Winchester '73

Winchester '73 (1950) starring James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Stephen McNally. Directed by Anthony Mann. Classic Western in which Stewart plays Lin McAdam, a man who is searching for the man (McNally) who killed his father. He rides into Dodge City and enters a shooting contest, in which he wins a prize rifle called a Winchester '73. The priceless gun is soon stolen from him, and his search now becomes two-fold: find the gun and the man who stole it. In 1950, Westerns were on the wane, and this movie is credited with giving the genre a big boost, giving rise to the many great Westerns that were made in the '50s. Winters supplies Stewart's love interest, and it's interesting to see her in an early movie, before she lost her looks. This movie is beautifully photographed and directed, and the acting is fine. (English subtitles are available, but not closed captions.) Grade: A-