with the
uncertain present. As Ryan says, “Choosing a way to die – what’s the
difference. Choosing a way to live – that’s the hard part.” And
throughout the movie, the characters take many different paths,
switching loyalties so often that they ultimately end up betraying only
themselves.
Known
for playing “everyman” roles, here James Stewart gets to play a very
different type of character for him. As Howard Kemp, he explores a much
darker character, one who has suffered betrayal from a former lover and
who has turned this resentment into something monstrous. He trusts no
one, cares only for money, and has lost all sense of humanity – or so he
tries to convince himself. As the group becomes increasingly paranoid
and distrustful, Stewart’s emotions become as stark and jagged as the
Rocky Mountain terrain they travel through. Shivering with anxiety and
misplaced hate (meant for himself but taken out on others), we watch as
he goes through a total transformation and comes face-to-face with the
darkest secrets of his soul.
Shot on location in the Colorado Rockies, The Naked Spur
is terrific from first tense frame to its last, in which the surviving
characters, though wounded, finally let go of the past and work towards
that hopeful future they wanted all along. The stunningly beautiful
Technicolor photography is by William C. Mellor, who also photographed Bad Day at Block Rock and Giant,
among many other fine films. If you’re looking for a way to get in the
mood for Wild West Monday the Third, look no further than this film, and
then check out the many other excellent Westerns directed by Anthony
Mann, including The Furies, The Far Country, and Winchester 73.
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