THE
FAR COUNTRY (1954)
Starring
James Stewart, Ruth Roman, Corinne Calvet, Walter Brennan, John
McIntire, Jay C. Flippen, Harry Morgan, Jack Elam, Robert J. Wilke,
Kathleen Freeman. Directed by Anthony Mann. (97 min)
ON
BLU-RAY FROM ARROW ACADEMY
Review
by Mr. Pawsđ¸
Because
of his iconic roles – aided in no small part by his real-life
persona – we tend to forget James Stewart was equally adept at
playing morally ambiguous characters, even anti-heroes. While
Hitchcock exploited that better than anybody, director Anthony Mann
was also pretty skilled at tapping into Stewart’s dark side.
Mann
and Stewart collaborated on four westerns together, the best being
their first, Winchester ‘73. However, Stewart’s character
in The Far Country is arguably more interesting. As Jeff
Webster, he’s not motivated by revenge or an inherent sense of
righteousness. For much of the story, in fact, he’s merely a
self-serving opportunist with a past we’re only partially privy to.
In some ways, the character could be seen as one of the precursors to
the Man with No Name.
In
the film, Webster and partner Ben Tatum (Walter Brennan) head to
Alaska with a herd of cattle, which they plan to sell in order to buy
a gold claim. He runs afoul of corrupt judge Gannon (John McIntire),
who runs the town of Skagway and uses his authority to take Webster’s
cattle. Local saloon owner Ronda Castle (Ruth Roman) offers Webster a
job leading her to Dawson, a booming-but-lawless gold town where she plans to
establish another business. Webster accepts, stealing his cattle back
from Gannon along the way.
 |
| "I'm about to make it a wonderful life, mister." |
Though
Webster and Ronda share a mutual attraction, not everyone in Dawson
is happy at her arrival, especially when she outbids the locals for
his cattle, putting their businesses in jeopardy. Things grow worse
when Gannon and his men arrive to try and take over, just like he did
in Skagway. Webster resists getting involved, but Gannon is
practically daring him to.
Stewart
is solid, as usual. While outwardly congenial, even laid-back, he
also makes it clear Webster is not a man to be crossed. Viewers
weened on Stewart’s Frank Capra films might even find his
performance somewhat revelatory. Roman is also enjoyable as the
strong-willed, fiercely independent Ruth. Her flirty,
semi-antagonistic banter with Stewart is highly enjoyable. Walter
Brennan is...well, Walter Brennan. But the film’s MVP might just be
John McIntire, whose smug performance makes Gannon a wonderfully
hateful villain.
Director
Anthony Mann keeps the story simple and fast-paced while making great
use of his Canadian locations (though some of the sets are obviously
soundstages). The Far Country may not rank among Stewart’s
greatest films, but as pure popcorn entertainment, it’s certainly
one of Mann’s. New to Blu-ray, it’s been given a nice restoration
by Arrow Academy, offering the film in two different aspect
ratios and including a great batch of all new bonus features
(outlined below). As classic westerns go, you can’t go wrong with
this one.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
"AMERICAN
FRONTIERS: ANTHONY MANN AT UNIVERSAL” - An informative 30
minutes documentary in which various historians & writers discuss
Mann & Stewart’s collaborations, including those which were not
westerns.
"MANN
OF THE WEST” - A frequent contributor to Arrow Academy bonus
features, critic Kim Newman offers his insights on Mann’s westerns.
AUDIO
COMMENTARY – By Adrian Martin.
ALTERNATE
ASPECT RATIO (2.00.1) VERSION – On Disc 2
SUPPLEMENTAL
BOOKLET – Includes cast/crew & restoration credits,
contemporary reviews and an essay, “The Far Country: Western
as Legend,” by Phillip Kent.
TRAILER
3
IMAGE GALLERIES – production
stills, conceptual art and promotional material.
REVERSIBLE
COVER – Featuring new and original artwork (we prefer the
original).
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS.
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