Rating: 
Summary: A classic in the purest sense!!
Review: This is a "don't miss" classic that is fit for family viewing (my 10 year old is hooked on old westerns now). Being a Western junkie I was surprised I had never heard of this one - I was missing one of the greats! James Stewart is unforgettable as a man determined to set the record straight. Cameos by Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis were surprising to say the least. This film has my highest recommendation to anyone who has enjoyed other westerns such as; Stagecoach, Tombstone, or Unforgiven. Do not be disswayed by the fact that it is in black and white. In fact, the B&W attitude adds to the overall drama of the film.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie!
Review: This is one movie for any collection even if you are not into westerns. It is an oldie and goodie. Full of stars--Jimmy Stewart, Shelly Winters, Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis (a cameo by this young actor--not even mentioned in the credits), Dan Duryea, and, a personal favorite, Millard Mitchell (see all his movies under his name).
The movie centers around a limited edition Winchester rifle, and the story begins with a contest to see who will win this rare and beautiful gun. From there it chronicles the "travels" of the gun as it makes it's way through a series of "owners", some crooked, some evil and some who can't make up their minds just what they are. Coincidently, the gun eventually finds itself in the hands of Stewart's bitter enemy. The adventures, if you will, of the gun lead to a finality that is not totally unexpected, but nevertheless, surprising.
It is an interesting cowboy and Indian film (not politically correct by today's standards), reflecting the values of the era (1950) it was made in. It is complete with the cavalry, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, shootouts, references to the recently ended Civil War, and Custer and Little Big Horn. It touches, at least in passing, some of the favorite western folk lore familiar to most.
All in all, it is an entertaining film with glimpses of many stars in their earlier years. I am not particularily a western fan, but this is certainly an exception. Some have complained of the DVD quality, but I didn't find that to be any big detraction. Geez--it's over 50 years old--besides it's the only game in town!
Give it a look!
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic western!
Review: This is one of the best westerns ever made. The story is very enthralling and will have you hooked. A movie that was truly ahead of its time. Jimmy Stewart is great and any movie he is in is worth your money. This is no exception.
Rating:
Summary: `My mistake. I shot THROUGH it...'
Review: This movie can do no wrong in my book.Two greats, Anthony Mann and Jimmy Stewart, team up to deliver this two-fister about an obsessed man tracking a killer from his own past while his friend Millard Mitchell does his best to keep him from going over the edge. Shelly Winters does a nice turn as the poor gal. Stephen McNally is oily as the main bad guy, and Dan Duryea comes off like Johnny Udo (from the original Kiss Of Death) in chaps. The story really heats up when Stewart wins a shooting contest in which Wyatt Earp officiates (watch for the postage stamp across the nickel - some heroic marskmanship here) and gets his prized Winchester rifle stolen for his trouble. The Winchester does a hot potato act between badmen and Indians (Rock Hudson shows up as a war chief, in a scene where Tony Curtis dons the blue wool as a cavalry buck), and finally winds up in a climactic, hair raising shootout in a jumble of rocks above the desert. You can FEEL the bullets whizzing by. Especially love the scene where Lin encounters Waco Johnnie Dean (read: Johnny Udo)in a bar and displays a decided lack of patience for the young bad man's showboating... There aren't many places to find good old Jimmy Stewart coming off harder (but do try `Flight Of The Phoenix'...wow!). PS - This DVD is a good buy - the print they used tends to be a little less than pristine here and there, but it has got a commentary track with Jimmy Stewart on it! How did they do this? It seems Jimmy might have been watching the Laserdisc. His anecdotes about the old studio system and incites into acting are great. Especially like the stories about his hat (used in various westerns for twenty years) and horse, Pie (same as above). "Huh...this laser thing is very interesting..." Jimmy Stewart. Great suprise. Great DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: Important Landmark Movie Negated By Shabby DVD Transfer
Review: This movie is meant to be in Black & White, but comes across as muted greys, an extremely poor "restoration"? I cannot believe this movie HAS been "restored"! It is in very bad condition. It looks flat and grainy beyond belief, there are no pure blacks or pure whites, it looks to me like a television print, the visual "noise" is abominable, in one scene Dan Dureya's shirt erupts in a moire pattern so violent it almost hurts your eyes! The sound is good, I'll give you that. The inteview with Stewart is poor, the interviewer is obvioulsy reading off of a prepared list of questions and often fails to follow up on interesting points as he rushes to get to the next benal question.
Nope, this is another of those great lost opportunities whereby a landmark movie suffers at the hands of the distributors either too lazy or too mean to spend some money restoring the picture to it's original glory. The depth of focus is lost in the mud!!!
Shame on all those involved in this shabby release, it is NOT a fitting tribute to those who made and starred in the original. Don't waste your $$$$ on this DVD as you will be annoyed and frustrated, it is like looking at an old worn out VHS tape played through a knackered VCR on an old portable TeeVee in your kitchen. Instead badger your local Art House Cinema or Film Society to run it, get together some like minded friends,pool your resources, have yard sales, anything to raise the cash to pay to have it shown on the big screen..Just don't judge this movie by this lacklustre DVD, & to think you pay mre for a DVD as you expect it to be better quality than a VHS tape!
Rating:
Summary: Important Landmark Movie Negated By Shabby DVD Transfer
Review: This movie is meant to be in Black & White, but comes across as muted greys, an extremely poor "restoration"? I cannot believe this movie HAS been "restored"! It is in very bad condition. It looks flat and grainy beyond belief, there are no pure blacks or pure whites, it looks to me like a television print, the visual "noise" is abominable, in one scene Dan Dureya's shirt erupts in a moire pattern so violent it almost hurts your eyes! The sound is good, I'll give you that. The inteview with Stewart is poor, the interviewer is obvioulsy reading off of a prepared list of questions and often fails to follow up on interesting points as he rushes to get to the next benal question.
Nope, this is another of those great lost opportunities whereby a landmark movie suffers at the hands of the distributors either too lazy or too mean to spend some money restoring the picture to it's original glory. The depth of focus is lost in the mud!!!
Shame on all those involved in this shabby release, it is NOT a fitting tribute to those who made and starred in the original. Don't waste your $$$$ on this DVD as you will be annoyed and frustrated, it is like looking at an old worn out VHS tape played through a knackered VCR on an old portable TeeVee in your kitchen. Instead badger your local Art House Cinema or Film Society to run it, get together some like minded friends,pool your resources, have yard sales, anything to raise the cash to pay to have it shown on the big screen..Just don't judge this movie by this lacklustre DVD, & to think you pay mre for a DVD as you expect it to be better quality than a VHS tape!
Rating:
Summary: "Watch out for his left hand, Lin!"
Review: This western has it all: cowboys, outlaws, sheriffs, gamblers, gunfighters, Indians, cavalry and of course the dancehall girl with the heart of gold.It's got everything packed into 82 minutes, and damn, it's good! This was the first western Stewart made since Destry Rides Again(1939), and he had been playing nice guy roles since he came back from WWII. Nobody expected him to play this role, was he tough enough for it? (Damn right, he flew 29 bomber missions in the war and ended up with the rank of Colonel!)He plays a cowboy who's a little bit pscyho, bent on venegance (in a way that I think is more convincing than John Wayne in the Searchers). And he's tough... watch for the bar room scene with Dan Duryea!There's also some poignant scenes with "High Spade" (Millard Mitchell)about the nature of friendship and what it means. Finally, the character actors are just great: Dan Duryea (who basically plays a gangster in chaps, John McIntyre as the gambler, Stephen McNally as Dutch Henry Brown (who sounds like he came out of Brooklyn... which he did)and poor Charles Drake (you've just gotta feel sorry this guy, who bears the somewhat unsual name of Steve Miller). Stewart made other westerns better known with the great John Ford: "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", the September Song "Cheyenne Autumn" and the lamentable "Two Rode Together." In those movies he sort of comes off as a wimp. But a lot of people don't know about the westerns he made with Anthony Mann: "Bend of the River," "The Far Country," "The Naked Spur" and "The Man from Laramie." Don't miss them! This movie is definitely on my top ten list of westerns!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best
Review: Tough-minded good guy James Stewart tracks the namesake rifle and ruthless bad guy Stephen McNally on a trail of action and revenge to a climactic rifle shootout on a desert rock formation. Other notables in the cast include Dan Duryea, Shelly Winters, Will Geer, Jay C. Flippen and Millard Mitchell. This film was a blueprint for most westerns made since. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: First Stewart/Mann Teaming a CLASSIC!
Review: Winchester '73 is one of the most enduring and popular films of James Stewart's career, for several reasons; it was the first of five teamings with brilliant, underrated director Anthony Mann, who retooled Stewart's drawling, 'aw-shucks' persona into a laconic, edgier, more flawed hero; it featured a brilliant cast, including Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Stephen McNally, John McIntyre, and, in VERY early appearances, Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis; visually, it is spectacular, one of the most beautiful Black and White films ever made, with deep-focus photography highlighting rugged Arizona settings that literally leap from the screen; and, most of all, it is a terrific variation of 'Cain and Abel', told through the premise of the search for a 'one-of-a-kind' rifle Stewart wins in a competition, then loses through treachery. It's the kind of film that offers new insights each time you view it, as the actions and motivations of 'good' brother Stewart and 'bad' brother McNally become better understood. What truly makes this DVD an 'essential', though, is the bonus track...Described as an 'interview' with Stewart, it is actually an audio commentary that runs through the film, offering not only his reflections about the making of Winchester '73, but insights about his career, working with John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock, and his great friends Henry Fonda and John Wayne, even a nice story about his long-time mount, Pie. Recorded several years ago for the laserdisc edition of Winchester '73, it provides a rare opportunity to hear a screen legend reminisce (and makes you wish Wayne and Fonda had lived long enough to have offered personal observations about THEIR classic films!) This is a DVD NOT to be missed!
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