DVD Review: Two westerns from James Stewart on blu ray from KINO
Two of the most interesting and unusual western movies among James Stewart's filmography have been restored and released on Kino Lorber. Each will be discussed separately in this review.
NIGHT PASSAGE
Directed by James Neilson. Cast: James Stewart, Audie Murphy, Dan Duryea, Dianne Foster, Elaine Stewart, Brandon De Wilde, Jay C. Flippen, Herbert Anderson, Hugh Beaumont, Jack Elam. Released July 24, 1957. Running time 90 minutes.
By the time he made this film, James Stewart was quite established in western movies. In 1950 he starred in "Winchester 73," which is often cited as being the movie that set off the western genre's popularity in the 1950s. Stewart went on to make several top drawer western films with director Anthony Mann, including "Bend of the River," "The Naked Spur," and "The Man From Laramie." Anthony Mann was originally set to direct "Night Passage," but he disliked the script and walked off the project. He and Stewart never worked together again.
Universal studios rather hastily hired James Neilson to direct this film. Neilson's credits were limited to television direction, and while he was very prolific in that medium, he had no experience with feature length theatrical films. As it stands, he rises to the occasion nicely, with strong establishing shots and a good use of the impressive widescreeen process known as Technirama. This process was created by the Technicolor corporation, and Kino Lorber's blu ray restoration does a nice job of presenting the film's visual sharpness. Kino has successfully restored other Technirama features including "Legend of the Lost" with John Wayne and "Paris Holiday" with Bob Hope. "Night Passage" is significant as being the first film to use the process.
"Night Passage" is a visually striking film with an excellent cast and a strong Borden Chase script in which Stewart plays Grant McLaine, a former railroad worker who was fired in disgrace when instead of capturing The Utica Kid (Audie Murphy), a train thief, he helped him escape. The Utica Kid has been robbing trains of their payroll and it is now months since the workers have been paid. So, Grant is rehired in an attempt to get the payroll through. There is mistrust among some of the railroad executives because, as it turns out, The Utica Kid is Grant's younger brother.
It has been stated that "Night Passage" was a flop at the box office, and for that reason Stewart didn't make another western for serveral years (specifically John Ford's "Two Rode Together" in 1961). However, "Night Passage" was not a box office failure, earning $2.6 million according to existing records.
Along with the sharp Technirama visuals, Kino's blu ray offers, as a special feature, a typically enlightening and informative commentary track from Toby Roan.
The film is available here: NIGHT PASSAGE
THE RARE BREED
Directed by Andrew McLaglen. Cast: James Stewart, Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith, Juliet Mills, Don Galloway, David Brian, Jack Elam, Harry Carey Jr., Ben Johnson. Released February 2, 1966. Running time: 97 minutes
The 1960s were a time of change in movies as well as other areas of the culture. The western genre would be redefined by films like "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," and "The Wild Bunch." However, in 1966 there were still enough traditional western features to sustain an audience and "The Rare Breed" was one of the better ones from this period.
The story is based on the introduction of Hereford cattle from England into the US, when a determined widow and her daughter (Maureen O'Hara and Juliet Mills) strive to deliver a breeding bull after her husband dies during his quest to do so. James Stewart plays a drifter who helps them in their dangerous quest to Texas.
The film is consistently entertaining, with a strong cast and several exciting sequences dotting the narrative. At this point James Stewart was comfortably aging into roles in which he plays older, more weathered, and more experienced characters. His established likeable screen persona flirts with a certain curmudgeonly obstinance that adds another layer to his character.
William Clothier's sharp color cinematography is impressively restored on the Kino Lorber blu ray, and the film is further enhanced by a score from John Williams, done early in his career (he is billed as "Johnny" in the credits).
The film is available here: RARE BREED
Both films are visually stunning and narratively compelling and each has the delightfully wicked Jack Elam as the quintessential western villain he played so brilliantly. Highly recommended.