Reply to Topic
I think there's much more to Anthony Mann Than people in general like to think. His use of the Genre (Western) to surround his characters in a story were not everything is so straight to the point. Were characters have room to manuver & convey unseen motivations or schemes of there charactists through subtle bits of dialogue and certain acts. Mann is able to create a super controlled envoirment around his characters with details, cloths, dirt etc etc etc.....
Another theme that I think runs deep in his westerns are "THE CHANGING" of "HUMAN BEINGS" or more importantly to him "MAN". This Changing is a reaccuring theme in all his westerns. And doesn't mean that this changed nessacarly has to be for the better for example Wincester '73 the gun by the name of the title shows what man will do to have something. As the gun get passed along for one person to the next and Stewart's persuit of the magical weapon. Or in Bend of the River it is made most clear as it is said in the dialogue a few times that the Dad doesn't beileve a man (person) can change. And the fact that Stewart's character was once a former "raider on the Missouri-Kansas border" now is helping settlers cross the border and helping them get supples. Arthur Kennedy the other person in question in the story has an uncertain past like Stewart. Far Country has Stewart as a man only looking out for himself and one friend and how over the course of the film his perspective changes.
His teaming with Stewart is defaintly one of my favorites. And his eye for the camera is awesome. It seem thou people don't really think of him as much more than the guy who did those westerns with Stewart who had a great eye for shots and made a few big epics in his later career. Which is for me a big mis-conception. His biography of The Glenn Miller Story is a terrific look at a man and his career through the years of hardship and struggle to massive popularity and fame. Shot intresting by William Daniels who uses colors to set moods, this film reminded me of Scorsese's New York, New York. 1953 Thunder Bay is criminally underrated again starring Stewart and shot by William Daniels. This time about a drill company that gets problems from the local fisherman. Man of the West is a intresting and of course another underrated film. Gary Cooper's character has a dark pass that he just wants to forget about. when the oppertunity arouses itself to justify that uglyness in his life that once exsisted he is slow to jump on the chance when give no way out of the position and being pushed around for almost the entire film this big release of angry is delt out to those who have tired to decided for him how to live.
The Naked Spur has been getting some real love these days and I can see why, simply it's a great film. Once more "THE CHANGE" theme is here and probably at his most down right painfulness not until the end does it come into clear sight as to the character wants, needs, plans, pains, hardships & triumpts. The Man from Laramie is very dark nothing is ever clear as to what every character intrests are. Nothing is straight foward everything seems to move through the cracks so to speak. Where each person carries a hidden agenda and mysterous passed. Charles Lang cinematography is unqic, beautiful and grand.
Another theme that I think runs deep in his westerns are "THE CHANGING" of "HUMAN BEINGS" or more importantly to him "MAN". This Changing is a reaccuring theme in all his westerns. And doesn't mean that this changed nessacarly has to be for the better for example Wincester '73 the gun by the name of the title shows what man will do to have something. As the gun get passed along for one person to the next and Stewart's persuit of the magical weapon. Or in Bend of the River it is made most clear as it is said in the dialogue a few times that the Dad doesn't beileve a man (person) can change. And the fact that Stewart's character was once a former "raider on the Missouri-Kansas border" now is helping settlers cross the border and helping them get supples. Arthur Kennedy the other person in question in the story has an uncertain past like Stewart. Far Country has Stewart as a man only looking out for himself and one friend and how over the course of the film his perspective changes.
His teaming with Stewart is defaintly one of my favorites. And his eye for the camera is awesome. It seem thou people don't really think of him as much more than the guy who did those westerns with Stewart who had a great eye for shots and made a few big epics in his later career. Which is for me a big mis-conception. His biography of The Glenn Miller Story is a terrific look at a man and his career through the years of hardship and struggle to massive popularity and fame. Shot intresting by William Daniels who uses colors to set moods, this film reminded me of Scorsese's New York, New York. 1953 Thunder Bay is criminally underrated again starring Stewart and shot by William Daniels. This time about a drill company that gets problems from the local fisherman. Man of the West is a intresting and of course another underrated film. Gary Cooper's character has a dark pass that he just wants to forget about. when the oppertunity arouses itself to justify that uglyness in his life that once exsisted he is slow to jump on the chance when give no way out of the position and being pushed around for almost the entire film this big release of angry is delt out to those who have tired to decided for him how to live.
The Naked Spur has been getting some real love these days and I can see why, simply it's a great film. Once more "THE CHANGE" theme is here and probably at his most down right painfulness not until the end does it come into clear sight as to the character wants, needs, plans, pains, hardships & triumpts. The Man from Laramie is very dark nothing is ever clear as to what every character intrests are. Nothing is straight foward everything seems to move through the cracks so to speak. Where each person carries a hidden agenda and mysterous passed. Charles Lang cinematography is unqic, beautiful and grand.
