4K ULTRA HD REVIEW / SDR SCREENSHOTS
James Stewart stars as marksman Lin McAdam, and Millard Mitchell plays his riding partner, Frankie ‘High Spade’ Wilson.
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“WINCHESTER ’73” – THE CRITERION COLLECTION
4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray, 1950; NOT RATED
Best extra: An archive commentary interview between actor James Stewart and narrator/film historian Paul Lindenschmidt
THIRTY-SIX years ago, was the first time I heard this fascinating commentary – a walk down memory lane – with legendary actor James Stewart (“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “It’s a Wonderful Life”) and film historian Paul Lindenschmidt. The track was a bonus on the 12-inch MCA laserdisc of Anthony Mann’s (“The Naked Spur,” “The Man from Laramie”) pivotal western, “Winchester ’73.” The black and white film was the first of eight films between Mann and Stewart, of which five were Westerns.
Stewart, 79, and Lindenschmidt are seated in a dark screening room at Universal Studios viewing “Winchester,” and their audio is included on this new Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray combo set.
“I haven’t seen ‘Winchester’ in quite some time,” Stewart says. We quickly learn “Winchester” was a Universal package deal with the comedy/drama classic “Harvey” (1950), in which Stewart revived his Broadway role of Elwood P. Dowd, whose best friend is a white, six-foot invisible rabbit. “I had gotten the upper hand since I played Harvey in New York, on the stage for a couple of summers, and ‘Winchester’ was tacked on,” Stewart says.
He also mentions being superstitious, which led him to wear the same sweat-stained hat in all his Westerns. Plus, the horse he rides, named Pie, became his onscreen horse for the next 20 years, in 17 Westerns. “It was love at first sight,” Stewart says.
(1) “Winchester ’73” opened in New York City on June 7, 1950. (2) Three boys view the special one-in-a-thousand perfect Winchester model 1873. (3) McAdam and good friend, ‘High Spade’ Wilson, ride into Dodge City, Kansas. (4) Will Greer plays the town’s famous marshal, Wyatt Earp, who escorts saloon girl Lola Manners (Shelly Winters) to a waiting stagecoach. (5) McAdam tips his hat to Ms. Manners. (6&7) Dutch Henry Brown (Stephen McNally) and his half-brother McAdam instinctively reach for their guns to settle old family business, but forgetting they gave over their six-shooters since guns are outlawed in Dodge City.
All of Hollywood had previously turned down the “Winchester” script, but German director Fritz Lang (“Metropolis,” “M”) was first attached from the Stuart N. Lake story (“My Darling Clementine,” “The Westerner”). He eventually backed out, but Mann who had just finished the big-budgeted Western-noir “The Furies,” shot near Tucson, Arizona, agreed to take over. Mann had one request, Borden Chase (“Red River”) would rewrite the lesser-known Robert L. Richard’s (“Act of Violence”) screenplay and elevate the importance of the Winchester.
The story follows Lin McAdam played by Stewart, a marksman who wins a high-powered rifle at a July 4th celebration in Dodge City. By day’s end, the Winchester is stolen by the runner-up, his shady half-brother Dutch (Stephen McNally), who killed their father. For the next 80 minutes, Stewart pursues the Winchester with a vengeance, until the climactic showdown on a cliff.
In the enclosed essay “Winchester ’73: Under the Gun,” one of Criterion’s star film historians, Imogen Sara Smith, says, “Mann is one of the greatest masters of the midcentury western… the landscapes of the West are not only territory to be conquered but also moral and psychological battlefields on which men hunt for revenge and are hunted by their pasts.”
Stewart also highly praised Mann: “You could see he had a conscious feeling that a Western had to be visual.” The majority of the production was filmed in the rugged deserts of Arizona and the Universal back lot for the Dodge City scenes. The imagery from Mann and cinematographer William H. Daniels (“The Naked City,” “The Shop Around the Corner”) is wonderfully framed, from wide shots with dozens of extras in the July 4th rifle-shootout celebration to the stark, violent finale.
The Centennial Rifle Shoot
(1) Marshal Earp shows the July 4th crowd the special Winchester, which the sharpshooters are trying to win. (2&3) Seven contestants aim at the target, including Dutch Brown. (4) McAdam and Dutch both hit three perfect bullseyes. (5&6) To up the challenge, the two brothers must shoot through a metal ring, and to confirm the shot, Earp added a stamp over the hole. (7) McAdam wins, and his name will be added to the Winchester. (8&9) Later in the day, Dutch jumps McAdam’s and steals the Winchester.
VIDEO
This Universal Studios/Film Foundation and Criterion Collection presentation on 4K (without HDR) and 1080p is the first physical disc upgrade of “Winchester ’73” in North America since its original DVD release in 2003.
The Western was released on Blu-ray in Australia and France in 2018 (sourced from an old 2K master), which was a respectable upgrade in resolution over the DVD, but still had thousands of dirt and scratch marks, and some crushed shadows.
This 4K restoration was sourced from the original 35mm nitrate camera negative (1.35:1 aspect ratio), producing a solid grayscale from highlights to mid-tones and shadows. I was surprised that HDR grading wasn’t provided, which may have produced an even better grayscale. The majority of the marks and scratches were digitally removed, and the framing is slightly cropped on the top and one side compared to the previous overseas Blu-rays. The overall bitrate averages in the low 80 Megabits per second range, encoded onto the smaller 66 GB disc.
The film grain is fine and tight, evident throughout, while the overall clarity is very detailed – except during composite fades. On the negative side, you'll notice uneven chemical development in certain scenes, causing darker spots to flash across the bright sky.
AUDIO
The original mono soundtrack has been restored, removing all pops, hiss, and noise, which keeps everything front and center.
The Winchester Changes Hands
(1) Dutch loses the Winchester in a poker game to Joe Lamont (John McIntire), an Indian trader. (2) Saloon owner Jack Riker (John Alexander) ensures Lamont keeps the rifle. (3&4) Young Bull (Rock Hudson) and his tribe end up with the Winchester.
EXTRAS
Beyond the commentary and the Smith essay, Criterion ported over a 47-minute documentary “Force of Nature: Anthony Mann at Universal,” on the enclosed Blu-ray, originally featured on the Arrow Video release of the Mann/Stewart Western “The Far Country” (1954). It highlights Mann’s early career in the late ‘40s at Eagle-Lion Films making powerful low-budget film noir (“T- Men,” “He Walked by Night”). He jumped to the major studios during the 1950s, directing 19 films; 11 were Westerns.
Criterion provides a new interview with filmmaker Adam Piron (Kiowa/Mohawk), the current director of Sundance Institute’s Indigenous Program – who discusses how Native Americans have been represented in the American cinema. First, he says, there are 570 different tribes in the U.S., but the majority of the stereotypical onscreen image during the 1930s thru ‘50s was just from one nation, the Lakota, of the northern Plains region. It was common practice that any speaking role was always given to a white actor.
In “Winchester,” a young Rock Huston plays a Lakota warrior, while Native Americans are delegated to background extras.
Lastly, you get the 50-minute Lux Radio Theatre version, as Stewart reprises his role of Lin McAdam.
(1&2) Young Bull’s warriors surround and attack U.S. 2nd Cavalry, Troop A, led by Sgt. Wilkes (Jay C. Flippen). McAdam and High Spade join Troop A to get a warm meal and become a key factor in holding off the attack. (3) Later, Sgt. Wilkes and Private Doan (Tony Curtis) discover the Winchester beside a dead warrior. (4) The sergeant gives the Winchester to Steve Miller (Charles Drake), the fiancé of Lola Manners. The couple ends up in Tascosa, Texas, and encounters outlaw Waco Johnny Dean (Dan Duryea), who desperately wants the Winchester. (5&6) A posse is in hot pursuit of Waco Johnny and his men and they try to smoke them out of the Jameson farmhouse.
OVER THE DECADES, “Winchester ‘73” continues to hold its highly praised position with Western fans and critics. Wild West Magazine published their 100 Greatest Westerns list in 2010, and ‘Winchester’ landed at No.11, right between two John Ford classics, “Red River” (1948) No. 10, and “Stagecoach” No. 12. Topping the list is “High Noon” (1952).
Last summer, IndieWire.com produced its Top 100 Western list, where “Winchester” was spotted at No. 15, between Ford’s “The Searchers” (1956) No. 16 and Sam Peckinpah’s “Ride the High Country” (1962) No. 14.
In both cases, Anthony Mann’s “Winchester ‘73” is considered one of the best, and a welcome entry to my 4K collection.
— Bill Kelley III, High-Def Watch producer
