Johnny Guitar (1954)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Nicholas Ray

Writers:

Roy Chanslor (novel)
Philip Yordan (screenplay)

Release Date:

27 May 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Film-Noir | Western

Tagline:

Gun-Queen of the Arizona Frontier ! . . . and her kind of men !!!

Plot:

Vienna has built a saloon outside of town, and she hopes to build her own town once the railroad is put through...

Plot Keywords:

Saloon | Stagecoach | Guitar | Posse | Hatred

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Joan Crawford	...	Vienna
Sterling Hayden	...	Johnny 'Guitar' Logan
Mercedes McCambridge	...	Emma Small
Scott Brady	...	Dancin' Kid
Ward Bond	...	John McIvers
Ben Cooper	...	Turkey Ralston
Ernest Borgnine	...	Bart Lonergan
John Carradine	...	Old Tom
Royal Dano	...	Corey
Frank Ferguson	...	Marshal Williams
Paul Fix	...	Eddie
Rhys Williams	...	Mr. Andrews
Ian MacDonald	...	Pete

Runtime:

110 min | West Germany:104 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Trucolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | West Germany:12 (nf) (cut version) | West Germany:16 (nf) (original rating) | Norway:16 | Australia:PG | Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (certificate #15815) | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Red Rock Crossing, Sedona, Arizona, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures (I)

Trivia:

Crawford, who had bought the rights to the novel, selling it to Republic Pictures with the provision that she would star, initially wanted Claire Trevor to play the part of Emma and was jealous of the younger, competitive Mercedes McCambridge.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the beginning of the film, when Johnny Guitar passes by the miners riding, his shadow is projected to his left side. In the next shot it is projected to his right side.

Quotes:

Vienna: Down there I sell whiskey and cards. All you can buy up these stairs is a bullet in the head. Now which do you want?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in La sirène du Mississipi (1969)

Soundtrack:

Johnny Guitar

From humble Republic, a remarkable western.

When Johnny Guitar opened in Brazil probably in 1955, it was released through a big chain of movie theaters and I remember it being quite successful at the box office, no doubt also helped by the song that was a huge hit. Except for a few critics, most people took it just as a good western with no second thoughts. But there was more to it, "as François Truffaut wrote in his review when it was first shown in France "Never trust in appearances. Beauty and profundity are not always found in the "obvious" traditional places; a Trucolor Western from humble Republic can throb with the passion of "l'amour fou" or whisper with an evening delicacy."" (from "The Western" by Phil Hardy, page232). Seeing it recently I was impressed with the fast pace of the film, the great dialogs, the unusual settings, the incredibly strong presence of Joan Crawford, the hysterical character played by Mercedes McCambridge. Nicholas Ray was a creative director and his great achievement in this film was to take the story seriously, and not try to make a satire.