This movie might be my favorite Jimmy Stewart western. Just re-watched it and Stewart gives an outstanding performance. Very gritty and beautifully shot western. Worth a look by any western fan!!!
shareMann is a very underrated director. He was a Master.
shareStewart's great as always, but Arthur Kennedy nearly steals the movie.
The Man From Laramie is probably the third best James Stewart-Anthony Mann western after The Naked Spur and Winchester '73.
"Dry your eyes baby, it's out of character."
I would rank it second after Winchester '73, with Naked Spur either third or fourth, against The Far Country. Maybe it's some quirky '50s morality I'm totally out of touch with, but the ending of Naked Spur bugs me a little. Roy died to retrieve that body; why all the handwringing over collecting bounty on a killer?
shareThis movie might be my favorite Jimmy Stewart western.
My favourite Jimmy Stewart Western is the one he made with John Ford - The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
Anthony Mann's The Man From Laramie is in many ways the most complex and sophisticated of his westenrs. It's the complete Mann film with echoes to The Furies, The Fall of the Roman Empire, Man of the West.
James Stewart is excellent in this film but his use here is quite different from than the one in the earlier Westerns, here his character isn't the center of attention. He comes for revenge but never gets it, doesn't even get even with the guy who maimed his hand and doesn't walk away with the girl either. The real focus of the film is the great Donald Crisp and Arthur Kennedy with Jimmy Stewart's character doing the function of a supporting player.
Stunningly beautiful film, the gorgeous landscapes are a feast for the senses and George Dunning's score is terrific.
"Ça va by me, madame...Ça va by me!" - The Red Shoes
All the Mann-Stewart films are first-rate, but this may be my favorite, even though is is comparatively unsung and unheralded. There are some truly memorable scenes, and I thought it was psychologically complex and very well cast and acted. Alex Nicol is rivetingly over the top and you can't go wrong with old pros Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp and Aline MacMahon. I saw in the trivia section that it was felt Cathy O'Donnell was badly cast, but I've always liked her frail sensitivity and thought she was fine. And James Stewart was at his best, which is as good as it gets!
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