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DVD The Tin Star
Anthony Mann made some of the greatest Westerns of the 1950s, all in partnership with James Stewart. Perhaps needing to prove himself as his own man, in 1957 Mann dropped out of Night Passage to do this film. It's a rather schematic character study about a lawman-turned-bounty-hunter (Henry Fonda) who undertakes the professional shaping-up of an effete young sheriff (Anthony Perkins) too tentative to police the streets of his town. Those streets are compositionally present right outside the oversize window of the office where Perkins undergoes a lot of his soul-searching and arguments with Fonda. That's typical of the film--scrupulously designed, yet abstract to the point of dramatic aridity. The VistaVision black-and-white of cameraman Loyal Griggs (Oscar®-winner for Shane) is at once stark and glossy. Fonda's own reclamation as a social being is accomplished by way of a not-very-interesting subplot involving Betsy Palmer and a half-breed child played by Michel Ray. --Richard T. Jameson
Although John Ford is the most celebrated director of Westerns in cinema history, Anthony Mann comes very close to being his coequal. Although Mann directed no single film as superb as either STAGECOACH or THE SEARCHERS, the string of outstanding Westerns he made in the fifties, most notably with Jimmy Stewart, surpass the work of any director not named Ford. THE TIN STAR is far from his best film from this period, but the fact that he made six or seven that were better shows how completely he mastered the genre.
The main Anthony Mann actor was, of course, Jimmy Stewart, but in THE TIN STAR Mann turned to Stewart's best friend Henry Fonda to play an experienced bounty hunter. When he brings the corpse of a fugitive he was forced to kill to a town sheriff in order to collect the reward money, he finds himself pulled into the affairs of the town. He befriends first the small boy of a local widow, then the widow, and eventually the town sheriff, played by Anthony Perkins a few years before PSYCHO. The relationship between Fonda, the ex-sheriff and veteran bounty hunter, and the idealistic and determined but inexperienced Perkins is very much a mentoring one, with the former gradually imparting the lessons necessary to succeed in his vocation. It is a very circumscribed story and as a whole less ambitious than Mann's other films.
The film is filled with a number of talented character actors, including WW II war hero Neville Brand, who was one of the great heavies of the era. John McIntire, who specialized in underhanded and shifty town leaders in his long career, here plays a 75-year-old kindly town doctor (McIntire was in his forties at the time). Lee Van Cleef shows up as one of the bad guys of the film.
I found this as a whole to be a step below Mann's usual Westerns in part because of the lack of depth with which the psychological aspects of the story are dealt. We understand that Fonda's character has withdrawn from life because of personal disappointment, but it isn't made clear why he is able to reestablish connections in this one. In other Mann Westerns, much or most of the delight is watching the central character struggle with an inner transformation. Jimmy Stewart in THE NAKED SPUR goes through emotional and psychological chances that we can watch on the screen. The difference might lie in the two actors. For all his talent, Fonda tended to present a poker face, while Stewart could register all sorts of inner turmoil on his face. I am not arguing that Stewart is a better actor than Fonda, but that his particular strengths might have been better suited to this kind of role than Fonda's.
Nonetheless, this is a first rate Western that any fan of the genre or of Fonda or of Anthony Mann should definitely catch.
A novice sheriff learns on the job
Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins star in "The Tin Star", a top flight and thought provoking western that evoked compassion, fear and sensitvity.
Fonda is his typically effective fashion played Morgan Hickman, a mature and confident bounty hunter who entered an unwelcome town to collect the reward on an outlaw he had killed and brought in. Literally run out of town, Fonda gets befriended by a young half breed boy Kip, whose mom Nona played by Betsy Palmer, offers him food and shelter.
The town had recently elected young and inexperienced Ben Owens played by Anthony Perkins, as its sheriff. The job was more than he could handle. Swallowing his pride Perkins sought out the advice of Fonda who had served for many years as a sheriff. Fonda began to mentor Perkins teaching him the finer points of law enforcement and dealing with people and in the process rediscovers his purpose in life.
Fonda's lessons were well learned as the town exploded when kindly and aged Doc McCord was shot and killed by the renegade McGaffey brothers inciting a riotous and uncontrolled posse. Fonda cames to Perkins rescue in capturing the brothers and preventing them from being lynched, trying to insure a fair trial.
Neville Brand was perfectly cast as prejudiced town rabble rouser and loudmouth Bart Bogardus, who had eyes on Perkins job and was a prickly thorn in his side.
Director Anthony Mann deftly created a plot that seemed more realistic than the usual mindless heroic westerns we've become accustomed to. He accomplished this by imbuing his characters with emotion and sensitivity and putting them in situations where conflict allowed these feelings to flow. Henry Fonda again proves how positively natural his screen performances tend to be.
"You're more temporary then you think."
It's surprising to me to see The Tin Star (1957), directed by Anthony Mann, released on DVD before some of his other, better westerns like The Naked Spur (1953), The Man from Laramie (1955), or Man of the West (1958) but then I know not of all the ins and outs of the processes that go into getting films released on DVDs. I do know studios often set schedules well in advance, dealing with all kinds of legal rigmarole, securing rights or what have you and all that...but I digress...directed by Anthony Mann, the film stars Henry Fonda (Mister Roberts, 12 Angry Men) and Anthony Perkins (Psycho). Also appearing is Betsy Palmer (horror fans may know her as Mrs. Vorhess from the Friday the 13th series), Neville Brand (D.O.A., Stalag 17), John McIntire (The Asphalt Jungle, Winchester '73), and Lee Van Cleef (The Quiet Gun, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral).
Fonda plays ex-lawman/bounty hunter Morgan `Morg' Hickman. As the film begins, we see Morg riding into town with another fellow who seems to have gone the way of the Dodo...that being extinct...seems the recently deceased was a wanted man, and is now being brought into town for the bounty. The town is less than hospitable towards Morg's type, offering none of the pleasantries one would normally afford to a visitor, but that matters little, as Morg's just interested in getting paid. He does make friends with a local outcast named Nona (Palmer) and her half-breed son, and they allow Morg to stay until authorization for his payment comes through. Soon after Morg's arrival, the local sheriff, named Ben Owens (Perkins) request help in the form of advice on, well, how to be a sheriff. You see, Ben, a complete greenhorn if you ever saw one, is substituting after the death (by lead poisoning, if you get my drift) of the last sheriff, who also happened to be Ben's girlfriends father...which brings up a whole subplot about how she won't marry Ben until he gives up being sheriff, but Ben is young and idealistic, and refuses to turn his back on his accepted responsibility, despite the complete lack of support from the town elders (they are truly a bunch of jackholes, scurrying at the first sign of trouble). Ben needs sheriffin' lessons bad, as not only does he have to deal with the towns hotheaded, racist a-hole instigator Bogardus (Brand), but the trouble soon to follow. Morg's recommendation to Ben is to quit, but seeing that's not going to happen he does agree to give Ben a few pointers, but will it be enough to keep the young, inexperienced lawman alive (given the formulaic nature of the story, I would guess yes, but you'll just have to watch and see)?
While I did enjoy this film, the weakest part for me was the conventional and often predictable nature of the story, which was actually nominated for an Oscar. How many clichés can one fit into a film? The disillusioned ex-lawman, the young, inexperienced, surely to be killed sheriff and his girlfriend who won't marry him because she thinks his profession too dangerous, the crotchety country doctor, the town bully threatening the new sheriff for control, the widowed woman raising her son, ostracized by the community because of his lineage, etc. That being said, the strengths lie in the strong performances of the main actors and the extremely capable direction of Mann. You can't help but like Fonda's character of the disillusioned ex-lawman, telling the younger Perkins to forgo the life he's chosen, but willing to assist as he sees in Ben what he once was, an idealist in a harsh and unforgiving reality (or, to put it another way, young, dumb, and full of...well, you know), fostering a psuedo father/son relationship. Despite his lack of confidence in the young man, he offers his limited assistance willingly, as deep down he feels a kinship with the character, a spark of innocence he thought long extinguished within himself. Have you ever seen a bad Henry Fonda performance? He's just fun to watch, and always makes it look easy. Perkins plays his role very well, not going overboard, but staying in the boundaries of a realistic character. The other actors provide strong support, despite the stereotypical characters. I think my favorite part was when Fonda's character was giving the young sheriff tips on shooting, and just the study of a situation in general, especially aspects dealing with confronting criminals. This is also a common element in a number of westerns, but Fonda pulls it off so well, setting the cliché, rather than following it. Also, there's a decent and capable musical score by the legendary composer Elmer Bernstein (not his best, but then again a good effort by Bernstein is still better than most). I thought the racial theme, with regards to the scene where Betsy Palmer's character reveals her sons heritage to Fonda's character, a little heavy handed, and perhaps a more subtle approach would have worked better, but either way, the point is made. I found the slightly misogynistic undertones funny, but not unrealistic, especially in the scene where the town doctor (McIntire) is trying to convince Ben's girlfriend her duty is to get married, keep quiet, and start making with the babies. And that brings me to the ending...break out the pancakes because there's no shortage of maple syrupy sappiness here...I don't have a problem with happy endings, but to see everything tied up so neatly seemed like the easy out...or maybe I'm too cynical for my own good...if only things in real life worked out so well.
The wide screen anamorphic print on this DVD is very sharp and clear, and the audio excellent in restored mono, Dolby Digital 5.1, and Dolby Surround. There are English subtitles, but nothing else in the way of special features. All in all, a very solid, often predictable westerner that takes very few chances, but does entertain, worthy of 3 ½ stars.
Kirk Douglas plays Marshal Matt Morgan (what a great name for a sheriff!), who's looking for the man that raped and killed his Indian wife. His search leads him to the town of Gun Hill, which is run by Morgan's old friend Craig Belden, played by Anthony Quinn. Earl Holliman (pre-Police Story) plays Belden's son, the spoiled rich kid who did the deed. Morgan isn't just facing the son; he's got to deal with the whole town as well as his old friend. Kirk is in top form as the tough as nails, nonsense marshal who sets out to get his man no matter the odds. Director John Sturges made a series of highly competent and enjoyable Westerns during the fifties and sixties: "Escape from Fort Bravo," "The Law and Jake Wade," "Gunfight at the OK Corral," and "The Magnificent Seven." This one is no... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Kirk Douglas - Anthony Quinn Director(s): John Sturges DVD Release Date: Released the 09 November 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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"Warlock" is a great classic western with an amazing cast. I am sad to see Dolores Michaels not get billing on the DVD, as she did on the original moive posters. While she retired early from acting, she not only was beautiful, but a very solid actress. More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Richard Widmark - Henry Fonda Director(s): Edward Dmytryk DVD Release Date: Released the 24 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Only John Ford excelled Anthony Mann as a purveyor of eye-filling Western imagery, and Mann's best films are second to no one's when it comes to the fusion of dynamic action, rugged landscapes, and fierce psychological intensity. The Man from Laramie is the last of five remarkable Westerns the director made with James Stewart (starting with Winchester '73 and peaking with The Naked Spur). This collaboration marked virtually a whole new career for Stewart, whose characters are all haunted by the past and driven by obsession--here, to find whoever set his cavalry-officer brother in the path of warlike Indians.
The Man from Laramie aspires to an epic grandeur beyond its predecessors. It's the only one in CinemaScope, and Stewart's personal quest ... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): James Stewart - Arthur Kennedy Director(s): Anthony Mann DVD Release Date: Released the 08 February 2000 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Good western scripts are rare. This one is excellent. The acting is very good. Robert Preston delivers his usual complex baddy performance to excellent effect. The character of "Whispering Smith" is tailormade for Alan Ladd. There is great support from all other members of the cast - which means very good direction. The only disappointment is the ending which is something of a let-down. More Info about this DVD Director(s): Leslie Fenton DVD Release Date: Released the 01 June 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The formula of 'bad guy turned good' works quite well. In spite of the charisma of Randolph Scott and Robert Young, I think that Dean Jagger is the leading light in this whilst, Virginia Gilmore adds the female charm. I liked it but then I am a western lover!!! More Info about this DVD Director(s): Ray Enright DVD Release Date: Released the 01 June 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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