Winchester ’73 (The Criterion Collection)

If you love old westerns, this has a twist and it’s a little different but I love it. It’s worth watching.

The story goes that in 1950 Jimmy Stewart was looking around for something a little different for himself, something where he could play a character less folksy and warm. He sure did find it in this film, as well as all the other magnificent westerns he did with gritty, noir director, Anthony Mann (T-Men, Raw Deal, Railroaded, etc). This is the first of their collaborations.When the film was first shown to test audiences, there were titters in the crowd when Jimmy Stewart's name appeared in the credits. "Mr. Smith" in a western? Shooting people? Please. By the end of the film, the tittering was all done and Stewart had established himself as a viable western hero (although in truth the magic of these Mann/Stewart westerns is that the characters Stewart plays are hardly "heroic." They are usually driven, neurotic men, nearly shifty-eyed, with a mean streak a mile wide - bitter men, and always very, very angry and eager to kill.The basic set-up of this film is beautifully simple: Jimmy Stewart has a prize rifle stolen from him, a Winchester Model 1873 (which at the time the film takes place was state-of-the-art in the world of firearms), and he spends the rest of the movie hunting the man that stole it.The story unfolds, however, as the movie rolls quickly along to something much more complex, culminating in one of the finest shootouts in movie history. The two principal actors of the film, James Stewart and Stewart McNally, spent a great deal of time practicing with their rifles (in Stewart's case Mann often found him walking around the set with bleeding knuckles, the results of his hours of self-training working the classic lever-action Winchester). Their hard work paid of in a tremendous realism.Anthony Mann brought in cinematographer, William Daniels, for Winchester '73, a veteran who most notably had worked a great deal with Garbo in the 30's. Daniels brought his tremendous sense of lighting to the table to create one of the most beautiful looking Westerns of all time. Daniels' light, combined with Mann's unmatched visual sense, made things look nearly 3-demensional in their reality. When viewing this film, watch for the staggering long shots, or the scenes near dusk or at night. Pure texture and light - at once glamorous yet real.This film also has my favorite depiction of aging Western legend, Wyatt Earp, the Law in Dodge, played with easy authority by Will Greer. Greer always offers his suggestions to town folks with a warm smile, as when he asks Stewart to give up his gun in an early scene. There is always a bit of steel in the old gunfighter's eyes, though, and folks always do just as he suggests. Quickly.All in all a great treat and a must-have for any fan of the Western (or for that matter, any lover of movies). A true classic all the way. --Mykal Banta

I am a huge Jimmy Stewart fan! Plus it has a great cast of some of my favorite actors from the 50's. If you love westerns, B&W movies, 50's actors, then you will love this one as well.

While not my favorite western, it’s pretty good. James Stewart does a good job with his character. The plot is decent, not the best. It’s black and white which I say because I know there are people who don’t give movies a shot just because they “can’t get through black and white movies”. I understand that perspective cause as a 30yr old I had that perspective at one point. I grew up watching old westerns with my grandfather but when it came to black and white, I would just never give them a chance but after I started watching them I realized many of them are actually better than the color movies. The quality of image is decent for a dvd release like this but at times has its fuzzy spots. As always with most of these old westerns the atmosphere is great and something that modern movies just can’t replicate. Pretty average western when you get down to it but still a better watch than most modern junk on tv and in theaters.

I love Shelly Winters performance, it’s an early one which I really enjoyed but didn’t know about previously. The whole cast was fantastic, and I was reintroduced to an amazing cast of supporting characters

The story of two brothers who chose different paths in life. This is a good Western as well as a story of human nature, good and bad.

James Stewart at his finest. Classic western!

Winchester '73 wasn't the best, but it is probably the second best teaming of James Stewart and director Anthony Mann. And this film was the first film that the two made together.This series would forever put Stewart at the forefront of the great Western movie stars of all time, and put Mann at the forefront of alltime great Western movie directors.Stewart plays a sharpshooter who wins a prized Winchester rifle in a shooting contest against a rival against whom he obviously holds a grudge. The rival steals the rifle, and loses it himself. The rifle changes hands as Stewart pursues the rifle and the man who stole it from him, leading to an exciting climax.The film is littered with great supporting performances and cameo appearances from later well-known stars, including John McIntire, Millard Mitchell, Dan Duryea, Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson, Will Geer, and Shelley Winters. But Stewart appeared here as no one had seen him before - serious, cynical, hardbitten, far from the jovial, easygoing comedic actor that had won Hollywood's and America's heart. Whether it was his service in World War II or feeling a need to broaden audiences' perception of him, Stewart takes this role, and makes the most of it, setting the stage for the later films with Mann including The Naked Spur, Bend of The River, The Far Country, and The Man From Laramie, as well as several other films that weren't Westerns.This is a great film that serves as an important milestone in the career of two great artists.

The parcel arrived promptly, and was I glad to get it. COVID is hurting all of us, and I need this powerful film of Anthony Mann. Two brothers fighting to the death over a Winchester rifle; great performances by Stewart and Mcnally, support from Shelley Winters and Dan Duryea.

Alles ok

Samlarobjekt

Article livré le lendemain de la commande sans souçis ,très satisfait car le blu ray du film de 1950 contient la version française d'époque en plus des nouveaux doublages,on a le choix entre les 2 vf en plus de la vo ,il y a les sous titres en français ,le film est en noir et blanc mais l 'image est parfaite ,le dvd du remake est appréciable mais c'est un téléfilm en couleur ,i y a également un livret de 70 pages .Je recommande cet article pour tous les amateurs du genre et de James Stewart ,et comme je l'ais déjà mentionnés plus haut la vf d'époque est bien présente ,je joins qq photos en plus du commentaire..

Ottimo prodotto consegnato nei tempi previsti e in imballo non rovinato