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Bend of the River

I don't hear this said often, but this might be the best of the Mann/Stewart Western. Personally, I thought "The Far Country" was better, but not by a whole lot.

Here's what I liked:

- As usual in a Mann movie, it is thematically interesting. This time a haunted loner is trying to redeem himself from his sordid past.

- Very good tension is created and maintained throughout the movie.

- Restless change of location keeps the plot from stagnating and reinforces theme of the wide open West. This was done very well also in "The Far Country" and "The Naked Spur".

- Tough, tough location shooting results in brilliant technicolor scenery. Very limited use of studio sets. Also, location is authentic i.e. they are actually shooting the movie in Oregon where it is supposed to be taking place.

- James Stewart's charisma as a cowboy is off the charts.

- Arthur Kennedy is fantastic in this. You like him, but don't trust him for the entire movie. Kennedy knows how to project a unique mixture of charm, menace and sliminess all at once.

- Julia Adams is very good looking and has a lot of sex appeal (watch for her in a much better role playing opposite Raymond Burr and Robert Ryan in "Horizon's West", released the same year). Also, her character isn't purely ornamental. She develops and contributes.

- It was very interesting that the movie had rotating heavies. The mantle was passed from the Shoshones to Hendrix to the wagon train crew and finally to Cole.

Now here's where it wasn't so great:

- Mann's not big on comic relief, yet he attempts it here. He misfires badly, employing Stepin Fetchit as the attempted humor.

- Indian presence is almost completely absent, except for an attack at he the beginning of the movie when they are presented one dimensionally

Also, there are a couple of long windy speeches about how important it is for settlers to clear this "unclaimed" and "uninhabited" land.

Listen, I'm not saying every movie has to side with the Indians on this issue, but the debate should at least be acknowledged.

- Finally, we encounter typical Mann plot holes, although they are not nearly as severe as those in "The Man From Laramie" and "The Naked Spur" and "The Man of the West". However, there are still several, the worst of which is during the film's climax, when McClyntock teleports himself around the forest, magically appearing wherever it suits the plot best.

"I don't deserve this. I was building a house"