Bend of the River (1952)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Anthony Mann

Writers:

Borden Chase (screenplay)
William Gulick (novel)

Release Date:

13 February 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

The greatness...the glory...the fury...of the Northwest Frontier!

Plot:

Two men with questionable pasts, Glyn McLyntock and his friend Cole, lead a wagon-train load of homesteaders from Missouri to the Oregon territory...

Plot Keywords:

Settlers | Wagon Train | Farm | Loading Dock | Steam Boat

Cast

James Stewart	...	Glyn McLyntock
Arthur Kennedy	...	Emerson Cole
Rock Hudson	...	Trey Wilson
Jay C. Flippen	...	Jeremy Baile
Julie Adams	...	Laura Baile (as Julia Adams)
Lori Nelson	...	Marjie Baile
Chubby Johnson	...	Cap'n Mello
Stepin Fetchit	...	Adam (as Stepin' Fetchit)
Harry Morgan	...	Shorty (as Henry Morgan)
Howard Petrie	...	Tom Hendricks
Frances Bavier	...	Mrs. Prentiss
Jack Lambert	...	Red
Royal Dano	...	Long Tom
Frank Chase	...	Wasco
Cliff Lyons	...	Willie

Also Known As:

Bend of the Snake (USA) (working title)
Where the River Bends (UK)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:PG | West Germany:0 (nf) | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #15601)

Filming Locations:

Mount Hood, Oregon, USA

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

Though the film received generally poor reviews, it is noteworthy as marking a turning point in James Stewart's career as he began to play much more violent, cynical and ruthless characters.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Laura Baile gets shot by an arrow, it is almost between her neck and her breast. Soon later, it is high in her right shoulder.

Quotes:

Glyn McLyntock: Always point this (the wagon tongue) toward the North Star. Then come morning, we'll know where we're going.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sometimes a Great Notion (1970)

Survival

Bend of the River is the second Anthony Mann/James Stewart western and the first in technicolor. The technicolor is used to best advantage here with some great footage of the Columbia River and surrounding vicinity. And Mann used in support of Stewart, Jay C. Flippen, Harry Morgan, Arthur Kennedy and Rock Hudson all of whom had appeared in Mann films before and/or would again. Anthony Mann is never given credit for the stock company he had. Like John Ford, Mann liked using the same players in his films.

Jimmy Stewart is guiding a group of settlers west and along the way saves Arthur Kennedy from a lynching. Turns out they're both former border raiders from the Missouri/Kansas area, but Stewart's decided to go honest.

When they arrive in Portland, the settlers are warmly greeted and a deal is made by settler leader Jay C. Flippen for needed supplies for his people during the winter.

When Stewart and Flippen return for the supplies, there's been a gold strike and the town is mad with gold fever. They have to take what was due them and then have to fight to get the supplies back to the settlers. Seems some prospectors want them also.

The point is that there are no options for Stewart and Flippen. These supplies have to get to their colony or they will freeze and starve during the winter. They have to fight prospectors, townspeople and treachery in their own group to get the goods where they are needed.

There's no law here to help them. It's broken down totally along with all kinds of behavioral virtues when gold fever has struck. One of the best performances in the film comes from Howard Petrie town merchant who can't do enough for the settlers on their first arrival. When we see him next when Stewart and Flippen come for their goods, it's like we're seeing a totally different human being. Petrie has practically morphed into Fred C. Dobbs.

I don't think Jimmy Stewart has ever been more ruthless on the screen than he is here. His characters in Anthony Mann films are always purpose driven whether it's revenge like in Winchester 73, an outlaw bounty so he can start a new life in The Naked Spur, or even an idea he has like offshore oil drilling in Thunder Bay.

But in Bend of the River it's a matter of survival and to prove to himself that he can and has changed his character for the better. It's as much an internal struggle for Stewart as it is with the forces allied against him.

It's another ten star winner for the Stewart/Mann team.