Rating: 
Summary: Saved by the cast. Otherwise, only a fair movie
Review:
Format: Black & White
Studio: Universal Studios
Video Release Date: May 6, 1992
Cast: James Stewart ... Lin McAdam
Shelley Winters ... Lola Manners
Dan Duryea ... Waco Johnnie Dean
Stephen McNally ... Dutch Henry Brown
Millard Mitchell ... High-Spade Frankie Wilson
Charles Drake ... Steve Miller
John McIntire ... Joe Lamont
Will Geer ... Wyatt Earp
Jay C. Flippen ... Sgt. Wilkes
Rock Hudson ... Young Bull
John Alexander ... Jack Riker
Steve Brodie ... Wesley
James Millican ... Wheeler
Abner Biberman ... Latigo Means
Tony Curtis ... Doan
James Best ... Crator
Jack Curtis ... Bit part
Steve Darrell ... Bat Masterson
Robert Anderson ... Basset
John Doucette ... Roan Daley
Mel Archer ... Bartender
Jimmy Hawkins ... Boy at store window (first speech in film)
Timmy Hawkins ... Boy at Rifle Shoot
Carol Henry ... Dudeen
Gary Jackson ... Gary Jameson
Norman Kent ... Buffalo hunter
Ethan Laidlaw ... Station master
Ted Mapes ... Bartender
Gregg Martell ... Mossman (cavalryman)
Bill McKenzie ... Boy at rifle shoot
Jennings Miles ... Stagecoach driver
Norman Ollestad ... Stable boy
Larry Olsen ... Boy at rifle shoot
Bud Osborne ... Man
Ray Bennett ... Charles Bender
Chuck Roberson ... Long Tom
Forrest Taylor ... Voice of target clerk
Tony Taylor ... Boy
Ray Teal ... Marshall Noonan
John War Eagle ... Indian interpreter
Guy Wilkerson ... Virgil Earp
Duke York ... Man #1
Chief Yowlachie ... Indian at rifle shoot
Frank Chase ... Cavalryman
Edmund Cobb ... Target watcher
Frank Conlan ... Contest clerk in saloon
Virginia Mullen ... Mrs. Jameson
Bonnie Kay Eddy ... Bonnie Jameson Not really a "history" of the famous old Winchester model 1873. It is more a story based on the rifles of that model referred to as "one of 1000". There were such rifles, highly sought after, and were used as a promotion stunt for prizes for the best shot in a particular area. Stewart (Linn McAdam) was competing with, as it turns out, his brother, Stepfhen McNally (Dutch Henry Brown), an outlaw who had killed their father. Dan Duryea plays a "heavy" quite well, and Shelley Winters provides the love interest. Millard Mitchell is the faithfal companion, and Will Geer makes a believable Wyatt Earp, although in that stage of his real life he was a considerably younger man. This is a pretty good Western, with all the elements: Indian battles, horse chases, shoot-outs with innocent women and children involved, purely evil bad guys, unbelievably good shooting by men (Stewart and McNally) who then turn around and, when it counts can't hit the broad side of a barn from the inside. But, I liked the film. Probably because I like the cast. Duryea was always a great "bad guy", Stewart fit his part perfectly, and Winters did hers very well, as might be expected. When you get a good story, well acted by real professionals, the result, given good direction, is a good movie. Who needs color? Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
Rating:
Summary: Saved by the cast. Otherwise, only a fair movie
Review:
Format: Black & White
Studio: Universal Studios
Video Release Date: May 6, 1992
Cast: James Stewart ... Lin McAdam
Shelley Winters ... Lola Manners
Dan Duryea ... Waco Johnnie Dean
Stephen McNally ... Dutch Henry Brown
Millard Mitchell ... High-Spade Frankie Wilson
Charles Drake ... Steve Miller
John McIntire ... Joe Lamont
Will Geer ... Wyatt Earp
Jay C. Flippen ... Sgt. Wilkes
Rock Hudson ... Young Bull
John Alexander ... Jack Riker
Steve Brodie ... Wesley
James Millican ... Wheeler
Abner Biberman ... Latigo Means
Tony Curtis ... Doan
James Best ... Crator
Jack Curtis ... Bit part
Steve Darrell ... Bat Masterson
Robert Anderson ... Basset
John Doucette ... Roan Daley
Mel Archer ... Bartender
Jimmy Hawkins ... Boy at store window (first speech in film)
Timmy Hawkins ... Boy at Rifle Shoot
Carol Henry ... Dudeen
Gary Jackson ... Gary Jameson
Norman Kent ... Buffalo hunter
Ethan Laidlaw ... Station master
Ted Mapes ... Bartender
Gregg Martell ... Mossman (cavalryman)
Bill McKenzie ... Boy at rifle shoot
Jennings Miles ... Stagecoach driver
Norman Ollestad ... Stable boy
Larry Olsen ... Boy at rifle shoot
Bud Osborne ... Man
Ray Bennett ... Charles Bender
Chuck Roberson ... Long Tom
Forrest Taylor ... Voice of target clerk
Tony Taylor ... Boy
Ray Teal ... Marshall Noonan
John War Eagle ... Indian interpreter
Guy Wilkerson ... Virgil Earp
Duke York ... Man #1
Chief Yowlachie ... Indian at rifle shoot
Frank Chase ... Cavalryman
Edmund Cobb ... Target watcher
Frank Conlan ... Contest clerk in saloon
Virginia Mullen ... Mrs. Jameson
Bonnie Kay Eddy ... Bonnie Jameson Not really a "history" of the famous old Winchester model 1873. It is more a story based on the rifles of that model referred to as "one of 1000". There were such rifles, highly sought after, and were used as a promotion stunt for prizes for the best shot in a particular area. Stewart (Linn McAdam) was competing with, as it turns out, his brother, Stepfhen McNally (Dutch Henry Brown), an outlaw who had killed their father. Dan Duryea plays a "heavy" quite well, and Shelley Winters provides the love interest. Millard Mitchell is the faithfal companion, and Will Geer makes a believable Wyatt Earp, although in that stage of his real life he was a considerably younger man. This is a pretty good Western, with all the elements: Indian battles, horse chases, shoot-outs with innocent women and children involved, purely evil bad guys, unbelievably good shooting by men (Stewart and McNally) who then turn around and, when it counts can't hit the broad side of a barn from the inside. But, I liked the film. Probably because I like the cast. Duryea was always a great "bad guy", Stewart fit his part perfectly, and Winters did hers very well, as might be expected. When you get a good story, well acted by real professionals, the result, given good direction, is a good movie. Who needs color? Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
Rating: 
Summary: Cain and Abel
Review: Along with a handful of other titles, this film is right at the summit of the great American Westerns ever made. It came entirely out of the blue as well. It was James Stewart's first serious Western (omitting "Destry Rides Again") and displayed a side of his character his Air Force buddies may have known about but precious few other people did. When Stewart threatens to break Dan Duryea's neck in a bar fight movie audiences must have been seriously taken aback. Doubly shocking is the fact that Stewart is out to gun down his outlaw brother for the murder of their father. Nor was Anthony Mann, the director, known for his Westerns, but this masterpiece simply could not be improved. The show is littered with great performances, especially John McIntire as the gun dealer, and Stewart sidekick Millard Mitchell, who made a huge impact in Hollywood during a very short career. Mitchell also appeared in "Twelve O'Clock High", "The Gunfighter", and "Singin' in the Rain" before dying of lung cancer in 1953.
Rating:
Summary: Added Bonus
Review: As usual, some of these big studio DVD releases don't adequately advertise what they have. Hey, they could only sell more. I guess they have something against that.
Winchester '73 is one of my favorite westerns, and I rushed out the first day to buy the DVD. Universal has done a great job -- good restoration, very reasonably priced. But there is one gem that isn't apparent until after you buy it. Not mentioned on the front cover, on the back cover an extra is advertised in small print -- "interview with James Stewart". I was thinking it would just be a few minute interview. Instead, it turns out to be a full-fledged audio commentary -- really insightful. I have no idea when it was recorded -- perhaps for a Laserdisc release? -- but this is something that should be advertised prominently. Although it doesn't appear that the other great Anthony Mann-Jimmy Stewart westerns released concurrently -- "Bend of the River" and "The Far Country" -- have such bonuses, I look forward to buying them as well. At least they are much less priced than the Mann-Stewart "Man from Laramie," a very good film that is very highly priced by -- Columbia, is it? Now we just need "The Naked Spur," a true masterpiece, to come out in a restored version. Enjoy "Winchester '73"!
Rating:
Summary: Perfect!
Review: From beginning to end, this film has no flaws. This is due, first of all, to Anthony Mann direction. The story, very simple in its basic motivations, follows through very gently, with each scene deeply crafted. The editing correctly helps for that matter. The cinematography is nothing but marvelous. The whole film is a feast to the eyes. And then there's James Stewart and his not-so-tough manner, trying to protect not-so-innocent Shelley Winters, to deal with his hated brother Stephen McNally, who's not-so-bad, and to retrieve his so-beloved rifle. And, as if it was not enough, there's a twist of secondary plots and interesting characters that all help to take that rifle a little bit away from Jimmy since the very beginning. Maybe it's not a simple story. A great screenplay with wonderful dialogues takes care of that perversed fairy tale. Anthony Mann is, I insist, the responsible. He made this film in 1950. Also from this year is "The Furies", with Barbara Stanwick and Walter Huston, which is, incredibly enough, better than Winchester '73.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Western, Incredibly Poor DVD Transfer
Review: It's a real shame how badly this film was transferred to DVD. Much of the DVD is fine; some sections of it look better than I've ever seen in any other format, displaying the excellence of the black-and-white photography. But other sections are grainy and marred by distracting visual noise, and that isn't the worst of it: In several places during the film, the DVD "jumps" from one scene to another because obviously the source material was so poor! It's like watching a worn-out, popping film in a run-down theater! This is something I can't ever recall on a DVD transfer of a film as exciting and important as "Winchester '73." The interview with Jimmy Stewart as he watches the film with the interviewer is interesting, but the "Winchester" DVD overall ranks as a *MAJOR* disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: A bull's-eye for James Stewart
Review: One of James Stewart's best films is this western classic, a revenge-and-pursuit adventure that involves a highly-prized Winchester '73 that changes hands several times before the dust settles and Lin McAdam reclaims his rifle. The film is about a family feud between brothers as much as the hunt for a stolen rifle, and has interesting vignettes such as the great Dodge City rifle shoot for the coveted Winchester, a rigged game of polka in which a man is swindled by a dishonest gun runner, one man's shameful act of cowardice in front of his fiancé, a determined and heroic stand by an outnumbered cavalry troop against Indians and a great mountaintop rifle duel that ends the movie. The black and white photography is crisp and clean and Technicolor would have been hard-pressed to produce better results. The supporting cast is great, especially Dan Duryea, Jay C. Flippen, and Will Geer.
Rating:
Summary: It really IS a Wonderful Life
Review: So James Stewart came to be known as the American Everyman as Mr. Smith, and his role in It's a Wonderful Life. Hansom, charming, and plain. Blah. In Winchester '73, Stewart struts his formidable stuff. Raw, angry, and vengeful, he turns what may have been an OK western into a wrenching, painful character study. Not only is it a great film, but it helped resurect a near dead genre. Hell, I did an entire 15 page paper on this film when I was in High School. Good Stuff
Rating:
Summary: THE LIFE STORY OF A CLASSIC RIFLE
Review: The rifle is a coveted prize at a western shooting contest hosted by the western legend, Wyatt Earp (Will Geer). It is a perfect Winchester that won't be sold, only won. Two brothers compete for the prize; both trained by the same man, one good, and one evil. Right prevails is the shootout. But Evil will not accept the results and steals the rifle. What follows then is a series of changes of hand for the "One of a Thousand" Winchester. From wily gun traders to Indian raiders to quick-draw outlaws, the gun's odyssey is followed in this classic western with the good brother (James Stewart) seeking not only to regain his treasure but to put an end to a lifelong obsession. Shelly Winters comes along for the wild ride and look for Tony Curtis and Rock Hudson in very unpredictable cameo appearances.
Rating:
Summary: Anthony Mann creates a classic
Review: 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 1973 (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
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