The Warner Archive Collection once again warms the hearts of film buffs with a much-needed home video upgrading of one of the greatest Westerns ever made. THE NAKED SPUR (1953) isn't just my favorite James Stewart/Anthony Mann collaboration, it's one of my favorite American Westerns period.
In 1868, a down-on-his-luck Civil War veteran named Howard Kemp (James Stewart) turns to bounty hunting to make some money. Kemp's quarry is a cunning bandit named Ben (Robert Ryan). Howard and Ben knew each other slightly before the war, in Kansas. After tracking Ben for hundreds of miles, Kemp uses the help of a grizzled prospector (Millard Mitchell) and a dishonorably discharged Army officer (Ralph Meeker) in capturing the wanted man and the young girl accompanying him (Janet Leigh). But Howard's trials are only beginning. The devious Ben uses the reward on his head, and the girl, to sow mistrust among the motley group.
THE NAKED SPUR is a lean, hard Western that runs a taut 92 minutes. The script (by Sam Rolfe and Harold Jack Bloom) doesn't have an ounce of fat on it. The entire film only has five characters (except for one sequence with a group of Native Americans). Director Anthony Mann uses the spectacular outdoor locations to set up a tough realistic attitude (James Stewart gets a major physical workout here).
James Stewart is impressive as always in showing how the edgy Howard has been almost driven to the brink of madness by what has happened to him and what he has become. The most memorable performance by far though is that of Robert Ryan as the duplicitous Ben. Despite spending most of the movie with his hands tied and sitting uncomfortably on a mule, Ryan leaves no doubt that Ben has the mental edge on all the other characters. Ryan is fantastic here, and he should have gotten the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award.
The picture quality of THE NAKED SPUR has always looked mediocre either on DVD or when it was shown on TV. The image was pale and soft, and the colors seemed to bleed into each other. This Blu-ray from Warner Archive is a massive improvement. There's increased sharpness and depth to the scenes, the colors are rich and vibrant, and even the sound is bigger and bolder (the gunshots in particular really pop). If you want a comparison on how much better the film looks, just watch the original trailer provided on this Blu-ray.
Unfortunately that trailer is one of the few extras the disc has. The others are a Pete Smith short subject and a MGM cartoon. A movie the quality of THE NAKED SPUR deserves a brand new audio commentary at least.
The lack of pertinent extras shouldn't deter anyone from getting this Blu-ray. THE NAKED SPUR is one of the finest examples of the classic American Western, and it has James Stewart and Anthony Mann at the top of their game. Thanks to Warner Archive, THE NAKED SPUR looks and sounds better than ever.
It is extremely interesting!
ReplyDeleteRecently I watched another Stewart/Mann western, The Man From Laramie, a terrific film. The only other one from these two that I've seen is Winchester 73, another good one. I would definitely like to see more of their collaborations. I started writing a commentary on The Man From Laramie a few weeks ago, but got sidetracked about halfway through. Hopefully I'll get it posted one of these days.
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