The Fresh Films Review: The Far Country (1954)

The Far Country (1954)

Director:
Anthony Mann

COUNTRY
USA

GENRE
Western

NORWEGIAN TITLE
Hvor gullet kaller

RUNNING TIME
97 minutes

Producer:
Aaron Rosenberg

Screenwriter:
Borden Chase

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Jeff Webster	James Stewart	½
Ronda Castle	Ruth Roman
Renee Vallon	Corinne Calvet	½
Ben Tatum	Walter Brennan	½
Skagway Sheriff Gannon	John McIntire	½
Dawson Marshal Rube Morris	Jay C. Flippen
Ketchum	Harry Morgan
Madden	Robert J. Wilkie
Luke	Royal Dano
Frank Newberry	Jack Elam

Review

James Stewart tries to come off as a selfish and inconsiderate cowboy who must find the goodness in him, in this half-done gold-rush western. The film is directed with some sloppiness by Anthony Mann, but it has its moments thanks to wonderful location cinematography and a beautifully acted friendship (with homoerotic undertones) between Stewart and Walter Brennan. The film’s romantic subplots, on the other hand, never are very convincing, and the final shoot-out is a disappointment. In all honesty, Jimmy Stewart was never at his best in physical action scenes, but he is as handsome and charming as ever in this slight but kind-hearted western.