Johnny Guitar

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This article is about the 1954 film. For the song, see Johnny Guitar (song). For other uses, see Johnny Guitar (disambiguation).
Johnny Guitar
Johnny guitar.jpg
Original theatrical poster
Directed byNicholas Ray
Screenplay byPhilip Yordan
Based onJohnny Guitar
1953 novel
by Roy Chanslor
Produced byHerbert J. Yates
StarringJoan Crawford
Sterling Hayden
Mercedes McCambridge
Scott Brady
Ernest Borgnine
CinematographyHarry Stradling
Edited byRichard L. Van Enger
Music byPeggy Lee
Victor Young
Color processTrucolor
Production
company
Republic Pictures
Distributed byRepublic Pictures
Release date
  • May 7, 1954 (1954-05-07) (Los Angeles)
  • May 26, 1954 (1954-05-26) (New York City)
  • August 23, 1954 (1954-08-23) (United States)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2.5 million (United States and Canadian rentals)[1]

Johnny Guitar is a 1954 American Western drama film directed by Nicholas Ray starring Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge, Ernest Borgnine and Scott Brady. The screenplay was adapted from a novel by Roy Chanslor.

In 2008, Johnny Guitar was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[2][3]

Plot[]

On the outskirts of a wind-swept Arizona cattle town, an aggressive and strong-willed saloonkeeper named Vienna maintains a volatile relationship with the local cattlemen and townsfolk. Not only does she support the railroad being laid nearby (the cattlemen oppose it), but she permits "The Dancin' Kid" (her former amour) and his confederates to frequent her saloon.

The locals, led by John McIvers and egged on by Emma Small, a onetime rival of Vienna, are determined to force Vienna out of town, and the hold-up of the stage (they suspect, erroneously, by "The Dancin' Kid") offers a perfect pretext.

Vienna faces them down, helped by the mysterious and just arrived Johnny Guitar. McIvers gives Vienna, Johnny Guitar, and Dancin' Kid and his sidekicks 24 hours to leave. Johnny turns out to be Vienna's ex-lover and a reformed gunslinger whose real name is Johnny Logan. A smouldering love/hate relationship develops.

Dancin' Kid and his gang rob the town bank to fund their escape to California, but the pass is blocked by a railroad crew dynamiting a way in, and they flee back to their secret hideout behind a waterfall. Emma Small convinces the townsfolk that Vienna is as guilty as the rest, and the posse rides to her saloon.

Vienna appears to be getting the best of another verbal confrontation when one of the wounded bank robbers, Turkey, is discovered under a table. Emma persuades the men to hang Vienna and Turkey, and burns the saloon down. At the last second Vienna is saved by Johnny Guitar. Vienna and Johnny escape the posse and find refuge in Dancin' Kid's secret hideaway.

The posse tracks them down, and the last two of Kid's men are killed by infighting. A halt is called to the bloodbath by the posse's leader, McIvers. Emma challenges Vienna to a showdown and shoots Vienna in the shoulder; Dancin' Kid calls to Emma but is killed by a bullet to the head by an angered Emma. Vienna then shoots Emma in the head. The posse allows Johnny and Vienna to leave the hideout in peace, watching them go.

Cast[]

Production[]

Crawford and Nick Ray were scheduled to make a film called Lisbon at Paramount, but the script proved unacceptable. Crawford held the film rights to the book, which author Roy Chanslor had dedicated to her, brought the script to Republic and had them hire Ray to direct it.[4][5][6][7]

Crawford wanted either Bette Davis or Barbara Stanwyck for the role of Emma Small, but they were too expensive.[8] Claire Trevor was next in mind for the role but was unable to accept because she was tied up with another film.[9] Finally, Nicholas Ray brought in McCambridge.

Most people claimed Crawford was easy to work with, always professional, generous, patient and kind.[10][11] Issues between the two women cropped up early on, but Ray was not alarmed – at first. He found it "heaven sent" that they disliked each other and felt it added greatly to the dramatic conflict.[6] The reasons for the feud appear to date back to a time when Crawford had once dated McCambridge's husband, Fletcher Markle. According to some of the other co-stars, McCambridge needled Crawford about it.[10] McCambridge also appears to have disliked that Crawford and Ray were in the midst of an affair. Crawford, on the other hand, disliked what she perceived to be "special attention" that Ray was giving to McCambridge.[6]

Making things worse was that McCambridge was battling alcoholism during this period,[12] something she admitted later contributed to the problems between her and Crawford.[13]

After filming, McCambridge and Hayden publicly declared their dislike of Crawford, with McCambridge labeling Crawford, "a mean, tipsy, powerful, rotten-egg lady".[14] Hayden said in an interview, "There is not enough money in Hollywood to lure me into making another picture with Joan Crawford. And I like money." [15]

Crawford for her part said of McCambridge, "I have four children – I do not need a fifth."[6]

Later, Ray claimed that Crawford, during a rage, drunkenly threw McCambridge's costumes into the street.[16] Crawford later laughingly admitted she had thrown McCambridge's own clothing into the street.[6] Ray also said of that time, "Joan was drinking a lot and she liked to fight," but that she was also "very attractive, with a basic decency."[17]

Release[]

On September 20, 2016, Olive Films released the film on Blu-Ray and DVD as part of its lineup, Olive Signature. The release features an archival introduction from Martin Scorsese, an audio commentary from Geoff Andrews, and several featurettes.[18]

Reception[]

Box office[]

During its initial theatrical run, Johnny Guitar had grossed $2.5 million in North American rentals.[1]

Critical reaction[]

Variety commented, "It proves [Crawford] should leave saddles and Levis to someone else and stick to city lights for a background. [The film] is only a fair piece of entertainment. [The scriptwriter] becomes so involved with character nuances and neuroses, all wrapped up in dialogue, that [the picture] never has a chance to rear up in the saddle... The people in the story never achieve much depth, this character shallowness being at odds with the pretentious attempt at analysis to which the script and direction devotes so much time."[19] Bosley Crowther of The New York Times singled out Crawford's physical appearance, stating "no more femininity comes from her than from the rugged Heflin in Shane. For the lady, as usual, is as sexless as the lions on the public library steps and as sharp and romantically forbidding as a package of unwrapped razor blades." He further commented that the film was no more than a "flat walk-through — or occasional ride-through—of western cliches...The color is slightly awful and the Arizona scenery is only fair. Let's put it down as a fiasco. Miss Crawford went that away."[20]

Harrison's Reports praised the film as "one of the better pictures of its type. Filmed in what is without question the best example of Trucolor photography yet shown, its mixture of romance, hatred and violence grips one's attention throughout, in spite of the fact that it is overburdened with a number of 'talky' passages. This, however, is not a serious flaw and could be corrected by some judicious cutting of the rather overlong running time."[21]

Critical re-evaluation[]

According to Martin Scorsese, contemporary American audiences "didn't know what to make of it, so they either ignored it or laughed at it." European audiences, on the other hand, not having the same biases as American audiences, saw Johnny Guitar for what it was: "an intense, unconventional, stylized picture, full of ambiguities and subtexts that rendered it extremely modern."[22] During its release overseas, the film found acclaim by then-critics Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut who wrote reviews in the French film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma.[23][24] Truffaut further described the film as the "Beauty and the Beast of Westerns, a Western dream". He was especially impressed by the film's extravagance: the bold colors, the poetry of the dialogue in certain scenes, and the theatricality which results in cowboys vanishing and dying "with the grace of ballerinas".[25]

In his 1988 release Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar paid homage to the film. His lead character Pepa Marcos (Carmen Maura), a voice artist, passes out while dubbing Vienna's voice in a scene where Johnny (voiced earlier by Pepa's ex-lover Iván) and Vienna banter about their conflicted past. Almodóvar's film also ends with a chase and an obsessed woman shooting at his lead character. In 2012, Japanese film director Shinji Aoyama listed Johnny Guitar as one of the Greatest Films of All Time. He said, "Johnny Guitar is the only movie that I'd like to remake someday, although I know that it's impossible. It's probably closest to the worst nightmare I can have. I know for sure that my desire to remake this movie comes from my warped thought that I want to remake my own nightmare."[26]

On the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 93% with an average score of 8.52/10 based on 45 critics. The website's critical consensus reads: "Johnny Guitar confidently strides through genre conventions, emerging with a brilliant statement that transcends its period setting -- and left an indelible mark."[27]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

Adaptations[]

Johnny Guitar was adapted into a stage musical, which debuted Off-Broadway in 2004, with a book by American television producer Nicholas van Hoogstraten, lyrics by Joel Higgins, and music by Martin Silvestri and Joel Higgins.[15]

In popular culture[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "1954 Boxoffice Champs". Variety. January 5, 1955. p. 59 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing | Film Registry | National Film Preservation Board | Programs at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress". Library of Congress. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  3. ^ "Cinematic Classics, Legendary Stars, Comedic Legends and Novice Filmmakers Showcase the 2008 Film Registry". Library of Congress (Press release). December 30, 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  4. ^ Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud
  5. ^ Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Star
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Joan Crawford, The Essential Biography
  7. ^ Production Files
  8. ^ Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud, page 266.
  9. ^ Johnny Guitar production files
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Johnny Dearest, www.sedonamonthly.com, October 2003
  11. ^ Interview with Ernest Borgnine, "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-09-15. Retrieved 2013-01-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ "'The Exorcist' actress Mercedes McCambridge dies at 85". USA Today. March 17, 2004.
  13. ^ Mercedes Mccambridge: A Biography And Career Record
  14. ^ "The Exorcist actress Mercedes McCambridge dies at 85". USA Today. March 17, 2004. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b c Schlesinger, Michael. "Johnny Guitar" (PDF). Library of Congress.
  16. ^ Interview with Nicholas Ray
  17. ^ Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud
  18. ^ Olive Films (July 8, 2016). "Olive Films: New 4K Restorations of High Noon and Johnny Guitar Coming to Blu-ray" (Press release). Retrieved July 28, 2020 – via Blu-Ray.com.
  19. ^ "Film Reviews: Johnny Guitar". Variety. May 5, 1954. p. 6. Retrieved July 28, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
  20. ^ Crowther, Bosley (May 28, 1954). "The Screen in Review; Johnny Guitar' Opens at the Mayfair". The New York Times.
  21. ^ "'Johnny Guitar' with Joan Crawford, Mercedes McCambridge and Sterling Hayden". Harrison's Reports. May 8, 1954. p. 75. Retrieved July 28, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
  22. ^ Martin Scorsese introduces Johnny Guitar (USA, 1954) dir. Nicholas Ray. April 24, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2015 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ Truffaut, François (April 1955). "A Wonderful Certainty". Cahiers du Cinéma.
  24. ^ Wilmington, Michael (October 13, 1994). "'Johnny Guitar' A Dive Into Western Soul's Dark Night". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  25. ^ Truffaut, François. The Films in My Life.
  26. ^ Aoyama, Shinji (2012). "The Greatest Films Poll". Sight & Sound. Archived from the original on 2012-08-27.
  27. ^ "Johnny Guitar (1954)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  28. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-06.
  29. ^ "AFI's 10 Top 10 Nominees" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2016-08-19.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

External links[]

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