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Actors: James Stewart, Shelley Winters, Will Geer, Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, Stephen McNally, Millard Mitchell,
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Winchester 73 |
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A competition is held in Dodge City on July 4, 1876 to test marksmanship, with the prize being a rare “one in a thousand” Winchester rifle. Stripped of their weapons by Sheriff Wyatt Earp (Geer), two participants enter with a lot of animosity toward one another: Lin McAdam (Stewart) and Dutch Henry Brown (McNally). Brown has killed the man who taught both to shoot so well and McAdam, with High Spade Wilson (Mitchell), is out to catch Brown and bring him to justice after trailing him for a long time. A saloon girl named Lola (Winters) is put on a coach to leave town for the duration of the festivities. McAdam wins the contest and the gun but he is jumped and robbed by Brown and his sidekicks.
The good guys track Brown and his men to a saloon but miss them by a couple hours. It was at the saloon that Brown gambled away the coveted rifle to an Indian trader in exchange for guns and ammo that they had been forced to leave behind in Dodge City. The rifle changes hands again when Young Bull (Hudson) takes the rifle that was not for sale from the trader, who is killed in the process. Young Bull has pinned down a cavalry division in a valley. Lola and her scared boyfriend Steve Miller (Drake) ride into the camp with Young Bull and warriors in pursuit. A short time later, McAdam and Wilson ride in under the same conditions. The Indians led by Young Bull are turned back after Young Bull is killed. The good guys, former rebel soldiers during the Civil War, continue in their pursuit of Brown, not realizing the rifle they seek is laying on the ground where Young Bull fell in battle.
Miller takes the gun and Lola to their ranch house. There the pair are waylaid by outlaw Waco Johnny Dean (Duryea) and Miller is shot and killed by Dean in a petty squabble. The criminals flee the now blazing house and Dean takes the Winchester and Lola to a hideout where Brown and his men are holed up. Brown spots his gun and demands it back. The crooks are planning a big robbery of the bank in Tuscosa. McAdam and Wilson meet up with Lola for the third time, as she plays piano in a bar in town. McAdam roughs up Dean trying to find Brown and then guns Dean down. Brown shoots Lola in the arm hoping to slow down McAdam from chasing him. Wilson tells Lola that McAdam and Brown are brothers and Brown shot and killed their father. The two sharp shooting brothers have a final fateful confrontation.
--David Fletcher, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Winchester 73 |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about
books by breaking them down into many different literary
elements, all of which are searchable (click here). |
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 40%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
Time/Era of Movie:
- 19th century
Western
Yes
Kind of western:
- hunting down outlaws
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- cowboy
Age:
- 20's-30's
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- short/standard straight (man)
Body type
- average (man)
Events of movie makes character more...
- tougher
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- blonde
Hair style
- (woman) long wavy
Body type
- ample bosom & buttocks (woman)
How much in movie?
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- criminal
Eccentric:
Yes
- emotionally unstable
- obsessed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 90%-100%
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- average (man)
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- West
Desert?
Yes
Prairie?
Yes
Misc setting
- building
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately messy visuals of dead
Movie makes you feel...
- excited
How many deaths in film?
- 8 or more
Kind of violence:
- hand to hand
- guns
Unusual forms of death
- perforation--bullets
Check here if B&W
Yes
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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