When I finally caught up with Anthony Mann's 1957 western "The Tin Star," I was surprised that it was in black-and-white. There are some great black-an-white westerns (The Gunfighter, My Darling Clementine,Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon; , the later "Lonely Are the Brave," and I'd include "The Last Picture Show"), but after "Winchester '73" in 1950, the westerns Mann directed were notable for their color photography of dramatic backdrops, and even many B-westerns were filmed in color during the 1950s.
Mann's 1950s westerns mostly starred James Stewart with an edge that was not visible in Stewart's pre-World War II performances. As Stewart did in The Naked Spur, Henry Fonda plays a bounty hunter in "The Tin Star." Both are good at what they do, but softened (or is it helped to self-reallization?) by women (Janet Leigh and Betsy Blair, respectively). Well, Fonda bitter lookin'-out-for-himself Morg Hickman is softened more by taking on the fathering role (he must have been acting if Jane Fonda's memoirs are remotely accurate!) to an earnest and idealistic young sherriff, Ben Owens (Anthony Perkins), and a "half-breed" youngster, Kip Mayfield (Michel Ray [de Carvalho], who played one of the young guides devoted to Lawrence of Arabia a few years later). Both are very sympathetic characters, respectfuly eager for mentoring. Anyone who has seen more than a few westerns knows that the quiet loner is going to be domesticated, as John Wayne was by Maureen O'Hara and others. The grizzled survivor has something to learn as well as something to teach.
Homicidal prejudice against "Injuns" and "breeds" was a recurrent element in 1950s westerns, and lynch mobs and bullies are as American as apple pie . The one central to the young sheriff's problems here is Bart Bogardus, played by Neville Brand, who looks and acts aggressive aggrivement like Tom DeLay. There is also a wise old country doctor trying to talk sense into the young 'uns. The familiar part is played by John McIntire who was outstanding in Mann's Far Country as a wily rogue of a corrupt judge. And Lee Van Cleef pops up as a murderin' varmit.
The movie is character-driven, with both plot and characters lacking originality. There are bits of "High Noon," "The Gunfighter," "The Ox-Bow Incident," and, especially "Shane" on view. (It was a surprise to learn that the very unoriginal screenplay by by Dudley Nichols, Barney Slater, and Joel Kane was nominated for a best original screenplay Oscar, unreliable as that is as an indicator of excellence! "Designing Women" got the award in preference to Fellini's "I Vitelloni").
The movie does not get off to a fast start, but is easy for fans os westerns to settle back, trust in Mann and Fonda, and relax into watching. The performances are uniformly excellent. I think that it is the best non-neurotic role/performance of Anthony Perkins (who was so good in "Psycho" a few years later that he never really recovered as a romantic leading man). Fonda and Perkins both act more through their eyes than their mouths. During and after the final confrontation, Fonda and Perkins do not have to say anything to each other. (For movie acting not dependent on lines of dialogue, also see Gary Cooper in Mann's Man of the West doing this in contrast there to the histrionic Lee J. Cobb.)
There is a not-very-subtle soundtrack by Elmer Bernstein, still a few years away from "The Magnificent Seven" and "To Kill a Mockingbird." At least there is not one of those corny ballads that marred so many 1950s westerns!
The DVD is devoid of extras: not even a trailer. Both the original visual compositions and the DVD transfer are fine (the former I credit more to Mann than to Paramount's resident cinematographer Loyal Griggs, as I credit the look of "Shane" to George Stevens more than to Griggs).
Recommended:
Yes
Viewing Format: DVD Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older
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