I see ' Westerns ' ( especially those clean films of the 1950's ) as being nearly total myth. I used to buy the myth much more when I was younger, and more gullible to believe in packaged fictions. But like a fantasy land I sometimes return to them, and ' The Far Country ' is an especially beautiful visual film. Its Canadian mountains and valleys are finely depicted, and an avalanche of snow exciting for children of all ages. But when it comes to the cast of characters I found them two one dimensional, with only hints of ambiguity. James Stewart plays a loner out for himself, and perhaps has a true Damascus moment that others matter. His inward, rather self absorbed acting is right for the part. The gold rush plot of bad versus good in Alaska was again too simplistic, and of course we know which side has to win as this is in the main a Western trope of the time that could not be challenged. Ruth Roman, who I like as an actor is woefully given a part that did not do her justice, and the less said about the third lead Corinne Calvet the better. For some perverse reason she is given more screen time than Ruth Roman, and Anthony Mann should have been watching the cast more closely than the scenic tour of Canada ( and no, it was not filmed in Alaska. ) There is a high body count of violent deaths to satisfy the audiences, and on this base level the film gives value for money. To sum up it is well made, but in my opinion Mann is overrated by film critics. He did his job well, and that is the most I can praise him for and he feeds into the never, never land of an America that most would like to believe in.
Review of The Far Country
