Review of Bend Of The River

Introduction

Glyn McLyntock is a man with a past that he wants to escape. To that effect he`s escorting a group of settlers from Missouri to Oregon to find pastures new, and maybe settle down himself. On the trail, he comes across a hanging in process, and immediately steps in to save the hapless victim. Emerson Cole, the man on the end of the rope is understandably grateful, and tags along with the settlers. Both he and Glyn also manage to save the settlers when Indians attack them, although Laura Baile, daughter of the settlers` leader, Jeremy is hit by an arrow. Reaching Portland, the settlers book passage on a paddle steamer to take them to their paradisiacal valley. They also arrange for essential supplies to be delivered before the harsh winter sets in. Businessman Tom Hendricks assures them that the supplies will be delivered, and also offers to put up Laura while her shoulder heals. Cole also stays behind as Glyn and the rest of the settlers journey on to establish their settlement.

By October though, the supplies haven`t arrived, neither has Laura, so Glyn and Jeremy head back to Portland to find out what has happened. What has happened is that the Gold Rush has hit town, the supplies that Jeremy Baile had paid for are now worth ten times the price, and Hendricks is no longer selling to settlers. Laura is working in the assay office weighing gold, and Cole has returned to earn money with his gun hand. When Glyn takes matters into his own hands and takes the supplies by force, Cole helps him, and together they round up enough men to take everything to the settlement. But with Hendricks and his men pursuing, and mining settlements willing to pay thousands of dollars for the supplies, not everyone can be trusted, and Glyn McLyntock`s past will soon catch up with him.

Video

The picture is presented on a single layer disc in the original 4:3 ratio. The transfer by and large is fine, with only a minor aliasing issue on really sharp edges, hats and mountain ridges mostly. It`s certainly not enough to affect your enjoyment of this film. The original print though, shows more than a few signs of age. Grain is persistent; there is print damage, and one or two moments of softness or blurring. Also noticeable is some colour bleed, especially of greens, but with a film over fifty years old it really isn`t surprising.

The film itself is an advertisement for the great outdoors. The landscapes are truly spectacular, with some gorgeous mountains, clear flowing rivers and virgin forests to ease the eye.

Audio

There is only the DD 2.0 English track on this disc, and the dialogue is clear throughout. The generic Western themes also are perfectly suited to the film. The only subtitles for the film are in English.

Features

What features?

Conclusion

Bend Of The River is a perfectly competent Western rooted in the era that it was made. The story is exciting, the characters interesting and the performances are entertaining. It`s a simple tale of whether a man deserves redemption, and we are given two characters with similar backgrounds. Glyn McLyntock played by James Stewart and Emerson Cole as portrayed by Arthur Kennedy. One man chooses a future for himself, and one chooses to embrace his nefarious past. No guesses for which one is which. The old Hollywood Western was about simple messages, simply told and the one here is about the corruption of avarice versus the purity of nature.

This film was made around that period that James Stewart started exploiting that dark side to his characters, and that is certainly evident here. McLyntock is introduced with a man with a past to be sure, but Stewart plays him as affable and friendly from the off, with even the violent dispatch of a group of Indians merely hinting at the history that the character possesses. It`s one moment in the final act, as they are fighting over supplies and he stands poised to stab a man in the chest that we see the brutal savagery lurking in the man. It`s still a chilling moment after all this time, expertly captured by director Anthony Mann. Arthur Kennedy is a capable villain, initially amiable but gradually allowing the cruelty to seep out. A young Rock Hudson makes an appearance as a charming young gambler who helps the settlers. There`s also another recognisable face in Harry Morgan who plays a backstabbing labourer.

Bend Of The River is little more than an average story though, were it not for James Stewart who is eminently charismatic, and some great dialogue like all the old Westerns used to have, once upon a time.