Themes: Prospectors and Land Rights, Redemption, Ranchers
Main Cast: James Stewart, Ruth Roman, Corinne Calvet, Walter Brennan, John McIntire
Release Year: 1955
Country: US
Run Time: 97 minutes
Plot
One of the most entertaining of the Western movies to come out of the 1950s, this is a Stewart vehicle in which he must take on the ruthlessness of the frontier. Set in the Yukon, Stewart and his friends are driving cattle to market from Wyoming to Canada, where the boom towns pay top dollar for beef. When they arrive in Skagway, the corrupt sheriff of the town (John McIntire) steals the cattle and Stewart et al are forced to fight for their herd. Together with the female saloon keeper of another town (Ruth Roman), they find themselves up against an evil they were not prepared for. When Stewart's friend (portrayed by Walter Brennan) is killed, he is forced to go up against the evil sheriff. Good versus evil in incredible Yukon settings makes this an above average Western. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
Review
The third collaboration of star James Stewart, writer Borden Chase, and director Anthony Mann, The Far Country (1955) features Stewart as a hard-edged cattleman turned miner who gets enmeshed in the corrupt forces threatening to take over a pioneer mining town. As far west as the Western can get, the Yukon environs of Dawson match the extremity of Stewart's loner Jeff; his close relationship with his partner Ben is the only sign of Jeff's humanity. Jeff may rethink his ways after a tragedy, but he joins the community via the disreputable avenue of revenge. Even though the community is worth saving, Chase neatly sums up the potential for venality with the observation that gold "drives a man crazy." More self-consciously stylized than Mann's other color westerns with Stewart, the film intersperses backdrops and rear projection with location shots, emphasizing the disjunction between Stewart and his surroundings, as he lives by his constant urge to move on rather than integrate himself. Although Stewart's moral redemption and relationship with a "good woman" may be schematic, the ironic, occasionally opaque dialogue injects The Far Country's action with a darkly humorous self-awareness that matches the striking yet slightly off-kilter visuals. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
Alexander Golitzen - Art Director, Bernard Herzbrun - Art Director, Terry Nelson - First Assistant Director, John Sherwood - First Assistant Director, Ronnie R. Rondell - First Assistant Director, Anthony Mann - Director, Russell Schoengarth - Editor, Joseph E. Gershenson - Composer (Music Score), Henry Mancini - Composer (Music Score), Hans Salter - Composer (Music Score), Herman Stein - Composer (Music Score), Bud Westmore - Makeup, William H. Daniels - Cinematographer, Aaron Rosenberg - Producer, Borden Chase - Screenwriter
In 1896, Jeff Webster (James Stewart) hears of the Klondike gold rush and he and friend Ben Tatum (Walter Brennan) decide to drive a herd of cattle to Dawson City. On the way, he annoys self-appointed Skagway judge Gannon (John McIntire) by interrupting a hanging, so the "lawman" confiscates his herd. Jeff and Ben steal the animals back and take off with Gannon and his men in hot pursuit. After crossing the border into Canada, Jeff uses a few well-placed warning shots to persuade Gannon's gang to give up the chase, but the judge promises a hot reception when Jeff returns.
When Jeff gets to Dawson, he finds widespread (though relatively peaceful) lawlessness, and ignores it as none of his business. He auctions off his herd to new arrival Ronda Castle (Ruth Roman), one of Gannon's business associates, when she outbids Hominy (Connie Gilchrist), Grits (Kathleen Freeman) and Molasses (Connie Van), co-owners of the local hash house. Both Ronda and French-Canadian gamine Renee Vallon (Corinne Calvet) are strongly attracted to Jeff.
Ronda sets up a saloon in partnership with Gannon and begins cheating the miners out of their claims. Gannon and his gunmen show up to grab their share (and then some), making Dawson much more dangerous. Jeff stays out of it, instead planning to sneak out by river while Gannon is otherwise occupied. However, Gannon is tipped off when Ben buys extra coffee for the long trip; his men kill Ben and wound Jeff, finally forcing him to take sides.
Jeff calls Gannon out to settle the dispute man to man, but the villain arranges an ambush. Ronda rushes out to warn Jeff and is fatally shot in the back. Jeff kills Gannon in the ensuing gunfight and the rest of his gang surrender to the fed-up longtime residents.
Historical Background
The character of Gannon may be loosely based on that of Soapy Smith, a confidence artist and gang leader who ran the town of Skagway during the Alaska Gold Rush. He was killed in a gunfight, although not as shown in the movie.
James Stewart and Anthony Mann
James Stewart starred in five classic western movies by director Anthony Mann. In all five, he plays a man who is haunted by the past. In every movie Stewart wore the same hat and rode the same horse. The films are famous for their groundbreaking use of the landscape to portray the characters' feelings.
