Bend of the River. 1952. USA. Directed by Anthony Mann. Screenplay by Borden Chase, Bill Gulick. With James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Rock Hudson. US premiere. 91 min.
In this second collaboration between Anthony Mann and James Stewart (after Winchester ’73), their reinvention of the Western achieves a remarkable fusion of psychological complexity and natural grandeur. Filmed amid the wintry landscapes of Oregon’s Mount Hood region, the film transforms the familiar Western journey narrative into a penetrating study of moral character under extreme pressure. Stewart, continuing to darken and deepen his screen persona, plays Glyn McLyntock, a former Missouri border raider seeking redemption as a wagon train guide. His path crosses with Emerson Cole (Arthur Kennedy), another man with a violent past, setting up a complex mirror relationship that defies simple moral binaries.
Working from Borden Chase’s screenplay (adapted from Bill Gulick’s novel), Mann crafts a narrative that begins in the familiar territory of community-building and settlement but evolves into something far more troubling: an examination of how quickly civilized veneer can crack under pressure. Stewart’s performance as McLyntock represents a crucial development in his postwar screen persona, suggesting depths of violence and moral ambiguity that would have been unthinkable in his prewar roles.
Based on the original Technicolor separations, this new digital restoration from Universal Pictures returns a breathtaking depth and clarity to Irving Glassberg’s innovative location photography.
4K digital restoration by Universal Pictures from the 35mm three-strip original negative in collaboration with The Film Foundation, with funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. Restoration services conducted by NBCUniversal StudioPost.