ma-cortes 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 .

staven600 I have a thing for westerns. I think it appeals to my inner child more than any other genre except maybe sci-fi because it's set on the "frontier," or what was the frontier of the American west, which means unexplored terrain, wide open spaces, sun and adventure. Of course it's not a realistic depiction of the wild west by any means, but there's a cosy innocence to that ideal that is appealing, and a youthfulness and sense of adventure.This is my favourite of the Anthony Mann westerns so far for a number of reasons. Like Red River it is about a journey to a new place, in this case a place for a bunch of settlers to call home. The film opens with the hero, played by James Stewart, and his roguish friend played by Arthur Kennedy defending the settlers from a group of Indians. They find themselves at Portland, a small harbour town, and then head up river to find a new land beyond the mountains. So far so corny, but beyond the beautiful cinematography, what I liked about this film is the conflict between the two leads, one of mercenary nature who likes the town life, and James Stewart's character, who's no longer cares for monetary gain and wants to live a quiet life in the new settlement. This divide is not only between the main characters but between the settlers and the greedy bandits of the local gold mine. Fate has them discover gold at just the right time so that the two are separated by their motivations, one turns to the evil of materialism and quick gains and the other follows his heart. In the end of course it's obvious how it turns out, but I liked the idea and the look of the film as much as anything, and it's one of the most entertaining.

LeonLouisRicci The Follow Up to Winchester 73 (1950) is Another One Aimed at Adults and Helped the Genre Mature and Gave it a Gravitas with Added Psychology, Complex Characters, and Evolving and Unpredictable Plot Developments.The Ingredients are All Here that Made the Mann/Stewart Collaborations Enduring and Classic. Technicolor, Rough and Rugged Virgin Terrain and Raw Danger. The Outdoor, Outward Struggle for Survival and the Inner Soul Searching about Past Sins and Redemption, to find a Center of Being that was Individually Acceptable and Socially Necessary for a Civilization.This Film has an Extremely High Body Count, Probably the Highest of the Five Films, and it is Foreshadowed by the Opening where the Indians are Actually Counted Down Numerous Times ("How many are there? Five...That makes four...that leaves three......now there are none."). But that's just the Beginning. Dozens More (all White Men) will meet Their Death before its Over in Gunbattles that are like Shooting Galleries and Chaotic Situations where Bullets are Flying Everywhere.After One such Battle Stewart turns to Arthur Kennedy (another fine performance as a McClintock's alter ego), who keeps Unloading His Rifle into Trapped Horseman when it is No Longer Necessary, and Shouts, "That's enough, hold your fire." Kennedy says "why?" Flashing a Maniacal Grin, Stewart Replies, "If you don't know, I can't tell ya." Simple but Chilling.

SimonJack For its portrayal of the rough going of emigrant wagon train life, and its spectacular scenery in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and the Columbia River Gorge, "Bend of the River" scores high marks. It also has a first rate cast, all of whom shine in their performances. And it is an engaging story that pulls together very well elements of several genres of film — Western, pioneer, adventure, historical and dramatic.Many Westerns have been made with wagon trains, but they were mostly action movies. Very few have shown the hardships of wagon train life. "Bend of the River" is an exception. It shows the difficulty of moving wagons across streams, up and down steep grades, and over rocks and uncleared trails and mountain passes. So, this film shows a little reality from what historians call the longest migration in human history.Now, for a closer look at some curious aspects that render the film's particular story implausible. Except for the license of Hollywood to alter facts, times and places to fit the fiction, this story just couldn't have happened as shown. That doesn't take away from the movie's entertainment value. But, for those who enjoy finding solutions to curiosities, I offer these few salient points about the film. First — No one in the film seemed to know the name of Mt. Hood that shows so prominently throughout the movie. They referred to it as that old mountain, or old baldy. This is interesting because Mt. Hood was named in 1792, and Lewis and Clark noted it during their expedition in 1804-1806. Soon thereafter, towns sprang up in Oregon – Astoria in 1811, Oregon City in 1829 and Portland in 1843. Everyone knew the name of Mt. Hood, and the maps of the Northwest would have clearly shown Mt. Hood. Indeed, the diaries of Oregon Trail pioneers mentioned landmarks such as Mt. Hood all the time. The time setting of the movie had to be after 1846. That's when the Barlow Road was completed around Mt. Hood, so wagons didn't have to raft down the Columbia from The Dalles. So, why would the filmmakers not use the name of Mt. Hood when it's shown so clearly for long periods of the film, and from three different directions? My guess is to support the rest of the fictional story and give the impression to viewers that there were many different mountains, and that the parties were traveling to more distant places. Otherwise, the rest of the storyline in the movie wouldn't make sense. Second — The Portland outfitter described the great lush land beyond the falls where they were headed. He was describing the Willamette Valley, which was the goal of most who rode the trail to Oregon to settle. And, about 10 miles upstream from Portland, Willamette Falls blocked river navigation upstream on the Willamette. The Willamette Valley would be an easy overland trek from Portland. But then, the movie would have had to eliminate the spectacular Columbia Gorge scenery and the squabble over gold. So, our movie group instead heads back up the Columbia River toward Celilo Falls. In real life, at 75 miles east of Portland, they would have been right back where they were when they came out, before starting their trek around Mt. Hood. But now Jimmy Stewart has the captain stop to let them off 20 miles below the falls. That would be about where Hood River is. They're going to look for a route across the mountain. That means they will cross the Barlow Trail to get to their settlement, which obviously doesn't make sense. But it is believable to think that they might have settled in the Hood River Valley. In the film, Harry Morgan drops a tree when he is loading the boat and Jeremy tells him that they are going to plant apple, pear and plum trees at the settlement. Today, Hood River is known for its pear, apple and cherry orchards. And, in 1858 the Post Office opened in Hood River. Third — The gold strikes and gold camps are the hardest part of the story to reconcile. Since they account for most of the action and drama, we know why they are there. But, in real life and times, it wasn't like the movie shows. Gold was first discovered in Oregon in 1852 at Jacksonville near the Siskiyou Mountains that border California. That's more than 200 miles south of Portland and way beyond the Willamette Valley. The second gold discovery in Oregon was in 1862 in the Blue Mountains. Again, more than 200 miles from Portland, east toward Idaho. Even if some prospectors bought provisions in Portland, they had no way to take the goods by river or boat. And they were far beyond any of the lands settled by people from the Oregon Trail. Yet the movie has the gold camp closer than the wagon settlement.Fourth — The Stewart and Kennedy characters had been raiders on the Missouri-Kansas border. That period began in 1861 and ended shortly after the Civil War ended. That would mean that the movie setting was much later – perhaps toward the end of the Oregon Trail in 1869. Fifth —In the early scenes, after Stewart has saved Kennedy from a hanging and the wagon train sets up camp, Kennedy asks Stewart how the wagon train got through the Black Hills and the Big Horn country. The Oregon Trail doesn't go near either place — it's more than 100 miles away. For the life of me, I can't imagine why they left this erroneous reference in the script.