Anthony Mann doesn't get enough credit. Mann directed a number of terrific movies in a career than spanned more than 40 years, but he never won an Oscar. If you're not familiar with Mann, you can start off with a few tough, uncompromising, almost-forgotten film noirs made in the 1940s. Three of the better ones are "T-Men" (1947), "Raw Deal" (1948) and "Border Incident" (1949). All three, by the way, were shot by John Alton (notable for his masterful command of chiaroscuro, a dramatic style of black and white photography which literally combines two Italian words: "clear" and "dark").
In the 50s, however, Mann turned his attention to the Western. The Far Country (1955) stars James Stewart and is somewhat typical of this period. Mann, along with Stewart, deserve a lot of credit for introducing a noir sensibility into the Western genre. Prior to this period, Stewart was the quintessential, all-American good guy. Mann knew this and knew he could effectively play off Stewart's likeable persona for greater impact. Here Stewart plays a conflicted, less-than-noble character.
The plot of The Far Country concerns a treacherous cattle drive to Canada. Stewart plays Jeff, a self-satisfied loner who isn't into helping people. He doesn't seem to be much into women, either, as the two female leads (Ruth Roman as Ronda Castle and Corinne Calvet as Renee) throw themselves at him with little success. It's interesting to note that the two women are different types: Castle is, like Stewart, a rugged individualist, strong-willed ("Never sell that short," Jeff says) and not above stepping on some toes to get what she wants.
Renee (whom Jeff likes to call "freckle face") is the opposite: a younger, sweeter, more caring individual ("You've got to help people when they help need," she lectures Jeff). She sings at the local saloon and is saving her money to send her father—a doctor who wants to be a stomach specialist—to Vienna.
This is a minor plot point, but it's a nice one—a unique one—and adds a layer to her characterization. I really appreciate this kind of small detail and The Far Country is smartly written by Borden Chase (who also gave us "Red River" and "Winchester '73"). [Borden Chase, by the way, is writer Frank Fowler—-the pen name a combination of Borden Milk and Chase/Manhattan Bank.]
The two female leads in The Far Country can be seen as opposing forces within Jeff's own psyche. And it's really interesting when you look at it in that way. By movie's end this internal conflict will be resolved and is faithfully played out with respect to the women as well.
The ostensible plot, however, concerns a battle between Jeff and a Mr. Gannon (well played by character actor John McIntire). Gannon is the self-imposed law in the town of Skagway, Alaska. Early on Jeff drives his cattle into Gannon's town and makes the mistake of busting up a hanging set in the middle of the street. The cattle literally run through the town, smashing up Gannon's gallows.
Gannon uses this as an excuse to rob Jeff of his cattle ("A plain case of disturbing the peace") even though Jeff apologizes and admits things got a little out of hand. There's some terrific dialogue between Jeff and Gannon in a saloon that doubles as a courthouse: "Was you thinking of using that?" Gannon asks, as Jeff—-disappointed with the verdict—-goes for his gun. To which Stewart replies, "No...I was just showing your deputy where to find it."
With not much going on in Skagway, Jeff heads towards gold-rich Dawson—-in the Canadian territory and out of Gannon's jurisdiction—-with his sidekick Ben (Walter Brennan, in a typical supporting role), having been hired by Miss Castle to take her supplies. She's not too happy, however, when Jeff uses this opportunity to steal back his cattle ("I reversed your decision," he later tells Gannon).
There's some nice photography in this transition section of the film. I like how we get a sense of the land, with its ice-covered mountains and wind-swept canyons, even though Mann uses lots of matte shots throughout.
Initially, Mr. Gannon's plan was to wait for Stewart to come back through Skagway, but eventually he makes his way into Dawson as well. At this point it's only a matter of time before the two have a showdown.
What I like about The Far Country is how the usual good guy/bad guy roles are somewhat reversed. Gannon is actually sort of charming and almost likeable. And...well, the town never much cared for Jeff anyway—-as he turns down every request they make for help.
There's a terrific scene that illustrates this uncaring attitude of Stewart. Both him and Ben are in town to pick up some coffee. Gannon has been robbing local miners of their claims and Jeff just watches as one is goaded into being shot. His only comment: "And I want that coffee ground." Ouch.
The Far Country is a terrific movie (my only complaint: Ruth Roman comes off as a little weak). It's a solid, exciting, well-paced Western with thoughtful, dark, and ambiguous characterizations. Yet another fine example of Anthony Mann's talent.
James Stewart and Walter Brennan are a loner and his sidekick who figure to get rich quick by selling a herd of cattle at a fancy price in this tale s...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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