Great Film overall

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

RELEASED IN 1952 and directed by Anthony Mann, "Bend of the River" stars James Stewart as wagon master, Glyn McLyntock, who leads pioneers to a remote settlement near Mount Hood, Oregon. When a profit-minded Portland boss confiscates the settlers' winter supplies due to a gold rush, McLyntock teams-up with a good-natured-but-dubious gunman (Arthur Kennedy) and a gentleman gambler (Rock Hudson) to get the supplies to them. Harry Morgan & Royal Dano are on hand as ne'er-do-wells while Julie Adams, Lori Nelson and Frances Bavier appear in feminine roles.This was the second of five Westerns Mann did with Stewart. These were uncompromisingly harsh, psychological Westerns featuring themes of revenge, obsession, rage and redemption. They were spectacularly shot on location, rather than in the studio, providing a backdrop of authentic rugged beauty. In this film you'll often see Mount Hood looming in the distance.A lot of action & events are crammed into an hour and a half, which is great for action fans or those with ADHD. Take, for instance, the opening campout sequence where the Natives waste little time in attacking; or the saloon scene where someone gets fatally shot within minutes. I'm not complaining because I enjoy muscular action, but the downside is that the movie lacks the mundaneness of real life in the Old West. That said, it's highly realistic in that it shows you how tough it was for settlers. Take, for instance, the rough, bumpy trails the wagons had to traverse.In any case, this is a dynamic, tough, psychological early 50's Western with James Stewart. It's atypical and original (although people say it has similarities to 1946' "Canyon Passage, which I've never seen). You just have to acclimate to some old-fashioned hokey elements.THE MOVIE RUNS 91 minutes and was shot in the Columbia River/Mount Hood region of northern Oregon. WRITERS: Borden Chase from William Gulick's novel.GRADE: B

"Bend of the River" is not a great Western, but it is a good, solid one, with an involving story (Borden Chase scripted, from the novel by William Gulick), lots and lots of beautiful scenery, a first rate cast, and some rousing action.Jimmy Stewart is as straightforward and sincere as he's ever been, playing the role of Glyn McLyntock, a former outlaw who is currently working as a guide, helping some families travel cross country to form their own settlement. Along the way, he saves a stranger (Arthur Kennedy) from the hangman, claiming that he doesn't like hangings. This man, Emerson Cole, is present for many of the setbacks that Glyn and his fellow travellers experience. Most significantly, the supplies promised to people like Jeremy Baile (Jay C. Flippen) don't get delivered in a timely manner, and Glyn and others must take matters into their own hands.Director Anthony Mann does a typically fine job in this narrative that explores the idea of a man's nature. Is it true that "leopards don't change their spots", or can some gentlemen be redeemed? We also see what happens when people who used to be nice and accommodating get corrupted by greed (a gold rush strikes the nearest town).Glyn proves to be an extremely determined hero, and has a strong survival instinct. You don't ever have much doubt that he'll be a man of honor and do the right thing. Counteracting that decency is the resentment felt by people like Red (Jack Lambert), Shorty (Harry Morgan), and Long Tom (Royal Dano) when they think they're not going to get adequately compensated.The ladies present - Julie Adams and Lori Nelson as Bailes' daughters - are beautiful, and there's much fine acting to enjoy. Kennedy is extremely engaging as the somewhat suspect Cole. Rock Hudson does alright as helpful gambler / gunslinger Trey Wilson. Flippen is a standout in a supporting cast also consisting of Morgan, Dano, Lambert, Chubby Johnson (!), Stepin Fetchit, Howard Petrie, Frank Ferguson, and Frances Bavier.There is much to appreciate here, including the Technicolor photography and the lush score by Hans J. Salter. It's a worthy viewing for fans of classic Westerns.Eight out of 10.

For its portrayal of the rough going of emigrant wagon train life, and its spectacular scenery in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and the Columbia River Gorge, "Bend of the River" scores high marks. It also has a first rate cast, all of whom shine in their performances. And it is an engaging story that pulls together very well elements of several genres of film — Western, pioneer, adventure, historical and dramatic.Many Westerns have been made with wagon trains, but they were mostly action movies. Very few have shown the hardships of wagon train life. "Bend of the River" is an exception. It shows the difficulty of moving wagons across streams, up and down steep grades, and over rocks and uncleared trails and mountain passes. So, this film shows a little reality from what historians call the longest migration in human history.Now, for a closer look at some curious aspects that render the film's particular story implausible. Except for the license of Hollywood to alter facts, times and places to fit the fiction, this story just couldn't have happened as shown. That doesn't take away from the movie's entertainment value. But, for those who enjoy finding solutions to curiosities, I offer these few salient points about the film. First — No one in the film seemed to know the name of Mt. Hood that shows so prominently throughout the movie. They referred to it as that old mountain, or old baldy. This is interesting because Mt. Hood was named in 1792, and Lewis and Clark noted it during their expedition in 1804-1806. Soon thereafter, towns sprang up in Oregon – Astoria in 1811, Oregon City in 1829 and Portland in 1843. Everyone knew the name of Mt. Hood, and the maps of the Northwest would have clearly shown Mt. Hood. Indeed, the diaries of Oregon Trail pioneers mentioned landmarks such as Mt. Hood all the time. The time setting of the movie had to be after 1846. That's when the Barlow Road was completed around Mt. Hood, so wagons didn't have to raft down the Columbia from The Dalles. So, why would the filmmakers not use the name of Mt. Hood when it's shown so clearly for long periods of the film, and from three different directions? My guess is to support the rest of the fictional story and give the impression to viewers that there were many different mountains, and that the parties were traveling to more distant places. Otherwise, the rest of the storyline in the movie wouldn't make sense. Second — The Portland outfitter described the great lush land beyond the falls where they were headed. He was describing the Willamette Valley, which was the goal of most who rode the trail to Oregon to settle. And, about 10 miles upstream from Portland, Willamette Falls blocked river navigation upstream on the Willamette. The Willamette Valley would be an easy overland trek from Portland. But then, the movie would have had to eliminate the spectacular Columbia Gorge scenery and the squabble over gold. So, our movie group instead heads back up the Columbia River toward Celilo Falls. In real life, at 75 miles east of Portland, they would have been right back where they were when they came out, before starting their trek around Mt. Hood. But now Jimmy Stewart has the captain stop to let them off 20 miles below the falls. That would be about where Hood River is. They're going to look for a route across the mountain. That means they will cross the Barlow Trail to get to their settlement, which obviously doesn't make sense. But it is believable to think that they might have settled in the Hood River Valley. In the film, Harry Morgan drops a tree when he is loading the boat and Jeremy tells him that they are going to plant apple, pear and plum trees at the settlement. Today, Hood River is known for its pear, apple and cherry orchards. And, in 1858 the Post Office opened in Hood River. Third — The gold strikes and gold camps are the hardest part of the story to reconcile. Since they account for most of the action and drama, we know why they are there. But, in real life and times, it wasn't like the movie shows. Gold was first discovered in Oregon in 1852 at Jacksonville near the Siskiyou Mountains that border California. That's more than 200 miles south of Portland and way beyond the Willamette Valley. The second gold discovery in Oregon was in 1862 in the Blue Mountains. Again, more than 200 miles from Portland, east toward Idaho. Even if some prospectors bought provisions in Portland, they had no way to take the goods by river or boat. And they were far beyond any of the lands settled by people from the Oregon Trail. Yet the movie has the gold camp closer than the wagon settlement.Fourth — The Stewart and Kennedy characters had been raiders on the Missouri-Kansas border. That period began in 1861 and ended shortly after the Civil War ended. That would mean that the movie setting was much later – perhaps toward the end of the Oregon Trail in 1869. Fifth —In the early scenes, after Stewart has saved Kennedy from a hanging and the wagon train sets up camp, Kennedy asks Stewart how the wagon train got through the Black Hills and the Big Horn country. The Oregon Trail doesn't go near either place — it's more than 100 miles away. For the life of me, I can't imagine why they left this erroneous reference in the script.

The movie holds audience attention throughout, and is more thoughtful than most large-scale full color westerns. It is well-paced, muscular, has Arthur Kennedy acting strongly as a counterbalance to James Stewart, and answers the prime question of whether a man with violent crime in his past can change for the good, and permanently. Or rather, in this instance, two men can both change... Achieving all this might seem a tall order for director Anthony Mann, but it doesn't mean he needs acting depth in a large cast in order to succeed. The thespian qualities on display are pretty much confined to Stewart and Kennedy. The other characters neither demand much ability in front of the camera nor are developed as the viewing moves on. Rock Hudson, as a professional gambler, is a case in point. It was, however, very early in his serviceable career. Julie Adams (appearing on posters as Julia), is the number one love interest, and contributes her wonderfully fresh prettiness and soft, clear voice. Lori Nelson is also engaging near the start of her career. This picture show is engaging and satisfying enough to rate well above average fare.