Winchester '73 (1950)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Anthony Mann

Writers:

Robert L. Richards (screenplay) &
Borden Chase (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

12 July 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

In a marksmanship contest, Lin McAdam wins a prized Winchester rifle, which is immediately stolen by the runner-up...

Plot Keywords:

Rifle | Prize | Shooting | Contest | Brother

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

James Stewart	...	Lin McAdam
Shelley Winters	...	Lola Manners
Dan Duryea	...	Waco Johnnie Dean
Stephen McNally	...	Dutch Henry Brown
Millard Mitchell	...	High Spade
Charles Drake	...	Steve Miller
John McIntire	...	Joe Lamont
Will Geer	...	Wyatt Earp
Jay C. Flippen	...	Sgt. Wilkes
Rock Hudson	...	Young Bull
John Alexander	...	Jack Riker
Steve Brodie	...	Wesley
James Millican	...	Wheeler
Abner Biberman	...	Latigo Means
Tony Curtis	...	Doan (as Anthony Curtis)

Also Known As:

Montana Winchester (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Norway:16 | West Germany:12 (nf) | Australia:G | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (certificate #14546) | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Mescal, Arizona, USA

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

At the time of release there was some ridiculing from the press at the idea of James Stewart, the "thin man", playing a tough westerner. (Broken Arrow (1950) had not been released, even though it had been filmed first). Members of the audience were heard to gasp in shock at the scene where Stewart angrily confronts Dan Duryea.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Sgt. Wilkes welcomes Lola, his neck cloth repeatedly changes between shots.

Quotes:

[after Lola and Steve escape from the Indians into the cavalry camp]
Lola Manners: Do you mind if I kiss you?
Sgt. Wilkes: No, ma'am, I'd like it. Providin' your man don't mind.
[she kisses him]
Lola Manners: That's for savin' my life.
Sgt. Wilkes: Now you disappoint me. I thought it was 'cause I'm pretty. Got some coffee boilin' on the fire. Wanna just sorta help yourself?
Lola Manners: Oh, coffee. You know, now that I look at you... you ARE pretty.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' (2000) (V)

First Stewart/Mann Teaming a CLASSIC!

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!