Blu Ray Review: Bend of the River

In the western genre, the relationship between director Anthony Mann and actor James Stewart is rewarding as the one between John Ford and John Wayne. And a new restoration of perhaps the best of the Mann-Stewart westerns, Bend of the River, has been released by Kino Lorber.

Bend of the River features Stewart as a former outlaw guiding a wagon train of settlers to Oregon.  Along the way there are Indian attacks, double-crosses, and other such conflicts in a screenplay by Borden Chase, who also penned the John Wayne classic Red River. The film contains all of key elements of the western genre, and hones them to perfection with strong writing, brilliant direction, and fine performances by a cast that also includes Rock Hudson, Arthur Kennedy, Julie Adams, Harry Morgan, and Jay C. Flippen. 

Director Mann offers a dark, noirish quality to the film’s overall presentation, making it more compelling and fulfilling than standard western fare. The characters are well drawn but without moral clarity.  There is nothing predictable or easy about the narrative, it draws the viewer in and is consistently compelling and surprising.

James Stewart played lead in many westerns, but as a passionate Everyman, not weathered and rugged like the typical western lead of the era.  Some of his most effective scenes in Bend of the River are with Arthur Kennedy, a character with charm but who is hard to define until his actions reveal his motive.

Bend of the River was only the second collaboration between director Mann and actor Stewart, the first being Winchester 73 (1950), a film so impactful it resurrected the popularity of western cinema.  This extended to television where western shows dominated the 1950s.  Stewart and Mann would continue to collaborate throughout the 1950s with a succession of top drawer classics of the genre. Bend of the River, however, remains unmatched.

This new Kino release improves upon all previous releases of the film, its visual presentation offering sharper focus, especially in the night scenes, and strong color depth. The 4K restoration is by Universal Pictures in collaboration with The Film Foundation. The 4K scan is from the 35mm 3-strip original negative. The special features include a new audio commentary by film historian/writer Julie Kirgo and author/screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner.  There is also an archival audio commentary by film historian Toby Roan

Most highly recommended, the he blu ray is available at this link:  BEND/RIVER