Winchester '73: The Classic Jimmy Stewart Western Turns 75 (Criterion Blu-ray)

The Film:

Beloved star Jimmy Stewart and director Anthony Mann had quite the amazing collaboration between 1950 and 1955, making an impressive eight films together that included "The Man from Laramie," "The Far Country," and "The Naked Spur," but arguably the most popular of these was "Winchester '73," a film that is celebrating its incredible 75th anniversary this year. To celebrate, Criterion is adding it to their prestigious collection this month, so as usual, it's time to go back and see why this little western has stood out from many others over the course of so many decades.

The film begins with Lin McAdam (Jimmy Stewart) and Frankie "High Spade" Wilson (Millard Mitchell) riding into the town of Dodge City in their search for Dutch Henry Brown (Stephen McNally). They find him, but Lin is unable to settle his personal score due to the town's "no guns" rule. While there, Lin and Dutch participate in a shooting contest for the town's centennial, for which the prize is a Winchester '73 rifle, a highly sought-after weapon. Lin wins the contest, but is ambushed by Dutch and his men, stealing the rifle in the process and fleeing town. Thus begins the Winchester's journey, which will see it change hands many more times, while Lin and his partner continue their own quest to settle the former's personal score.

"Winchester '73" is a rather intriguing character piece with a revenge plot at its core, one that's told through a rather fascinating concept that sees the titular rifle exchanging hands a number of times. Director Anthony Mann and screenwriters Borden Chase & Robert L. Richards could've been content to have this be your standard "hunt down the villain and bring him to justice" western picture, but it's the way they dress it up a little more with its mysteriousness surrounding Lin's personal mission & the aforementioned concept that gives it a little more substance than it otherwise might have had in the hands of other filmmakers.

Looking at the structure of the film itself, its first half immediately has you engaged not only with Lin's story, but also with a shooting contest that has him competing against the very man he's seeking, with the aftermath of the contest expanding the scope of the film even further as it adds more fuel to the fire in regards to hunting down Dutch, as well as connecting previously-seen and other as-yet-unseen characters through the rifle's journey.

In the interest of full exposure, the film does slow down a bit in the second half as certain characters contemplate their respective predicaments, and the climax is your typical western shootout, but it hardly takes away from what the film is able to accomplish with its stronger elements, including a remarkable cast headlined by Jimmy Stewart, Millard Mitchell, and Shelley Winters. "Winchester '73" could've easily been just another typical western with the same old familiar characters & storyline, but by doing something a little different with the standard revenge plot, we end up with a film of the genre that stands out, easily earning a recommendation as it celebrates a remarkable milestone.

Video/Audio:

"Winchester '73" comes to Criterion Blu-ray in a 1.35:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of excellent quality. The new 4K digital restoration, undertaken by Universal Pictures and The Film Foundation, looks absolutely gorgeous throughout the film's 90-minute runtime. Likewise, the uncompressed monaural soundtrack is absolutely fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in outstanding quality. As always, Criterion and their associates have done a wonderful job in both areas for this new stunning release.

Special Features:

Commentary: An informative track from 1989 that features star Jimmy Stewart and film historian Paul Lindenschmidt.

Adam Piron (18 Minutes): An interview with the director of the Sundance Institute's Indigenous Program in which he discusses representations of Native Americans in the western genre.

Forces of Nature: Anthony Mann at Universal (47 Minutes): A documentary that explores Mann's work with Universal Studios.

Lux Radio Theatre (61 Minutes): A 1951 radio-play version of the film in which Jimmy Stewart reprises his role.

Conclusion:

Anthony Mann's "Winchester '73" stands out from your typical western by taking your basic revenge plot and doing something a little different with it through its fascinating concept of tying its characters together through the titular rifle, as well as giving its central mission a good deal of intriguing mystery, all of which ultimately results in a compelling adventure that is very much worth adding to your personal Criterion collection.

Score: 4/5

Available on Criterion Blu-ray starting tomorrow.

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