Winchester ‘73
Bend of the River
Two great psychological Westerns directed by Anthony Mann and starring Jimmy Stewart offer morally compromised representations of masculinity, a marked shift from the upstanding heroic protagonists of early cinema. In Winchester ’73, Stewart plays a cowboy who wins a prized Winchester rifle in a marksmanship contest only to have it stolen by his villainous brother, who then murders their father. The gunslinger vows to avenge his family’s loss, leading to an anxiety-inducing showdown between the two siblings. In Bend of the River, Stewart plays a wagon-train guide leading a caravan from Missouri into the Oregon Territory. Dreaming of a more righteous life as a farmer, Stewart’s character is haunted by his past misdeeds as a border raider.
PROGRAM
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Winchester ‘73
Directed by Anthony Mann.
With James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea.
US, 1950, 35mm, black & white, 91 min.
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Bend of the River
Directed by Anthony Mann.
With James Stewart, Julie Adams, Rock Hudson.
US, 1952, 35mm, color, 91 min.
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
Tol’able David / To the Last Man
Buffalo Bill and the Indians... / The Ballad of Cable Hogue
Daydreams / Drifters
The Silent World / In The Pink: Faded Films
