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Moving Western in which a gunfighter called McLyntock must battle nasty miners , ambitious prospectors and a corrupt owner , including spectacular landscapes . From Universal-international a breathtaking as well as rip-snorting Western that shows the greatness , the glory , the fury of the untamed Northwest frontier . Stars a tough , hardened gunslinger guide McLyntock (James Stewart) who leads his wagon train challenging the gold-rich glory that was Oregon full of mountains with snow , scarlet with sin , yellow with the dust that lured him on . As a self-minded , haunted cowboy (James Stewart) leads his wagons plenty of settlers (Julie Adams , Lori Nelson , J.C.Flippen) and herd to Portland , in hopes of huge profits . Glyn McLyntock saves from a lynching and befriends another gunfighter , Cole (Arthur Kennedy) , and when they arrive in Portland both of whom lead and transport cows by boat . At last , they arrive in Portland , a bustling little town filled with prospectors and usual saloons . Later on , they have to escape from nasty town boss who confiscated homesteader's supplies after gold is discovered nearby . McLyntock and his partners end up having supplies and herd back from the villain baron .

One of a series made by star Stewart with director Anthony Mann , it features splendid Western vistas , fierce gun-play and fist-play , ambiguous roles , impressively busy crowd sequences and many other things . Adventure western movie in which a two-fisted cowboy leads his wagons and herd through Oregon territory , pitting himself against the wilderness , bandits , mean prospectors , traitors and an ambitious , corrupt boss town . This is an epic western filled with ambiguity , thrills , emotion , dual characters , some ambivalent roles in which stand out their corruption and ambition and being ¨Greed¨ their essential objective . The film is divided in three parts , the first one describes on rout to their destination ; the intervening period dealing with the busy town Portland and third part concerning on the trip back to the settlement , up river and over a mountain . Set late XIX Century , it shows the moral obligation to build a civilized community and need to a collective effort , joining individuals against corrupt and selfish people . Interesting and stirring screenplay based on the novel titled ¨Bend of the snake¨ by Bill Gulich . Sympathetic as well as brave acting by the great James Stewart as the stubborn Mclyntock who must fight frontier lawlessness and locks horns with a crooked colleague , magnificently played by Arthur Kennedy . Stewart is top-drawer as an ex-Pistolero who risks his life to attempt and get provisions to homesteaders to build their promised land . Stewart has top grade character written all over it . Gorgeous Julie Adams as the good-bad girl who must be forgiven in the end . Support cast is frankly extraordinary with a large plethora of illustrious names , such as : Lori Nelson , Harry Morgan , Jack Lambert , Frank Ferguson , Royal Dano , Cliff Lyons , and special mention for Jay C. Flippen as the grizzled westerner and a show-stealing acting by the always great Chubby Johnson who gives the comic relief talking about river Mississipi . And one of the first important roles for Rock Hudson who received extreme cheering and applause at the premiere .

Lyric and stirring musical score by Hans J. Salter . Colorful cinematography in Technicolor Irving Glassberg , and the Oregon sets takes it out of the ordinary Western scenarios , being shot in Oregon , mostly in Mount Hood, Timberline, Columbia River, Sandy River, Oregon , Sacramento river in northern California , Rooster Rock State Park, Palmer Glacier , Mount Hood, Columbia River Gorge , Washington . The motion picture was stunningly directed by Anthony Mann . Being made during Mann's best period of work . The film forms a stunning diptych along with ¨Bend the river¨ by the awesome quartet : Anthony Mann , screenwriter Borden Chase , producer Aaron Rosenberg and James Stewart who made a great number of top-notch films . This is another superbly powerful triumph from Anthony Mann who realized various Western masterpieces such as ¨The furies¨ , ¨Devil's doorway¨ , ¨Tin star¨ , ¨Man of the West¨ and several with his habitual star , James Stewart , many of them playing more violent , ruthless and cynical roles than usuals , such as : ¨Winchester 73¨ , ¨Bend the river¨ , ¨The far country¨ , ¨Man from Laramie¨ , ¨Colorado Jim¨ , ¨Thunder Bay¨ , ¨The Glenn Miller story¨. Rating : Above average ; it is probably one of the best Western in the fifties . Well worth watching .

James Stewart plays Glyn McLyntock whose job is to lead the settlers west.Emerson Cole, a man with a shady past, is played by Arthur Kennedy.He's there to help Glyn with the job.The settlers are gonna need some food for the winter and soon the other side of Cole steps out.Anthony Mann worked for the second time with James Stewart in Bend of the River (1952).Jimmy does good work as always.Arthur Kennedy is brilliant in his role.The beautiful and talented Julie Adams plays Laura Baile and she does it great.Lori Nelson is wonderful as Marjie Baile.Rock Hudson is a gambler named Trey Wilson and he's terrific.This movie has got the most wonderful scenery.It's great to watch all those wagons travel there towards a better future.This is a good western from 55 years back.The world has changed in that time- and so have the movies.

The plot may be weak even if the action is only decently played out. But what really makes this film, is the landscape. Breathtaking shots of Mount Hood, some taken from near Timberline lodge, others on the White River on the east flank, fed by the White River Glacier. Those of the stern-wheeler trudging up the Columbia River past what is now Rooster Rock State Park, but in those days was just a sandy spot below Crown Point, perched high on the surrounding cliffs. Occasionally where the action takes place at high altitude on Mount Hood, a panorama so vast as to take in most of Oregon in a single frame. Even if you have lived in the area your whole life, the photography will grab you every time you watch Bend in the River.

In case the title doesn't quite make sense, think of life as the places in time and space where you made a turn, just as you would when traveling down a river and once again there is the bend you just passed, or the one you are about to encounter. The old timers saw life in these terms of metaphors, and they had a saying about "going to see the elephant", alluding to seeing something the likes of which no man could even imagine.

Now that this is out on DVD, I hope to be able to view this on a better format: widescreen and a clearer prettier transfer. As with many westerns, there is a lot to like visually. That includes Julia Adams, who plays one of the leads: "Laura Baile." Adams was a decent actress and had a very pretty face. I wonder why she never made it as a "star?"

Overall, this classic-era western has a pretty good story, a good cast led by James Stewart, and enough action to keep ones interest for the hour-and-a-half. I enjoyed most of the characters. Arthur Kennedy, Jay C. Flippen, Rock Hudson, Lori Nelson, Stephin Fetchit and Henry Morgan all comprise a well-known cast.

My only complaint was the "Rambo mentality," with two scenes in which good-guy Stewart should have been easily shot, but wasn't. In summary, pretty good storytelling and one to have in your collection if you are a fan of westerns, especially when Anthony Mann is the director. He and Stewart teamed up on several very good westerns in their day, and this is one of them.

Bend of the River is the second Anthony Mann/James Stewart western and the first in technicolor. The technicolor is used to best advantage here with some great footage of the Columbia River and surrounding vicinity. And Mann used in support of Stewart, Jay C. Flippen, Harry Morgan, Arthur Kennedy and Rock Hudson all of whom had appeared in Mann films before and/or would again. Anthony Mann is never given credit for the stock company he had. Like John Ford, Mann liked using the same players in his films.

Jimmy Stewart is guiding a group of settlers west and along the way saves Arthur Kennedy from a lynching. Turns out they're both former border raiders from the Missouri/Kansas area, but Stewart's decided to go honest.

When they arrive in Portland, the settlers are warmly greeted and a deal is made by settler leader Jay C. Flippen for needed supplies for his people during the winter.

When Stewart and Flippen return for the supplies, there's been a gold strike and the town is mad with gold fever. They have to take what was due them and then have to fight to get the supplies back to the settlers. Seems some prospectors want them also.

The point is that there are no options for Stewart and Flippen. These supplies have to get to their colony or they will freeze and starve during the winter. They have to fight prospectors, townspeople and treachery in their own group to get the goods where they are needed.

There's no law here to help them. It's broken down totally along with all kinds of behavioral virtues when gold fever has struck. One of the best performances in the film comes from Howard Petrie town merchant who can't do enough for the settlers on their first arrival. When we see him next when Stewart and Flippen come for their goods, it's like we're seeing a totally different human being. Petrie has practically morphed into Fred C. Dobbs.

I don't think Jimmy Stewart has ever been more ruthless on the screen than he is here. His characters in Anthony Mann films are always purpose driven whether it's revenge like in Winchester 73, an outlaw bounty so he can start a new life in The Naked Spur, or even an idea he has like offshore oil drilling in Thunder Bay.

But in Bend of the River it's a matter of survival and to prove to himself that he can and has changed his character for the better. It's as much an internal struggle for Stewart as it is with the forces allied against him.

It's another ten star winner for the Stewart/Mann team.