There is much to be loved in the classic Hollywood western.
The heroic cowboy, the wide open plains, the cattle drives, the shootouts, all
coalesced to create one of the most loved genres of one time. Sad to say those
movies are rare these days and that’s sad. They deserve to come around again.
At least we can enjoy the best of the best on disc. THE FAR COUNTRY is one of
those films.
Near the turn of the century cowpoke Jeff Webster (James
Stewart) is heading a herd of steer to the far north country near the Canadian
border in hopes of getting top dollar for the beef. A gold rush is going on and
the need is great. He pulls in to Seattle and meets his partner Ben Tatum
(Walter Brennan) at the docks before paying off his two cowhands. It seems he
shot the other two on the way when they tried to leave. With the cows loaded
aboard a steamship they start to head out when the law shows up, the two
cowhands with them accusing Jeff of Murder. He evades capture with the help of
the lovely Ronda Castle (Ruth Roman).
The ship arrives in Skagway, the cattle are unloaded and
they race through town interrupting a hanging taking place. Judge Gannon (John
McIntyre) takes offense to the interruption and has Jeff arrested. Gannon is
less a real judge and more of a businessman taking advantage of the situation.
Not only is he the judge he runs most of Skagway. When Jeff appears before him
in court, the local barroom he owns, he finds him not guilty of murder but
fines him the entire herd in return for interrupting the hanging. Jeff and Ben
have made friends in town, including young Renee Vallon and her father who talk
them into avoiding trouble with Gannon.
In need of work and enough money to buy supplies to head to
gold country, Jeff and Ben hire on with Ronda who plans on opening a new saloon
in Dawson, the mining town. Hired to be trail boss the first night Jeff, Ben
and their partner Rube (Jay C. Flippin) sneak back and steal back the herd.
Crossing the Canadian border Gannon and his men can’t follow.
Arriving at Dawson Jeff sells the herd to Ronda much to the
chagrin of local restaurant owner Hominy. When one miner decides he’s done he
sells his claim to Jeff and Ben and they take it over. Having joined them
during the herd escapade Renee has taken up work at Hominy’s. She constantly
reminds Jeff that people need to rely on one another but Jeff ignores her,
intent on steering clear of anyone but Ben.
It isn’t long before Gannon makes his way to Dawson as well,
intent on taking over the town the same way he did Skagway. With a hired gun at
his side he begins stealing the miner’s claims. Rube, hired as the sheriff when
the group began talking about making this an actual town can’t face off against
the gun and turns away while Jeff watches and does nothing. Deciding the time
is right to leave Jeff tells Ben to tell no one and they’ll head home. But word
got out, Ben is killed and Jeff left for dead. Now revenge is on his mind as he
heals.
A classic western tale of being done wrong and seeking
revenge this movie plays out against a more mountainous domain than the usual
desert west. But the story still rings true and the performances only add to
the tale that covers it all. Stewart was the consummate actor, bringing to life
the characters that he played and never once seeming to be acting. The roles he
chose always made it seem like the person was him. Brennan was a sidekick in
films before and after and his performances always shone as well for the same
reason, they felt genuine. In addition to their performances the rest of the
cast comes off well too with some of the biggest names of the genre. Directed
by Anthony Mann it was one of several films he and Stewart made together before
a falling out. All of them were successful and all are still considered
classics.
I know I don’t have to say it but I will, Arrow Video has
done yet another amazing job of bringing this film back to life starting with a
brand new 4K restoration from the original film elements. This means you get a
gorgeous version of the film to watch. Not only that a second disc offers a
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the film in the alternate
original aspect ratio of 2.00:1. But oh no, they don’t stop there.
There are plenty of extras to enjoy here as well. And while
I often ignore the extras that is never the case with Arrow releases. Included
here are a limited edition booklet with new writing on the film by Philip Kemp
and original reviews, a reversible sleeve with newly commissioned artwork by
Graham Humphreys, a new audio commentary track by film scholar Adrian Martin,
AMERICAN FRONTIERS: ANTHONY MANN AT UNIVERSAL a new feature length documentary,
MANN OF THE WEST a new filmed appraisal of THE FAR COUNTRY and the westerns of
Mann by critic Kim Newman, an image gallery and the original trailer.
If you love westerns then this one must find its way into
your collection. Don’t let it disappear, order a copy today.
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