Bend of the River [Blu-ray]

Oregon's Mt. Hood appears in striking relief to the surrounding wilderness in this classic western of two men, one who wants to redeem himself from a lawless past, and the other, who sees an opportunity for a quick profit. James Stewart and Arthur Kennedy are both great as the leads whose friendship turns out to be temporary.Borden Chase's screenplay is especially well-written, while Anthony Mann's taut direction places viewers right in the midst of the action.The film's tender moments offer a counterpoint to the many edgier scenes which are a Mann trademark.The supporting cast is very fine, with a particular nod to character actor Jay C. Flippen. He plays a wagon train leader and father to two daughters so convincinglyone is hardly aware he is acting.Experiencing the Oregon scenery in Blu-Ray is a real treat, and this new edition of Bend of the River is a must for those who love the film.Recommended, even though the only extra is a commentary.

This is one of the better westerns of the 1950's, IMO. Good script and fine acting by the cast. Regarding the video transfer, the Kino blu ray is a bump up from DVD quality, showing some nice detail in close-ups. Color is okay with a stable, clean image. The background scenery is not as sharp, but did not detract from viewing. Regarding audio - I switched it over to surround decode on my AV receiver and that openedk up the sound. 5 stars for the movie; 3.5 stars for the video transfer.

Was just great.

Kino Lorber Studio Classics releases this classic 1952 western starring James Stewart on Blu-ray, looking splendid in HD, a fine upgrade from the 2003 DVD, including the theatrical trailer(along with a few others) and also an audio commentary from film historian Toby Roan. Also starring Arthur Kennedy, Julie Adams, Lori Nelsen, Jay C. Flippen, and Rock Hudson, directed by Anthony Mann, superb film is one of the finest, most underrated westerns ever made.

...... with Universal's "The World in His Arms." The two films were a perennial double bill throughout the 1950s (both Universal, both 1952 releases) with great performances by Gregory Peck, Ann Blyth and Anthony Quinn ("World") and by James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy and Julie Adams ("Bend" ). A great way to spend an evening in front of the TV with first-class family fare.

For clarity I am reviewing the product, not the film. Even though this is blu ray the color is seriously jacked up. Also this is not a proper widescreen as it should be. Every single pan-and-scan shot has color correction problems. (If you dont know what pan-and-scan you should look it up as it is too much to explain here) Green lines appear on every grey shade shadow and outline during the pan-and-scan edited shots but they go away when the wide image is simply cropped. I could see these issues if I was grabbing a bluray from the $3 bin and a store but this is a $20 disc. And such a great film deserves better.

I’d have to agree that there are even stronger entries in the Western cycle starring James Stewart and directed by Anthony Mann—“Winchester ‘73,” their first, and above all “The Naked Spur.” But this is an abundantly good movie, with a powerfully ambivalent friendship between Stewart and Arthur Kennedy, Mann’s usual dynamic Western locations, and—a bonus!—a fascinating variation on the characters and tensions in an earlier Western classic written by Borden Chase, “Red River.” Plus, early Rock Hudson, and the gorgeous Julie Adams.

Am well familiar with this film and it's a good one. Have had the DVD for several years and the BluRay is I believe an improved presentation. This my favorite of the Stewart/Mann collaborations featuring a hero with a past working to save a community of settlers in the wilds of Oregon. Great story, scenery, and plenty of action. A bit of a hoot seeing a young Rock Hudson in a supporting role. All in all, a rousing western, that belongs in any western fan's library.

Loved it

Bend of the River is encrypted to play in the USA only and was therefore a waste of money.

Excellent western typical of Jimmy Stewart's efforts. Good cast, good acting, good story. Jimmy is moving a wagon train of orchardists out west. They pay for supplies to be delivered. Then a gold strike happens, and greedy merchants re-sell those supplies to gold miners. But winter is coming and the orchardists hijack the supplies back again.

Stewart makes everyone toe the mark, onscreen and off as he is really getting into his second Hollywood phase, from a nice young man to a genuine tough guy. It works and he pulls everyone along with him other than Arthur Kennedy, who was already pretty strong himself.

Very fine Anthony Mann western from the fifties. Fabulous cinematography; a somewhat contrived plot. The best things about the movie are Arthur Kennedy & Julia Adams. A commentary by Toby Roan always adds to my enjoyment of a movie. Highly recommended.