Man of the West (1958); The Tin Star (1957)

March 30, 2014 - 7:00 pm

Billy Wilder Theater

Man of the West (1958)

Directed by Anthony Mann

Representing his small town, Link Jones (Gary Cooper) travels to Fort Worth with a bagful of money, aiming to hire a schoolteacher. Waylaid by bandits, Link must retrieve his money to maintain his town’s trust, though this may involve acknowledging dark truths about his own past. Director Anthony Mann frames a fair question in this drama: whether the most virtuous man is always the most effective.

Ashton Productions, Inc. Screenwriter: Reginald Rose, based on the novel by Will C. Brown. Cinematographer: Ernest Hall. Editor: Richard V. Heermance. Cast: Gary Cooper, Julie London, Lee J. Cobb, Arthur O’Connell, Jack Lord.

35mm, color, 100 min.

The Tin Star (1957)

Directed by Anthony Mann

A bounty hunter (Henry Fonda), once a lawman, finds it necessary to don the “tin star” once again, to support a local sheriff (Anthony Perkins) in keeping civic order and tamping down mob rule. Hardly more lawful than the murderous outlaws they pursue, the townspeople figure here as the real narrative problem: manifesting the threat of violence as a danger that lurks not without, but within.

Pearlsea Co., Paramount Pictures Corp. Producer: William Perlberg, George Seaton. Screenwriter: Dudley Nichols, based on a story by Barney Slater. Cinematographer: Loyal Griggs. Editor: Alma Macrorie. Cast: Henry Fonda, Anthony Perkins, Betsy Palmer, Michel Ray, Neville Brand.

16mm, b/w, 93 min.

Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive

Watch the trailer below.

Part of:

Dark City, Open Country: The Films of Anthony Mann

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Man of the West (1958); The Tin Star (1957)