Product Description
Barbara Stanwyck and Walter Huston are at their fierce finest in master Hollywood craftsman Anthony Mann’s crackling western melodrama. In 1870s New Mexico Territory, megalomaniacal widowed ranch-owner T. C. Jeffords (Huston, in his final role) butts heads with his daughter, Vance (Stanwyck), a firebrand with serious daddy issues, over her dowry, choice of marriage, and, finally, ownership of the land itself. Both sophisticated in its view of frontier settlement and ablaze with searing domestic drama, The Furies is a hidden treasure of American filmmaking, boasting Oscar–nominated cinematography and vivid supporting turns from Judith Anderson, Wendell Corey, and Gilbert Roland.
SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:
• New, restored high-definition digital transfer • Audio commentary featuring film historian Jim Kitses (Horizons West) • A rare, 1931 on-camera interview with Walter Huston, made for the movie theater series Intimate Interviews • New video interview with Nina Mann, daughter of director Anthony Mann • Stills gallery of rare behind-the-scenes photos • Theatrical trailer • PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by critic Robin Wood, a 1957 Cahiers du cinéma interview with Mann, and a new printing of Niven Busch’s original novel • More!
[quote=“Phil H, post:4, topic:977”]Anything by Anthony Mann is worth getting in my view.
What is the Criterion price tag by the way?[/quote]
Criterion $40 but available for about $10 less on Amazon. Don’t know prices over there Phil.
I really like his films but The Last Frontier was a real stinker to me. I thought Victor Mature was awful and the story ridiculous. I read that Mature hated horses and would not ride one and that Mann did not get along with him.
The Stewart/Mann films are special and I really like The Tin Star. Have not seen Cimarron.
[quote=“Romaine Fielding, post:6, topic:977”]Criterion $40 but available for about $10 less on Amazon. Don’t know prices over there Phil.
I really like his films but The Last Frontier was a real stinker to me. I thought Victor Mature was awful and the story ridiculous. I read that Mature hated horses and would not ride one and that Mann did not get along with him.
The Stewart/Mann films are special and I really like The Tin Star. Have not seen Cimarron.[/quote]
$40!!??
Jesus!
If you like the Mann / Stewart films you should definitely check out Man of the West with Gary Cooper. Very similar feel to it.
If you like the Mann / Stewart films you should definitely check out Man of the West with Gary Cooper. Very similar feel to it.[/quote]
Yeah, Criterion is a an expensive company. They do it up right though.
I have Man Of The West as well. As you say, similar to the Stewart/Mann films. I Love the way the Stewart/Mann films look. All alpiney and shit. Especially Naked Spur & Bend Of The River. Man From Laramie is probably my favorite.
Yours?
I like The Last Frontier also. One of the few, maybe the only one, in which Mature is really good. His best role.
Stewart could of course have played likewise the leads in The Tin Star, Man of the West and also in The Last Frontier, but for me it’s Mature who brings a savagery to this role, for which Stewart looks not primitive enough.
[quote=“Romaine Fielding, post:8, topic:977”]Yeah, Criterion is a an expensive company. They do it up right though.
I have Man Of The West as well. As you say, similar to the Stewart/Mann films. I Love the way the Stewart/Mann films look. All alpiney and shit. Especially Naked Spur & Bend Of The River. Man From Laramie is probably my favorite.
Yours?[/quote]
I have real trouble choosing one out of the bunch but would probably go for The Far Country if pushed. Walter Brennan adds that little bit extra.
My most favorite Stewart/Mann is MAN FROM LARAMIE, followed closely by THE NAKED SPUR, BEND OF THE RIVER…then, WINCHESTER '73. Funny, but I have always found THE FAR COUNTRY to be somehow unmemorable, for me. I enjoy it while I am watching it…but, nothing stays with me after it is over.
To me MAN OF THE WEST and THE MAN FROM LARAMIE are grade A+ Mann
THE NAKED SPUR, WINCHESTER '73 and BEND OF THE RIVER are in hot pursuit
Like Chris I always found THE FAR COUNTRY a rather unmemorable film, it surprises me Phil loves it that much
THE TIN STAR is okay, but not really great; I found it a bit tame for a Mann movie
Well, as usual it comes down to a matter of personal taste I guess.
As I said earlier, I rate all of of the Mann / Stewart westerns very highly indeed and struggle to pick a single favourite but, for me, The Far Country has always held a special fondness. I remember loving it as a kid and it still has a very strong resonance for me.
The theme of individual against community has never been better payed out as far as I’m concerned as it is in this film. Stewart insists that he doesn’t need anyone and that he relies only on himself and seeks to help only himself. But as the story unfolds it is made clear that he has more personal ties than he cares to admit and that although the community depends on the actions of a strong individual, the individual is empty without wider human affiliations.
Walter Brennan is the key figure in this theme (as he was in Red River) acting as a touchstone to Stewart’s conscience and linking his cold exterior to a a more open and warm humanity. It is a film with a soft centre I guess, which may not suit everyone’s taste, but I like it a lot.
I must make mention of the fact that THE TIN STAR and MAN OF THE WEST are highly ranked among my favorites, as well. I like them just as much as THE NAKED SPUR.
Winchester 73 is my favorite and the movie that broke my prejudice against “old movies” i used to be one of those people that woudnt watch a black and white movie (i was young and ignorant) this led to my interest in film noir which is now one of my fav genres so winchester 73 will always have a special place for me.
