THE NAKED SPUR B+
USA (91 mi) 1953 d: Anthony Mann
Smart, compact, and honest, Anthony Mann developed a unique style of western, one that bonded man with nature, insisting that he shoot his westerns outdoors on location, but also accentuating the psychological dilemma of human flaws, where men are imperfect yet strive to overcome their weaknesses. Particularly in the West, where the focus of attention is on male individuality, it’s surprising what drives men to do what they do. That was never more apparent than in this film, taking the usually mild mannered James Stewart, forever characterized as homebody George Bailey in IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946), but also as the renowned Senator from Ford’s THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (1962), and turning him into an ornery, highly embittered man who has been betrayed by a former fiancé who sold his land and ran off with another man while he fought for the Union in the Civil War. In the West, nothing showed weakness like being taken for a sucker by a woman. In order to buy his land back, he desperately becomes a bountry hunter, which means butting into other people’s business and routinely placing himself in harm’s way, a dangerous job most men aren’t cut out for, but Stewart is driven to get his land back, as if he is defined by what he owns, and until he gets it back, he’s a man ripped apart with something missing inside.
Shot by William Mellor in the extremely rugged mountainous terrain of Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, this has a streamlined and experimental feel to it as the story unfolds with only five characters in the entire cast, Janet Leigh as the female companion of the outlaw, Robert Ryan, Millard Mitchell is an old gold prospector, a go along, get along kind of guy that Stewart happens upon, while Ralph Meeker plays a disgraced man in uniform carrying dishonorable discharge papers who just happened to hear gunshots, throwing himself into the middle of things without anyone asking for his help. The three take Ryan fairly easily as he’s out of ammunition, but only then do the associates realize there’s a $5000 reward to bring this man in dead or alive for shooting a U.S. Marshal. Stewart’s dreams go up in shambles at the thought of splitting the reward money, as a share is not enough to buy back his land, but he has little choice. Despite being shot outdoors in the wide open spaces, much of this plays out like a chamber drama, as this is a psychological study that begins to resemble THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948), where the feeling of claustrophobia sets in on the long ride back to Kansas where they never leave each other’s sight, as the characters grow more protective of their merchandise, thinking of him as an investment, becoming ever more obsessed with their own personal greed, so much so they can’t get away from it, as they live with it night and day.
Stewart plays off-type in Anthony Mann westerns and here he’s angry most of the time, like he’s a clogged spigot about to burst, as he’s not too happy about the way things turned out, where instead of one he has to closely watch over four others at all times. In my view, he’s a little over the top, bordering on hysterical, not really in synch with the other four actors who feel much more relaxed within their characters, but then Stewart is carrying the picture, and his disappointment with himself is one of the keys to the story. Ryan, in particular, is extremely comfortable in his role as a bad guy with a smile, as he relishes in the idea of getting these guys all stirred up over the money, hoping they will eventually turn against one another, allowing him an opportunity to escape. Leigh has to straddle both worlds, as she’s loyal to Ryan, believing he’s innocent, as that’s what he kept telling her ahead of time, but she begins to suspect his real motives, becoming sympathetic to Stewart who has lost everything, a shattered man whose vulnerability makes him highly trustworthy. The climax of the film takes place at a high cliff and river location that resembles DELIVERANCE (1972), where the ferociousness of the rapids really are a threatening force, where the intensity of the river makes this a tense and gripping backdrop to the unraveling human drama.
