Johnny Guitar (1954)

The unconventional nature of the movie made it highly unlikely that it would be well received by the critics or public when it was released, and this was indeed the case, but the movie has since dramatically gained in popularity and is now regarded as an artistic classic. It was selected by the Library of Congress in 2008, for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."

Plot

When a stagecoach is held up and robbed by a gang led by a local bad boy called the Dancin' Kid, (Scott Brady), Vienna is accused of being involved. She then gets unwittingly involved in a bank robbery which again has been organised by the Dancin' Kid. Vienna comes close to being hanged for a crime she did not commit when she is saved by her former lover, the eponymous Johnny Guitar, a reformed gunslinger whose relationship with Vienna forms an important cornerstone of the plot. Played brilliantly by Sterling Hayden Johnny passively allows his woman to dominate him and is a highly unusual character for a Western.

The movie is not a conventional movie at all and is certainly not simply a traditional Western despite the presence of well known Western character actors such as Ward Bond, Ernest Borgnine and John Carradine. The central conflict about land and future development of the township is between two women and traditional gender roles become thoroughly mixed up. Joan Crawford dresses like a man for most of the film and there is sexual tension between her and Mercedes McCambridge's character.

Production

Crawford was normally very professional and easy to direct but she she was known for her jealousy of younger actresses. She initiated the feud after seeing the cast and crew applauding Mercedes' scene where she harangues the posse. Later that night, she was seen by the director stumbling along the highway throwing costumes and clothing belonging to McCambridge after raiding the younger actress' dressing room in a drunken fit. After the film was finished, McCambridge memorably described Crawford as "a mean, tipsy, powerful, rotten-egg lady."

McCambridge was also having to battle her own demons of alcoholism at this time, which she admitted later contributed to the antipathy between herself and Crawford.

Location
The movie was filmed on location at Sedona, Arizona, where Republic Studios built a Western town under a cliff. Nicholas Ray had a reputation for clever use of colors in his films and for 'Johnny Guitar' he filmed several scenes near Oak Creek Canyon, Phoenix, where the reddish tint of rocks add to the movie's stylized color palette. He chose to use "Trucolor" a cheaper version of "Technicolor", and the ensuing garishness emphasises the surreal, dreamlike nature of the film.

In the dramatic scenes where the gang rode under a waterfall, the horses were fitted with blinkers, without which the animals could not be persuaded to go near the rushing water.

The beautiful, haunting score by Victor Young and theme song by Peggy Lee complement the gender blurring roles, the surreal photography and the expressionistic sets, and add to the dreamlike tone . It is unusual, thoroughly entertaining and definitely a film to be viewed many times for a full appreciation.