The Naked Spur August 17, 2006
Posted by clydefro in : Classic Films, 1950s , trackback
In many of his greatest roles, Jimmy Stewart had a twinge of unstable depravity lurking somewhere in his characters. I think that’s why he’s been my favorite actor for a number of years now. He’s considered the quintessential all-American movie star, yet often there’s something cruelly awry in these characters. His work with Alfred Hitchcock on Rear Window and Vertigo are the two most obvious and widely discussed portrayals of the kind of character I’m talking about and therefore need no further mention here. Maybe less referenced are roles such as George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, whose suicidal intentions serve as the catalyst for that film, or Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey, an unemployed middle-aged man both suffering from insane delusions and battling an apparent alcohol addiction. Both these films are beloved by many, yet Stewart’s characters are deeply troubled men struggling with serious problems.
Stewart used the westerns he made with Anthony Mann as an opportunity to roughen his image and immediately added another of these dark characters in their first collaboration, Winchester ‘73. In that film, Stewart was gritty and dangerous as a man who would seemingly stop at nothing to recover the rifle of the title. Three years later, after also making Bend of the River, the two men re-teamed for The Naked Spur
All five actors give impressive performances with frequent villain Robert Ryan as Vandergroat and a young Janet Leigh as his female companion. Ralph Meeker and Millard Mitchell play the two men who help Kemp capture Vandergroat, insisting on their share once they realize there’s a bounty involved. The small cast and vast nature setting provide an interesting contrast between the claustrophobic interaction among the principal characters and the expansive Rocky Mountains. As Vandergroat patiently bides his time, waiting for his opportunity to escape, he tries to psychologically pit his captors against each other. Ryan is very good at making the audience wonder whether he’s truly dangerous or benignly trying to regain his freedom. Overall, there’s a strong sense of ambiguous intentions for all the characters with the possible exception of Mitchell’s old prospector. The little we do know about the characters seems to make them even more intriguing and I think that helps put The Naked Spur a notch or two above most western fare. The star performance, however, is from Stewart. I can’t imagine other movie stars of his era being capable of delivering such a tense and layered performance. Taking advantage of his everyman persona, Stewart gives the audience something else entirely by playing a man whose motivations appear questionable, even if the ultimate goal is to collect the reward money and buy back his farm. By the end, his actions may seem surprising, even if we’ve seen him struggle with his own intentions throughout the film.
Regarding the DVD and the minor uproar over its supposed inferior quality, I was very skeptical after reading some criticism online about the new Warner Bros. release. I’m happy to say that, for my viewing standards, it was much ado about very little. Some scenes may be less sharp than I would have liked, but the image overall is strong with vibrant colors and a clean transfer. Thankfully, consumers are not forced into watching their DVDs frame by frame so the only real way to judge a DVD’s quality is seeing the movie in motion and not by looking at screencaps on the internet. Warner Bros. has released some disappointing DVD transfers at times (such as the Film Noir V.3 set), but The Naked Spur is more than acceptable and never distractingly blurry, as I had feared from reading online reviews.
The Naked Spur is greatly helped by the strong direction of Anthony Mann and central performance of James Stewart, whose stark loner seems to be somewhat of a precursor to the lead character from the Sergio Leone-Clint Eastwood films. Even if the DVD image is not as crisp as some might like, it’s still worth the price considering it would only be roughly six dollars if purchased with the six-film James Stewart Signature Collection
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>>Regarding the DVD and the minor uproar over its supposed inferior quality, I was very skeptical after reading some criticism online about the new Warner Bros. release. I’m happy to say that, for my viewing standards, it was much ado about very little.
Damn; apologies - my post screwed up (you can edit them together for neatness if you wish and make me look less of a Luddite!)! Anyhoo, to reiterate, huzzah! Glad to hear it. Jimmy Stewart is one of my favourites too. The war made all the difference to Stewart and the nice guy he was prior to and the edgy, ambiguous hero he presented after it. Or maybe the world had also lost it’s innocence. I love to see him, crouched over a six gun, eyes blazing, ready to do something blood curdlingly mad, or slapping a steak down on a plate (and missing) as he stands between heaven and hell.
I always thought there was much going on in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ too; all those characters clinging on in quiet desperation - it smacks of something very dark and creepy. Especially when there’s no escape - none at all - for poor old George. Coming again in a new DVD version later this year; I’m in already.
Nice work.