The Naked Spur
by Anthony Mann
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DVD details
Actor: James Stewart, Janet Leigh, Robert RyanDirector: Anthony Mann
Brand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: Color, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: Academy Ratio, 1.33:1
Running Time: 91 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-08-15
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: 79246
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product features:
- "Plain arithmetic. Money splits better two ways instead of three," smooth-talking outlaw Ben Vandergroat reasons to his captors, three bounty hunters thrown together by chance. They're taking him to justice in Abilene, but Ben has other ideas. If he can set the men against each other play on their greed, their fears, their vanities, he may be able to make his break to freedom.In the third of his f
DVD Reviews of The Naked Spur
DVD Review: Noir Western
Summary: 2 Stars
Naked Spur is one of those B westerns produced in the 50s when westerns were at their peak. Although this period did produce some classic films, in general they were disappointing, and specifically, to this film, very disappointing.
The film is basically a film about greed. To me it is reminiscent of 1948s "Treasure of the Sierra Madre". In that film, 3 prospectors (Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, and Tim Holt) turn against each other on a long journey to town after they discovered gold. In this film, 3 cowboys turn against each other on a long journey to town in order to collect a $5000 reward. The difference is that "Naked Spur" has Robert Ryan as the wanted man who spurs the conflict, while in "Treasure" there is no visible cause.
The film stars Jimmy Stewart. Stewart is a film icon. He was nominated for an Oscar 5 times, winning once ("The Philadelphia Story" in 1940). He had 2 BAFTA nominations (Anatomy of a Murder", "The Glenn Miller Story") and 3 Golden Globe nominations including one win ("Hawkins" in 1971). Twice he won the New York film critics award ("Anatomy of a Murder" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington") and he also gave us such memorable performances as "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". Stewart worked extensively with Alfred Hitchcock and together they made "Rope" (1948), "Rear Window" (1954), "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1956), and "Vertigo" (1958).
The film is directed by Anthony Mann. Mann originally specialized in film noir in the 40s (e.g., "T-Men", "Raw Deal") but starting in 1950 with "The Furies" he began to make westerns and put out a dozen, although he still on occasion, made other types of films (e.g., "Strategic Air Command", "God's Little Acre", "El Cid"). Mann received 3 DGA nominations ("El Cid", "Men at War", "The Glenn Miller Story").
Naked Spur is the third of eight collaborations between Stewart and Mann, five of which were westerns. Their first film together,"Winchester 73", is the best of their western films, and it was this film that established Stewart as a major star who could command cast and director approval as well as receive a percentage of the profits.
Mann brought his film noir sensitivities to the western genre, and this blend produced a western that was distinct from the Ford ("Fort Apache", "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon") or the Hawks ("Red River", "Rio Bravo") films as well as the films of Budd Boetticher (" Commanche Station", "The Tall T"). Though Ford and Hawks tended to use John Wayne, Mann used Stewart and Boetticher used Randolph Scott. Rarely did one of the directors use one of the stars used by the other director (notable exception being Ford using Stewart in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance").
Unfortunately, the blend of film noir and westerns has rarely worked well. Raoul Walsh's "Pursued" (1947) and Nicholas Ray's "Johnny Guiitar" are exceptions to this rule. While noir westerns per se were not terribly successful, they did help turn the traditional western into a more balanced genre. One can only imagine that "The Searchers" (1956) would not have been possible without the influence of the noir westerns.
Robert Ryan co-stars as the killer who Stewart is trying to take back to Abilene for trial. Ryan made nearly 100 films over a 30+ year career. He was nominated for an Oscar ("Crossfire", 1947) and a BAFTA "Billy Budd", 1962) and won an NBR Award ("The Iceman Cometh", 1973). Ryan was a favorite of film noir directors, working with Nicholas Ray "On Dangerous Ground", 1951) and Robert Wise ("Set Up", 1949). He often played military roles ("Dirty Dozen", "Longest Day", "Battle of the Bulge") and westerns ("The Professionals", "Bad Day at Black Rock"), and I think his best role was in Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch" (1969). Ryan's performance in "Naked Spur" is one of his poorest performances of his long career. His villain is far too convivial and his attempts to create conflict are so self-evident it's hard to believe that this script was filmed.
Janet Leigh plays a simple girl who latches on to Ryan as a substitute father figure. We all know Leigh from her role in "Psycho" (1960), but she made more than 50 films and gave us memorable roles in "Touch of Evil" (1958) and "Manchurian Candidate" (1962) among others. She made 5 films with her husband Tony Curtis, and appeared twice with her daughter Jamie Lee Curtis. Leigh's in this film is comical. She seems to fall in and out of love in every other scene.
Millard Mitchell plays an old prospector who teams up with Stewart to bring Ryan back and split the reward. Mitchell appeared in more than 30 films and won the Golden Globe for "My Six Convicts" (1952). He gave us memorable performances as Gregory Peck's commanding officer in "Twelve O'Clock High" (1949) and as the movie mogul in "Singing in the Rain" (1952). He gives the only good performance in this film.
Ralph Meeker plays a dishonorably discharged cavalry man who joins up with Stewart. Meeker appeared in more than 50 films and as many TV programs, but never attained more than B status. His performance here is similar to his performance in other films - nothing really distinguished but certainly adequate.
One of the few good parts of the film is the scenery. Mann is famous for his use of landscape, and this is another one of his prime examples.
The film was a box office success, as were most 50s westerns, and most films with Jimmy Stewart. It received a nomination for Best Screenplay, but didn't win.
Fans of the western can find hundreds of better films. Fans of Jimmy Stewart can find dozens of better films, even from the non-westerns he did with Mann. Fans of the other stars will also find that their favorite actors can be seen in much better films. Even Anthony Mann films can find better films elsewhere. There is simply nothing to recommend this film.
Description of The Naked Spur
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