Johnny Guitar (1954)

Intro.

I've been looking for Westerns with women in strong leading roles, so when I read the summary of Johnny Guitar, I knew it was a film I had to see.  The write-up called it a "cult classic" of director Nicolas Ray, and starred Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge as feuding businesswomen in the old West.  With supporting actors like Ward Bond, Ernest Borgnine and John Carradine, I was sure it would be a real treat.

Overview

Johnny Guitar (Sterling Hayden) has been hired by saloon-keeper Vienna (Joan Crawford) to come out to her establishment in the middle of nowhere Arizona.  On his way, he witnesses four men hold up a stagecoach.  He no sooner gets to the saloon when a posse comes in with a dead body - the man killed in the holdup.  The dead man's sister happens to be Emma Smalls, who owns the bank and practically all of the town.  She also has a deep hatred for Vienna, and demands Vienna to give them the men who robbed the stage.  As it turns out, Vienna is friends with four "outsiders" - cowboys who aren't quite criminals but also aren't quite the upstanding-citizen type.  These cowboys, led by The Dancing Kid (Scott Brady), are the prime suspects, but Vienna won't turn them over.  Unfortunately the Kid and his group come into the saloon at that point and a real stare-down leads to a lot of hot tempers, drawn guns and a lot of yelling (the yelling is mostly from the always fantastic Ward Bond who plays Emma's friend and ranch-owner McIvers).  McIvers finally gives Vienna and her crew 24 hours to clear out and the dispute fizzles out.  Vienna decides to send her crew away, lets the Kid and his gang (who really didn't rob the stage) get off to their hide-out and waits for the posse to come for her.  She isn't leaving.  Apparently, neither is her saloon-singer Johnny, who we learn is not only a former gunslinger, but her former lover.  Johnny is clearly still in love with Vienna, but she has yet to forgive him for leaving her five years ago.  The Kid and his gang decide to rob the town bank during the dead man's funeral, and as Vienna is in the bank at the time (and left unharmed), she is accused of being their leader.  Emma leads the town posse after the boys and then after Vienna.  It all ends with a lot of action, including arson, fistfights, a hanging, a shoot-out and a final showdown between the two women.

Highlights & Other Points

First of all, I have to point out the supporting cast.  Ernest Borgnine was great as the trouble-making selfish cowboy Bart.  You both hated and liked him.  I also liked seeing Ward Bond, even if his character was rather one-dimensional and not on nearly long enough.  Some other familiar faces included Frank Ferguson as the Marshal and Paul Fix as Eddie.  And of course there is the scene-stealer, John Carradine.  His death scene is wonderful as he utters that it's the first time everyone paid attention to him.  I also read on IMDb that Joan Crawford had originally wanted Claire Trevor in the role of Emma Smalls.  I kind of wish she had, as it would've been wonderful to see her and John Carradine together again.

I've read several reviews for this film on the Turner Classic Movies website, and I'm not too sure what to think.  Some people seem to love this film while others despise it.  There are a few areas that need to be pointed out - first the color.  There is color EVERYWHERE in this film.  And not just a variety of colors, but big, bold, outstanding colors.  I did notice though that it depended on the people - Joan Crawford is the larger than life saloon-keeper, already a rarity because she is a woman in such a position.  Her attitude is as bold as her wardrobe; also, she doesn't start wearing dresses until after she and Johnny get back together.  On the other side are the townspeople lead by Emma and McIvers.  After the bank robbery, which triggers a lot of fast moving action, the posse is all dressed alike in their funeral clothes, sort of like a dark, somber army.   

Aside from the clothes, the most noticeable feature of this film is the acting.  It feels too forced, too over-the-top.  In fact, as I watched I couldn't help but feel like this was a stage play and the actors needed to do everything possible to make their emotions palpable.  There is very little subtlety here.  I'm not sure if it is intentional or not, but in many ways the movie reminded me of a melodrama.  It was most evident in the scenes between Johnny and Vienna, who go to emotional extremes over their lost-then-rekindled romance.  I can't help but wonder if the obvious issues the two main women have with relationships might be a result of going against the standard genre rules (I mean, women toting guns?  Leading a posse? Running a town?).  The saving grace was that each time Vienna and Johnny got a bit too carried away, some action happened that changed the plot.  Still, it is hard to look past the feel and style of the film, although I did read that the over-stylized nature and over-dramatic plot both inspired Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West.  Sounds like another review waiting to happen!

Review

I think if you watch Johnny Guitar knowing that it is Western Melodrama, you might be more open to it.  It's not the worst film I've seen, but also not the best.  What it lacks in acting, movement and overdone love scenes it makes up for in action, plot and leading ladies.  And honestly, any Western with two such strong female leads is so rare, it's worth watching at least once.

Fun fact: Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge fought not only on-screen, but off-screen as well.  According to some reports, Joan Crawford even took all of Mercedes' wardrobe and threw them out along an Arizona highway!  Good thing those guns on set weren't loaded for real!  Read more at TCM.com.