Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Johnny Guitar Blu-ray Movie Review

Does no one have a normal name in this flick?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 27, 2012

Is Olive Films, as one character in Johnny Guitar put it, “on the fence” about the horrors of Communism? How else to explain the dual releases of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a film some insist is a thinly veiled examination of an encroaching Red Menace, and now Johnny Guitar, another film with a widely discussed supposed subtext, albeit in this case one which is purportedly anti-McCarthy. Of course, I jest, and it’s to Olive Films’ credit that they’re bringing two iconic fifties films out on Blu-ray, films that certainly present enough fodder for subtextual interpretation to allow critics (and you know how they are) a field day of analysis and allegorical exegesis. But much like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Johnny Guitar can have every last ounce of its supposed subtext removed and it’s still an absolutely deliriously entertaining film. Make no mistake about it: Invasion of the Body Snatchers can be enjoyed as a really unsettling science fiction thriller, no matter what one may think of its alleged treatment of the dangers of Communism. The “deal” with Johnny Guitar is somewhat different; it’s almost impossible not to laugh at this camp-fest, a film that can make a spinning shot glass seem like some near religiously inspired icon (of what, who knows?), and which is a veritable treasure trove of often hilarious dialogue (I dare you not to laugh when Joan Crawford emits little bons mots like, “Come over here, Mr. Guitar”). Mr. Guitar? Johnny Guitar was a quickly forgotten film when it was first released in 1954, but it (again, like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which was similarly dismissed on its original release) slowly grew in stature (or something like that) over the ensuing years, fueled by frequent late night broadcasts and a certain appreciation by French New Wave auteurs that may have had just an inkling of irony. The film literally must be seen to be believed, and is so patently odd at times that even after having seen it, some viewers will wonder if they’ve simply had some kind of bizarre hallucinatory fever dream.

The inimitable Joan Crawford plays Vienna, a hardscrabble woman working at her own saloon and gambling emporium (think Mildred Pierce in jeans and a lot more butch). Vienna has sited her little palace where she hopes the railroad will soon come through, with a much needed payout the result. Vienna has angered several of the townspeople, however, chief among them dowdy little Emma (Mercedes McCambridge), who is convinced Vienna is in cahoots with a local gang of ruffians, including the wonderfully named The Dancin’ Kid (Scott Brady). The equally wonderfully named Johnny Guitar (Sterling Hayden) shows up in the midst of all this operatic turmoil, supposedly having been hired by Vienna to play guitar in her “lounge”, but of course there turns out to be a little back story between these two characters that reveals there may be more on Vienna’s mind than an E minor chord.

Director Nicholas Ray was fascinated with neurotic characters, as he proved so admirably in films such as Rebel Without a Cause, but he takes that fascination to new levels in Johnny Guitar. This isn’t a film about just one set of unrequited lovers, it’s a veritable grab bag of people pining after each other in a sort of mad round robin of unconsummated passion. We are let in on the little “secret” that Johnny (actual real last name Logan) and Vienna have had a fling five years previously. But Vienna accuses Emma of wanting to string up The Dancin’ Kid because Emma feels guilty for harboring amorous feelings about him. The Dancin’ Kid, meanwhile, has eyes for Vienna and is none too happy that—er--Mr. Guitar has entered the picture. The wonderfully named Turkey (Ben Cooper), a young ‘un who’s a gang member of The Dancin’ Kid’s, also is out to prove to Vienna he’s more than just a boy. Meanwhile, The Dancin’ Kid is trying to convince another member of his gang, the surly Bart (Ernest Borgnine), that Emma would make a fine wife and/or conquest for him.

The central conflict here is between Vienna and Emma, despite the swirling kaleidoscope of Ids that otherwise populates the film. Analysts who don’t exactly cotton to the anti-McCarthyism subtext of Johnny Guitar often tend to see a proto-feminist or even lesbian subtext in the film, and it certainly can’t be denied that there’s something going on beneath the surface between Crawford and McCambridge, something that certainly is somehow a lot more passionate (albeit in a totally repressed, neurotic way) than any sparks supposedly flying between Crawford and Hayden. There’s also no question that this is a “women’s picture”, by which I mean the ladies are completely in control while the menfolk kind of dawdle about waiting to be told what to do next. Crawford has probably never been more masculine than she is in this film, and that’s saying quite a bit, considering her tendency toward mannish characteristics in a lot of her portrayals.

There’s also a new (or at least newer) found reference point in Johnny Guitar that may delight lovers of a certain long running Andrew Lloyd Webber musical featuring a masked denizen of the sewers beneath the Grand Opera of Paris. One of the film’s set pieces here features a huge chandelier, and, yes, it does indeed fall. What makes it all the more interesting in terms of Phantom of the Opera is there is Vienna, all dressed up in a frilly white gown, playing her little saloon’s harpsichord upstage like the distaff cousin of Gaston Leroux’s scarred hero.

As Martin Scorsese states in his brief introduction to the film (included here as the lone supplement), Johnny Guitar is unabashedly operatic. (Interestingly, the film was rebooted as a campy off-Broadway musical a few years ago.) Passions seethe, people act like barely contained lunatics, and Ray seems to want to peel back the layers of these characters to reveal a swarming mass of unbridled emotion, in a way similar (though even more extreme) than some of the mid-fifties Douglas Sirk melodramas. In a world of cookie cutter entertainments, perhaps the most salient selling point of Johnny Guitar is that it is virtually guaranteed you’ve never seen anything quite like it before.

Johnny Guitar Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Johnny Guitar is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.35:1. This release is garnering perhaps more interest than usual for an Olive release due not just to the cult following for Johnny Guitar, but because we're now starting to see Republic catalog titles released in high definition by the niche label. If Johnny Guitar is any indication, Olive's reputation for releasing solid to excellent product with no obvious digital tweaking is secure. Johnny Guitar was filmed in Republic's parent company Consolidated's proprietary Trucolor process and if the results don't quite have the luster of traditional three color Technicolor (before Eastmancolor), they're quite good and look reasonably intact here. While there is some evidence of some slight fading, reds and purples are still extremely vibrant and flesh tones look reasonably saturated, albeit again slightly faded at times and just slightly purplish in some scenes. Greens probably fare the worst here, with Vienna's bowtie and The Dancin' Kid's shirt looking just slightly pallid some of the time. The upgrade to high definition does offer some unexpected new glimpses into fine detail (I personally had never previously noticed that Hayden is in front of rear projection in two early close-ups when he's riding his horse into town). The transfer does have a certain softness, especially in midrange and far range shots, but the lack of digital tweaking means grain is fully intact and the overall look of this presentation is very natural.

Johnny Guitar Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Johnny Guitar's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono audio provides decent if shallow fidelity, with very good midrange and occasionally boisterous low end as well. Dialogue is clearly and cleanly presented, and the interesting Victor Young score, which makes copious use of the Peggy Lee co-written theme song, sounds nicely moody and evocative. The mix is well prioritized, especially with regard to some of the omnipresent ambient environmental sound effects. While lacking depth and width, this track has no real damage to report and provides a very good recreation of the film's mono theatrical exhibition.

Johnny Guitar Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction by Martin Scorsese (SD; 3:27). This is a short, serviceable intro that covers some salient points very briefly. This is a film that virtually cries out for a commentary; it's a little sad one wasn't included here. It could have been most entertaining.

Johnny Guitar Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Johnny Guitar may not be a masterpiece, but it is "must see" fare nonetheless. Crawford marauds through the frame like she's on steroids (and heaven knows, she may have been), and she's matched by a seething Mercedes McCambridge. The guys are relative namby-pambies by comparison, again part of the extremely peculiar allure of this weird and wacky film. This new Blu-ray offers very good video and audio and should let fans concerned about the Republic catalog rest easy (at least for now). This release really should have had a commentary, but otherwise it comes Recommended.