Bend of the River

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Another of the collaborations between actor James Stewart and director Anthony Mann, Bend of the River casts Stewart as a former outlaw, now working as trail guide for a group of Oregon-bound farmers. He is aided in this endeavor by Arthur Kennedy, a far-from-reformed horse thief. Upon arriving in Portland, Stewart gets in the middle of a scam operated by trader Howard Petrie, who has reneged on his promise to ship goods to the settlers. Unable to take action through legal channels, Stewart and farmer Jay C. Flippen steal the provision and scurry back to the settlement by boat. On their return, they discover that Kennedy has sold out to the crooked Petrie and intends to reclaim the supplies, taking Flippen and his daughter Julie Adams as hostages to ensure safe passage. It's up to Stewart to turn the tables on his former friend and save the day. As in the other Stewart-Mann productions, Jimmy breaks away from his usual easygoing screen persona to play a tough, self-serving rugged individual, whose true motives and loyalties remain in doubt until the very end of the film. Bend of the River was adapted by Borden Chase from Bill Gulick's novel Bend of the Snake. Watch for Stepin Fetchit, Rock Hudson, Royal Dano, and Frances Bavier in minor roles. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Features:
  • Original theatrical trailer

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       James Stewart - Glyn McLintock
       Arthur Kennedy - Emerson Cole
       Julie Adams - Laura Baile
       Rock Hudson - Troy Wilson
       Lori Nelson - Margie Baile
       Henry Morgan - Shorty
       Stepin Fetchit - Adam
       Chubby Johnson - Capt. Mello
       Howard Petrie - Tom Hendricks
       Frances Bavier - Mrs. Prentiss
       Jack Lambert - Red
       Royal Dano - Long Tom
       Frank Chase - Wasco
       Frank Ferguson - Don Grundy
       Britt Wood - Roustabout

• Director:

  Anthony Mann

• Producer:

  Aaron Rosenberg

• Screenwriter:

  Borden Chase

• Book Author:

  Bill Gulick

• Cinematographer:

  Irving Glassberg

• Composer (Music Score):

  Hans Salter

• Editor:

  Russell Schoengarth

• Art Director:

  Bernard Herzbrun, Nathan Juran

• Set Designer:

  Oliver Emert, Russell A. Gausman

• Costume Designer:

  Rosemary Odell

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Leslie I. Carey, Joe Lapis

• Makeup:

  Bud Westmore

REVIEW:

• Reuniting the star, writer and director of Winchester '73 (1950), Anthony Mann's Bend of the River (1952) explores the psychological "bend" faced by a troubled hero when he must confront his past. In Borden Chase's adaptation of Bill Gullick's novel, James Stewart's McLyntock is a divided man, a former Missouri raider trying to reform himself by guiding a group of settlers through the wilds of 1840s Oregon. The presence of Cole, a former raider gone resolutely bad, forces McLyntock to battle a man akin to his own secret, past self. Shot on location in Oregon, Mann's first Technicolor landscapes become an expressive part of the conflict between McLyntock and Cole, whether on the rough terrain of snowy Mt. Hood or in the climactic fight in a rushing river. Although settling down on a farm or a ranch is the nominal goal of the trip west, the settling is barely seen. Indeed, despite the positive ending, Bend of the River suggests -- through details of dialogue and Stewart's hints at the personal uncertainty beneath his tough, upstanding exterior -- that settling down in a happy valley might be too good to be true for McLyntock. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi