Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Winchester '73 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 21, 2024

Anthony Mann's "Winchester '73" (1950) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary recorded by Jimmy Stewart and film historian Paul Lindenschmidt; documentary about Anthony Mann's work at Universal Studios; archival radio-play; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Jimmy Stewart and Anthony Mann made eight films together, five of them westerns, and Winchester ‘73 was their first. This film did a lot for their careers. However, it was more important to Stewart, who had appeared in several box office misfires and desperately needed another hit. It is not an exaggeration to state that without it, Stewart would not have become the iconic actor he is considered today.

Shortly after arriving in Dodge City, veteran gunslinger Lin McAdam (Stewart) surrenders his pistol to Sheriff Wyatt Earp (Will Geer) and joins a highly anticipated marksmanship contest, whose winner will receive a shiny Winchester, the newest and most accurate rifle in the Old West. McAdam and another gunslinger named Dutch Henry Brown (Stephen McNally), whom the former has been tracking down for killing his old man, quickly emerge as the best participants. After several extra rounds, McAdam finally wins the Winchester, but before he can leave Dodge City, Brown, assisted by a couple of other outlaws, steals it from him and disappears without a trace. McAdam vows to recover his prize and put a bullet in Brown’s head, even if he must ride to the other side of the country.

A day later, while McAdam helps Lola Manners (Shelley Winters), abandoned by her future husband, Steve Miller (Charles Drake), avoid getting scalped by Young Bull (Rock Hudson) and his warriors, Brown loses the Winchester to a shady Indian trader (John McIntire) in a card game. But the Indian trader also loses the Winchester, along with his life, after left-handed outlaw Waco Johnny Dean (Dan Duryea) lays eyes on it on his way to meet Brown and his crew, who are looking for a partner to rob a bank. In Tascosa, Texas, fate finally offers McAdam a chance to face Brown while holding his pistol, but somehow he sneaks out again. McAdam rides after him, and somewhere in the desert mountains, with the sun beating down on them, the two engage in a deadly duel.

Winchester ‘73 is a big, glorious, old-fashioned American western. Its stars are at their very best, so even the transitional material that does some rather predictable things to prepare for the next shootout looks great. Also, it blends action, comedy, and drama with such casual yet brilliant confidence that it almost feels odd to think of it as a first effort. Other films like Winchester ’73 always materialize after a director and actors have worked together for many years.

The most intriguing aspect of Winchester ‘73 is that it allows Stewart to lead without being dominant. It is virtually impossible to name another western from the 1950s, or earlier, with a star like Stweart that does the same. John Wayne, Randolph Scott, Gary Cooper, Rory Calhoun, and Joel McCrea were always dominant while wearing a cowboy hat and firing a pistol. This is arguably the biggest reason Stewart looks so natural in Winchester ’73.

The one and only undeniable flaw of Winchester ‘73 is its length -- it is a little over ninety minutes long but feels substantially shorter. Why is that? There are too many interesting characters around Stewart, and it feels like they deserve a lot more time before the camera. Duryea’s outlaw for instance is outstanding, and his antics could have easily occupied half of the film, but he is given only two big scenes. The same can be said about Winters, who is the source of the most clever and colorful content.

Mann and Oscar winner William Daniels shot on location in Arizona, undoubtedly the state with the greatest western terrains. The most impressive visuals emerge in the final act, where Stweart goes after McNally.

In 1967, Herschel Daugherty directed a TV remake of Winchester '73, starring Tom Tryon, John Saxon, John Drew Barrymore, and Joan Blondell. Duryea also had a part in it.

Winchester '73 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Winchester '73 arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this release:

"Undertaken by Universal Pictures in collaboration with The Film Foundation, this new 4K restoration was created from the 35mm nitrate original camera negative. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm nitrate optical soundtrack negative.

Restoration: NBCUniversal StudioPost."

The 4K restoration is also made available on 4K Blu-ray in this combo pack release. I viewed it in native 4K and then spent time with the 1080p presentation of it on the Blu-ray.

I like the 4K restoration a lot. All visuals that I saw on my system had a very attractive, very stable organic appearance. I was prepared to see some noticeable fluctuations in terms of density, delineation, and depth, so the consistency of the visuals surprised me quite a bit. In a couple of areas, small unevenness can be observed, but it is of the type that lensing choices introduce, not aged materials, so if any important reconstructive work was done, it is impossible to tell now. The grayscale is very convincing. Blacks, grays, and whites are wonderfully balanced. Darker areas look very good. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. Finally, I did not notice any encoding anomalies to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Winchester '73 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the 4K restoration of Winchester '73 on the 4K Blu-ray. The comments below are from our review of the 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack.

The audio is free of any age-related anomalies. All exchanges are very clear, sharp, and stable, so they are exceptionally easy to follow. During the action material, and especially during the big shootout with Young Bull's warriors, dynamic activity is great, too. The music is lush and clear. I did not encounter any encoding issues to report.

Winchester '73 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Jimmy Stewart and film historian Paul Lindenschmidt in 1989. Stewart shares a lot of information about the preparation work he and Anthony Mann did, the importance of movement (especially in backgrounds) in Mann's westerns and how he liked to shoot violent material, the locations seen throughout the film, Mann's "stinginess" with words (in all of his westerns), etc. Also, there are some good comments about the importance of humor in the film.

• Forces of Nature: Anthony Mann at Universal - this documentary takes a closer look at Anthony Mann's work at Universal Studios, where he created his best films. Included in it are clips from interviews with critic, C. Courtney Joyner, script supervisor (for Anthony Mann) Michael Preece, and critic Michael Schlesinger, among others. The documentary was produced by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures. In English, not subtitled. (48 min).

• Lux Radio Theatre - presented here is an archival radio-play version of Winchester '73, featuring Jimmy Stewart. The radio-play was first broadcast by Lux Radio Theatre in 1951. In English, not subtitled. (61 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Winchester '73. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Adam Piron - in this new program, film programmer Adam Piron discusses how American Indians are represented in westerns. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Imogen Sara Smith and technical credits.

Winchester '73 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A lot of people have argued that the first of the five westerns Jimmy Stewart and Anthony Mann made is also the best. I am unsure if this is true, or that it is an important detail, because all of them are very good. However, Winchester '73 is unquestionably the most important of these films because it was made at a crucial time in Stewart's career. Without Winchester '73, the future progression of this career almost certainly would have been very different, and it is unclear whether Stewart would have become the iconic actor he is considered today. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release introduces a fabulous 4K restoration of the film. A 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack streets on the same date. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.