Western Clothes – Tack & More

Reviews

I love this product! I bought two of them and they are adorable, and look great with or without flowers. Highly recommend it

LOVE THIS AUTHENTIC DESIGN!! I OWN 4 OTHER BOOT DESIGNS. ANY OTHERS OR MINI RESIN BOOTS?

Reviews

This has an excellent rendition of my favorite Souza marches. I used to play in a band, and I still remember my part in the music. It's fun to whistle the counterpoint. The sound quality is excellent. I'm glad I have it.

We purchased this music to use as part of a Fourth of July celebration. It was just exactly what we needed to set the tone for the party.

It was everything I expected. It was delivered timely. If you are a Sousa fan or enjoy marching music, I reccomend it.

I'm OK with this CD, but the production doesn't have the "POP" that I had in mind. Next time I think I'll go for an orchestral version. Nothing against these Marine's - the recording just didn't pick up the sound as well as it could have.

This cd of the US Marine Band playing all of the great marches of Sousa is the best cd. I have never heard a better version of Sousa's marches. I can't say enough about it. It's just great. Thanks Amazon for having it available to me. I don't know where else I would have found it.

Reviews

The Eastman Wind Ensemble performs classic circus music with their usual precision and attention to detail.

This CD is the source of the music played on the Dumbo ride in Disneyland Resort Paris and can be heard over a wide area of Fantasyland. If you are a collector of BGM (background Music Loops) for Disney Parks, this is a MUST for you! All tracks are played on the ride from the "Screamers" section of this CD. Play it at home and relive your holiday at the park. Excellent vintage circus music. Well worth the money.

These recordings from the 60s are simply great fun. They demonstrate the classic Fennell sound, which most people love and some think over the top. But this is music to go over the top for. The recording quality is not bad at all. Apparently, there has been some cleanup in the digital transfer. Some of the marches are sublime and some are trash. Doesn't matter. Just listen and enjoy.

This is an incredible CD. Talk about variety and non-stop march action! I DO NOT recommend blasting it at full volume to annoy the neighbors. Serious lawsuits could result. First note that Sousa is not on here at all: Frederick Fennell and the Eastman Wind Ensemble have done a separate disc dedicated solely to Sousa called "Fennell conducts Sousa", which I myself, have reviewed. The main march composers on this collection are Karl L. King, Henry Fillmore, and Edwin Franko Goldman. I can't think of a single march that I didn't like on this CD, though my favorites would have to be the Guadalcanal March (from the "Victory at Sea" soundtrack by Richard Rodgers), "Robinson's Grand Entrée" a wondrous circus march by King, and "Onward-Upward" by Edwin Franko Goldman. The only non-American march on here is Kenneth J. Alford's "The Mad Major", and that is certainly no sin. Five stars for this All-Star disc, rollicking, loud, and absolutely fun. Once again I would remind you to please be moderate in your enthusiasm: don't annoy the neighbors!

The Circus March is unfortunately a style of music that is often ignored, yet can be one of the most difficult things to play. Musicians almost have to have a feel for it to achieve the desired effect. Each march contained herein captures both excitement, showmanship, and even a certain degree of comedy that is associated with this style. Listening to these brings back a by-gone era of bearded ladies, roller coasters, and kettle corn. If you play this regularly, you may even begin to smell the peanuts roasting....

Reviews

This is a superb collection of Sousa Marches from Frederick Fennell's old Mercury Records Sousa Series. It is amazing how good the sound comes across on CD -- comparing very favorably with CD recordings 20 years more recent. Fennell was, of course, one of the all time great Sousa interpreters and the Eastman one of the all time great Sousa bands. Because I use this CD to pace me on the treadmill, I have had the opportunity to listen to it over and over again. Fennell was by no means perfect. He can be a bit bass-heavy and brass-heavy. The trombones drown out the woodwind melody in the trio of "High School Cadets," and even manage to overpower his all-but invincible trumpets in the break strains of "Gridiron Club" and "Golden Jubilee." He can extend the end of a line a bit too long, as in "Invincible Eagle" and "Cadets," and his first trumpet (and piccolo) can be too strident, particularly when accompanying a melody in the winds (I play the bassoon and saxophone and am accustomed to being drowned out in Sousa anyway). But Fennell's defects have corresponding virtues. The trumpet work in "Gallant Seventh" is really glorious, and his percussions are a wonder (note, for example, the "Native American" section of his "New Mexico March.") His rhythms are rock-solid, if sometimes perhaps just a bit inflexible. Furthermore, his selections are terrific. Many rarely heard marches remind you that what is most popular in Sousa is not necessarily what is best in Sousa, with just enough "old chestnuts" thrown in to remind you who the composer is. One minor point: the "playlist" in Amazon's bill lists No. 14 as "Golden Jubilee." It is not. It is "Pride of the Wolverines."

As a retired Marine, I have found this CD to be very inspirational. I used to have a copy and it somehow got lost a while back. I considered myself to be very fortunate to have found it again at Amazon. I use this music at Marine Corps League functions and outdoor BBQs to motivate the hell out of people. Very stirring and to all militarists out there, I highly recommend this recording!

If there is ONE Sousa cd to get, this is definitely a top candidate. Fennell chose Sousa's best, but not necessarily his most famous. Conspicuously (which may be a relief to some) missing are Stars and Stripes, Washington Post, and Semper Fidelis. Instead you get the far more interesting "Nobles of the Mystic Shrine", "Pride of the Wolverines", and "The Gridiron Club". Fennell and the Eastman are at their best in these, where you need that extra "oomph"...on some marches, such as "The Gallant Seventh" or "Sabres and Spurs" there seems to be a sense of lagging that harms the march sound, but maybe that's just me. In any case, Gunther Schuller pulls off a wonderful "Gallant Seventh" on the disc "Footlifters", Sony label. If you compare that with this performance, I think you might agree. But don't let that small squabble stop you. Fennell + Sousa = Success, and I do not tentatively give this the full five stars, I give it in full sincerity.

This is an outstanding CD. The sound quality is very good. The instrumental balance is very good. It's interesting to compare the rather subtle difference in the percussion section performance between the two recording dates, particulalarly the cymbalist.Sousa had an uncanny ability to score the cymbal strike at places which add significantly to the listening experience.Hats off to Sousa, Fennell,and the Eastman Wind Ensemble

In the 60s, Fennell and the Eastman Wind ensemble recorded a good amount of marches by Sousa, many released on this album, and the rest (as far as I know) on the album Hands Across the Sea. As many of Sousa's best marches are on that later album, this one falls a bit short of greatness -- but not my much. Sousa knew his marches, writting something like 200 of them, and almost every one of these is a great example of how to write a good march. Indeed, The Liberty Bell and Manhatten Beach are two of my alltime favorite marches. However, being prolific often means that there will be misses, and many here, while written well, just aren't all that memorable. I'd be hard pressed to be able to identify such pieces as The Gallant Seventh, New Mexico, or the Black Horse Troop unless I had just listened to them. Still, one has to admire the creative way Sousa sometimes put his music together. The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company uses the song 'Aude Lang Syne' for its trio, and it fits so well that it's hard to believe he didn't write it himself. The Liberty Bell uses tubular bells in *just* the right spots that it makes an impact every time one listens. And Sabre And Spurs uses wook blocks to simulate horses, which also works great.So overall, this is a solid album that has its ups and downs. The sound quality is great, haveing a certain amount of 'bite' that's almost impossible with digital recordings, the playing impecable, and there's plenty of variety.

Reviews

Naked Spur is one of those B westerns produced in the 50s when westerns were at their peak. Although this period did produce some classic films, in general they were disappointing, and specifically, to this film, very disappointing. The film is basically a film about greed. To me it is reminiscent of 1948s "Treasure of the Sierra Madre". In that film, 3 prospectors (Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, and Tim Holt) turn against each other on a long journey to town after they discovered gold. In this film, 3 cowboys turn against each other on a long journey to town in order to collect a $5000 reward. The difference is that "Naked Spur" has Robert Ryan as the wanted man who spurs the conflict, while in "Treasure" there is no visible cause. The film stars Jimmy Stewart. Stewart is a film icon. He was nominated for an Oscar 5 times, winning once ("The Philadelphia Story" in 1940). He had 2 BAFTA nominations (Anatomy of a Murder", "The Glenn Miller Story") and 3 Golden Globe nominations including one win ("Hawkins" in 1971). Twice he won the New York film critics award ("Anatomy of a Murder" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington") and he also gave us such memorable performances as "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". Stewart worked extensively with Alfred Hitchcock and together they made "Rope" (1948), "Rear Window" (1954), "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1956), and "Vertigo" (1958). The film is directed by Anthony Mann. Mann originally specialized in film noir in the 40s (e.g., "T-Men", "Raw Deal") but starting in 1950 with "The Furies" he began to make westerns and put out a dozen, although he still on occasion, made other types of films (e.g., "Strategic Air Command", "God's Little Acre", "El Cid"). Mann received 3 DGA nominations ("El Cid", "Men at War", "The Glenn Miller Story"). Naked Spur is the third of eight collaborations between Stewart and Mann, five of which were westerns. Their first film together,"Winchester 73", is the best of their western films, and it was this film that established Stewart as a major star who could command cast and director approval as well as receive a percentage of the profits. Mann brought his film noir sensitivities to the western genre, and this blend produced a western that was distinct from the Ford ("Fort Apache", "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon") or the Hawks ("Red River", "Rio Bravo") films as well as the films of Budd Boetticher (" Commanche Station", "The Tall T"). Though Ford and Hawks tended to use John Wayne, Mann used Stewart and Boetticher used Randolph Scott. Rarely did one of the directors use one of the stars used by the other director (notable exception being Ford using Stewart in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"). Unfortunately, the blend of film noir and westerns has rarely worked well. Raoul Walsh's "Pursued" (1947) and Nicholas Ray's "Johnny Guiitar" are exceptions to this rule. While noir westerns per se were not terribly successful, they did help turn the traditional western into a more balanced genre. One can only imagine that "The Searchers" (1956) would not have been possible without the influence of the noir westerns. Robert Ryan co-stars as the killer who Stewart is trying to take back to Abilene for trial. Ryan made nearly 100 films over a 30+ year career. He was nominated for an Oscar ("Crossfire", 1947) and a BAFTA "Billy Budd", 1962) and won an NBR Award ("The Iceman Cometh", 1973). Ryan was a favorite of film noir directors, working with Nicholas Ray "On Dangerous Ground", 1951) and Robert Wise ("Set Up", 1949). He often played military roles ("Dirty Dozen", "Longest Day", "Battle of the Bulge") and westerns ("The Professionals", "Bad Day at Black Rock"), and I think his best role was in Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch" (1969). Ryan's performance in "Naked Spur" is one of his poorest performances of his long career. His villain is far too convivial and his attempts to create conflict are so self-evident it's hard to believe that this script was filmed. Janet Leigh plays a simple girl who latches on to Ryan as a substitute father figure. We all know Leigh from her role in "Psycho" (1960), but she made more than 50 films and gave us memorable roles in "Touch of Evil" (1958) and "Manchurian Candidate" (1962) among others. She made 5 films with her husband Tony Curtis, and appeared twice with her daughter Jamie Lee Curtis. Leigh's in this film is comical. She seems to fall in and out of love in every other scene. Millard Mitchell plays an old prospector who teams up with Stewart to bring Ryan back and split the reward. Mitchell appeared in more than 30 films and won the Golden Globe for "My Six Convicts" (1952). He gave us memorable performances as Gregory Peck's commanding officer in "Twelve O'Clock High" (1949) and as the movie mogul in "Singing in the Rain" (1952). He gives the only good performance in this film. Ralph Meeker plays a dishonorably discharged cavalry man who joins up with Stewart. Meeker appeared in more than 50 films and as many TV programs, but never attained more than B status. His performance here is similar to his performance in other films - nothing really distinguished but certainly adequate. One of the few good parts of the film is the scenery. Mann is famous for his use of landscape, and this is another one of his prime examples. The film was a box office success, as were most 50s westerns, and most films with Jimmy Stewart. It received a nomination for Best Screenplay, but didn't win. Fans of the western can find hundreds of better films. Fans of Jimmy Stewart can find dozens of better films, even from the non-westerns he did with Mann. Fans of the other stars will also find that their favorite actors can be seen in much better films. Even Anthony Mann films can find better films elsewhere. There is simply nothing to recommend this film.

James Stewart is angry, obsessed, and scary in this essential Anthony Mann western. The landscape is the most amazing and menacing element of a compelling story set in an ounfriendly environment with a spare but superb cast.

The tagline for this movie at IMDB says "Packed with Technicolor Thrills!" - and this is exactly the case. After seeing a few Technicolor movies produced in the early 50's (notably - "Picnic" by William Holden) I'm inclined to view Technicolor as much more than just a color film process, it's rather a state of mind. Everything is hyper about Technicolor films in general and "The Naked Spur" in particular, starting with the color - and all the way up to human wickedness and charged sexuality. No production code is ever violated in "The Naked Spur", but it's so suggestive and powerful in its sexual undertones that even the wonderful Colorado landscapes add to this sexual appeal. "The Naked Spur" was produced long before anybody heard about PC, so the woman's role in this film is totally secondary and submissive. Even the happy end scene where Lina agrees to become Kemp's wife is very much a show of woman's transferring her allegiance to a powerful winning male. At the very end Kemp generously decides to spare Lina's sensibilities and not to take Ben's body to the authorities to claim bounty, but this happens already after Lina accepted his proposal. There are four male characters in the movie, and all of them're wicked to various degrees. Kemp, who's supposed to be a "good guy", does not really become one until well into the movie, and even at the very end he does not look spotless from the moral viewpoint. All others are plain bad, and the authors make no excuses, blaming human nature, which takes the first opportunity to follow greedy impulses to commit any crime. "The Naked Spur" is much more than a western, it's a psychological drama. Excellent script, superb performance by all cast, very professional camera work, beautiful scenery - the movie is a pleasure to watch.

I RECEIVED THE DVD IN EXCELLENT COND. AND IN A TIMELY MANNER. I WILL DO BUSINESS WITH THIS VENDOR IN THE FUTURE

"The Naked Spur",shot in 1953,an entertaining "western adventure". This James Stewart classic is loaded with bold scenery,rolling hills, and rocky river streams,the cinematography alone is worth the price of admission,added to that is the fine acting of James Stewart as a amateur bounty hunter searching for an old acquaintance wanted for murder. Along the way the bounty hunter meets up with a dishonorably discharged soldier(Ralph Meeker) and an old prospector(Millard Mitchell)both are wanting a piece of the action to share the profits. The wanted man is(Robert Ryan)and after being captured he has different ideas - to escape the hanging rope waiting at the end of the line,escape to California with the beautiful blonde(Janet Leigh)he has forcefully taken under his wing. Will the three captors bring the outlaw to justice? The answer lies within the "The Naked Spur". - filmed in glorious colour,excellent transfer,full screen,Warner Brothers DVD.

Reviews

I was really disappointed by this DVD because it only has the games that the spurs WON and only of the finals for each year. I wanted the infamous series with the Lakers when Kobe CRIED once the chump lost after winning three championships in a row and that series was not included at all. I wanted to see the series with Dallas where the benchwarmer Steve Kerr shot three-pointer after three-pointer to save the game. I expected to see the game that San Antonio played against my boys, the Detroit Pistons, and Tim Duncan sat disgusted in himself although they went on to win the series. There was so much more that I wanted to see than just the games that they won in all four championships! I mean, I enjoyed seeing the winning games but if the authors or producers of the DVD had explained that it was only a DVD that showed the winning games then I would not have expected the entire series that mesmerized me year after year. I am an avid Spurs fan because they loose as gracefully as they win. They set the standard as a team for good sportsmanship - unlike my first favorite team, when they are against any team other than the Spurs that is - and I wanted to see it all. I wanted to experience it all again, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I payed almost $100 for this set with shipping included and I was VERY disappointed.

Great Dvd box if you are a Spurs fan. Alle the games the Spurs won in each of their finals. Also very cool to have David Robinson one of my idols on dvd. A must have for a Spurs fan.

The sole possibility of viewing each single game that lifted the San Anotnio Spurs to glory is priceless! You have to have this if you're a Spurs fan and if you like Basketball overall it's a purchase you won't regret.

I've been a Spurs fan since David Robinson was drafted by the team back in 1989. Prior to that, I had no allegiance to any other team. That five-year-old in me really believed that I would be in position to see my favorite player, and team, win championships. Sadly, that wasn't the case for many years. Sure the Spurs improved greatly with David, but a couple years before Duncan came along, the team was the laughing stock of the league again. But when Tim Duncan was drafted, there would be no more embarrassment and only Ws. Thus the title runs began! Here, in this 8 volume, 16 disc set, you can relive the San Antonio Spurs 16 NBA Finals wins that labeled them a dynasty and the team of the last ten years! These are the 16, commercial-free, wins in their four NBA Finals trips. Each game will run, approximately, two hours in length with coverage at the beginning, and a quick re-cap at the end, of each game. However, this set, I feel has a disappointing area in it...what happened to the awesome Spurs players' entrances? I can remember the stunning visuals and music from all four Finals appearances and the 2005 and 2007 entrances are the ones that stick out the most, for me, as being the entrances with the best visuals and music. Everything else is included, but why not the awesome entrances? I also wish that there was a bonus disc, or some extras added on to each disc, with players and coaches talking about their season that year and that specific Finals appearance. The 8 volumes come in a very great-looking case but it's only made of really thin stock cardboard. It would have been nice if it was made of much thicker stock. One more minor gripe, why couldn't we also get the games in which they lost? We, fans, know what the outcome of each NBA Finals appearance was so we wouldn't mind seeing the games in which they lost. The reason for getting those games, as well, is to fully experience those three Finals appearances in which they lost, at least, one game. It would completely bring us back to the 1999, 2003, and 2005 seasons. But having just the 16 games in which they won is a blessing in and of itself. It's an excellent addition to your four Spurs championships DVDs that the NBA releases a month after each championship. These games will take you back to the glory years of 1999, 2003, 2005, and, just recently, June of 2007! This is a MUST-HAVE set for your Spurs fan and, with Christmas right around the corner, it'll make a great gift! Hopefully, this isn't the last we're going to see of future Spurs championship sets! GO SPURS GO!

As advertised all 16 games in good quality video, but nothing else. The only wish is they would have used the local broadcasters as the play by play analysis, like they have on the Championship Dvd. However, Van Gundy is hilliarous durning the 2007 championship finals, and I hope he stays in the broadcasting business. Overall it was great to watch the progression of Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. At one point Bill Walton chastizes the Nets for leting a bench player like Manu get one over them, while Parker gets benched for Speedy Claxton. By 2005 Manu is the most popular name for new borns in San Antonio, and in 2007 Manu is apart of the Big 3. Parker of course wins the 2007 Finals MVP. One interesting fact Manu was actually drafted in 1999, makes you wonder what if he had started in 1999 for the Spurs. If there where extras, the lottery coverage of 1997 for Tim Duncan, proir the the bouncing of the lottery balls to the hype right before San Antonio chooses Tim Duncan and the hat fitting. And though this would be a separate DVD collection these games: 1. Tim Duncan defeating Kobe and Shaq in Game 2 of Conference Semi finals of the 98-99 season. Duncan won that game with 8.9 seconds left down by 1. 2. Sean Elliot's Miracle 3 versus Portland in Game 2 of the Conference finals. (98-99 season) 3. Horry of the Lakers misses a 3 pointer in Game 5 of the Conference Semi finals. (02-03 season) 4. Kerr hits 4 big tres on the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 of the Conference finals. (02-03 season) 5. Though almost breaking the amount of penalties every called in a game, Parker comes through in OT against the Nuggets in game 4 of the first round (04-05 season) 6. Timmy hits a last second buzzer beater versus the Sonics in game 6 of Conference semi finals (04-05 season). (best playoff series, very competitive it was more like football games) 7. Horry for 3 this time in the 1st round versus the Nuggets in Game 4. (06-07 season) 8. Manu shows he is always clutch versus the Suns in Games 6 of the Conference Semi-finals. (06-07 season) I didn't mention the finals because NBA Champions edition is, however if they wanted to, Go ahead put Game 5 of 2005 Finals, and either the last games of either of the Spurs finals. I would perfer a home game versus the Nets or the Pistons, but to be fair there where not many close games when the Spurs are playing at home. Go Spurs Go, buy this dvd its for any fan of Basketball.

Reviews

This six movie collection by James Stewart is great! I had seen these movies in my younger years, when they would be new in the theatre. I wanted them to add to my movie collection. I love watching good movies over and over. James Stewart is worth seeing over and over. "The Spirit Of St. Louis" really gets to the insight of early aviation.

some of these movies (the naked spur and spirit of st louis) are a complete waste of time. The FBI Story is enjoyable but full of fbi propoganda and not centered toward what actually happened.

This was a awesome buy me & my husband loved every movie and it was delivered the very next day....we are so happy with this purchase.

James Stewart has always been recognized as one of the great American actors. His depth is explored in this set--from the likeable Lindberg of 'Spirit of St. Louis' to the accident-prone schlub in 'The Stratton Story', Stewart displays his ability to connect with the audience. The one film where he tries to play against type--'The Naked Spur' finally ends with Stewart's character being likeable--even after spending the entire film as an embittered man. Anyway, a nice group of films from one of the great American talents.

Jimmy Stewart ... one of the greatest actors, AND Americans ever !! This is a very nice collection of six of his movies, with The Stratton Story and The Spirit of St. Louis being two of his best. Of course, you will need to also purchase "Harvey", and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence", in order to view his two VERY bests.

Reviews

Naked Spur is one of those B westerns produced in the 50s when westerns were at their peak. Although this period did produce some classic films, in general they were disappointing, and specifically, to this film, very disappointing. The film is basically a film about greed. To me it is reminiscent of 1948s "Treasure of the Sierra Madre". In that film, 3 prospectors (Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, and Tim Holt) turn against each other on a long journey to town after they discovered gold. In this film, 3 cowboys turn against each other on a long journey to town in order to collect a $5000 reward. The difference is that "Naked Spur" has Robert Ryan as the wanted man who spurs the conflict, while in "Treasure" there is no visible cause. The film stars Jimmy Stewart. Stewart is a film icon. He was nominated for an Oscar 5 times, winning once ("The Philadelphia Story" in 1940). He had 2 BAFTA nominations (Anatomy of a Murder", "The Glenn Miller Story") and 3 Golden Globe nominations including one win ("Hawkins" in 1971). Twice he won the New York film critics award ("Anatomy of a Murder" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington") and he also gave us such memorable performances as "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". Stewart worked extensively with Alfred Hitchcock and together they made "Rope" (1948), "Rear Window" (1954), "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1956), and "Vertigo" (1958). The film is directed by Anthony Mann. Mann originally specialized in film noir in the 40s (e.g., "T-Men", "Raw Deal") but starting in 1950 with "The Furies" he began to make westerns and put out a dozen, although he still on occasion, made other types of films (e.g., "Strategic Air Command", "God's Little Acre", "El Cid"). Mann received 3 DGA nominations ("El Cid", "Men at War", "The Glenn Miller Story"). Naked Spur is the third of eight collaborations between Stewart and Mann, five of which were westerns. Their first film together,"Winchester 73", is the best of their western films, and it was this film that established Stewart as a major star who could command cast and director approval as well as receive a percentage of the profits. Mann brought his film noir sensitivities to the western genre, and this blend produced a western that was distinct from the Ford ("Fort Apache", "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon") or the Hawks ("Red River", "Rio Bravo") films as well as the films of Budd Boetticher (" Commanche Station", "The Tall T"). Though Ford and Hawks tended to use John Wayne, Mann used Stewart and Boetticher used Randolph Scott. Rarely did one of the directors use one of the stars used by the other director (notable exception being Ford using Stewart in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"). Unfortunately, the blend of film noir and westerns has rarely worked well. Raoul Walsh's "Pursued" (1947) and Nicholas Ray's "Johnny Guiitar" are exceptions to this rule. While noir westerns per se were not terribly successful, they did help turn the traditional western into a more balanced genre. One can only imagine that "The Searchers" (1956) would not have been possible without the influence of the noir westerns. Robert Ryan co-stars as the killer who Stewart is trying to take back to Abilene for trial. Ryan made nearly 100 films over a 30+ year career. He was nominated for an Oscar ("Crossfire", 1947) and a BAFTA "Billy Budd", 1962) and won an NBR Award ("The Iceman Cometh", 1973). Ryan was a favorite of film noir directors, working with Nicholas Ray "On Dangerous Ground", 1951) and Robert Wise ("Set Up", 1949). He often played military roles ("Dirty Dozen", "Longest Day", "Battle of the Bulge") and westerns ("The Professionals", "Bad Day at Black Rock"), and I think his best role was in Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch" (1969). Ryan's performance in "Naked Spur" is one of his poorest performances of his long career. His villain is far too convivial and his attempts to create conflict are so self-evident it's hard to believe that this script was filmed. Janet Leigh plays a simple girl who latches on to Ryan as a substitute father figure. We all know Leigh from her role in "Psycho" (1960), but she made more than 50 films and gave us memorable roles in "Touch of Evil" (1958) and "Manchurian Candidate" (1962) among others. She made 5 films with her husband Tony Curtis, and appeared twice with her daughter Jamie Lee Curtis. Leigh's in this film is comical. She seems to fall in and out of love in every other scene. Millard Mitchell plays an old prospector who teams up with Stewart to bring Ryan back and split the reward. Mitchell appeared in more than 30 films and won the Golden Globe for "My Six Convicts" (1952). He gave us memorable performances as Gregory Peck's commanding officer in "Twelve O'Clock High" (1949) and as the movie mogul in "Singing in the Rain" (1952). He gives the only good performance in this film. Ralph Meeker plays a dishonorably discharged cavalry man who joins up with Stewart. Meeker appeared in more than 50 films and as many TV programs, but never attained more than B status. His performance here is similar to his performance in other films - nothing really distinguished but certainly adequate. One of the few good parts of the film is the scenery. Mann is famous for his use of landscape, and this is another one of his prime examples. The film was a box office success, as were most 50s westerns, and most films with Jimmy Stewart. It received a nomination for Best Screenplay, but didn't win. Fans of the western can find hundreds of better films. Fans of Jimmy Stewart can find dozens of better films, even from the non-westerns he did with Mann. Fans of the other stars will also find that their favorite actors can be seen in much better films. Even Anthony Mann films can find better films elsewhere. There is simply nothing to recommend this film.

James Stewart is angry, obsessed, and scary in this essential Anthony Mann western. The landscape is the most amazing and menacing element of a compelling story set in an ounfriendly environment with a spare but superb cast.

The tagline for this movie at IMDB says "Packed with Technicolor Thrills!" - and this is exactly the case. After seeing a few Technicolor movies produced in the early 50's (notably - "Picnic" by William Holden) I'm inclined to view Technicolor as much more than just a color film process, it's rather a state of mind. Everything is hyper about Technicolor films in general and "The Naked Spur" in particular, starting with the color - and all the way up to human wickedness and charged sexuality. No production code is ever violated in "The Naked Spur", but it's so suggestive and powerful in its sexual undertones that even the wonderful Colorado landscapes add to this sexual appeal. "The Naked Spur" was produced long before anybody heard about PC, so the woman's role in this film is totally secondary and submissive. Even the happy end scene where Lina agrees to become Kemp's wife is very much a show of woman's transferring her allegiance to a powerful winning male. At the very end Kemp generously decides to spare Lina's sensibilities and not to take Ben's body to the authorities to claim bounty, but this happens already after Lina accepted his proposal. There are four male characters in the movie, and all of them're wicked to various degrees. Kemp, who's supposed to be a "good guy", does not really become one until well into the movie, and even at the very end he does not look spotless from the moral viewpoint. All others are plain bad, and the authors make no excuses, blaming human nature, which takes the first opportunity to follow greedy impulses to commit any crime. "The Naked Spur" is much more than a western, it's a psychological drama. Excellent script, superb performance by all cast, very professional camera work, beautiful scenery - the movie is a pleasure to watch.

I RECEIVED THE DVD IN EXCELLENT COND. AND IN A TIMELY MANNER. I WILL DO BUSINESS WITH THIS VENDOR IN THE FUTURE

"The Naked Spur",shot in 1953,an entertaining "western adventure". This James Stewart classic is loaded with bold scenery,rolling hills, and rocky river streams,the cinematography alone is worth the price of admission,added to that is the fine acting of James Stewart as a amateur bounty hunter searching for an old acquaintance wanted for murder. Along the way the bounty hunter meets up with a dishonorably discharged soldier(Ralph Meeker) and an old prospector(Millard Mitchell)both are wanting a piece of the action to share the profits. The wanted man is(Robert Ryan)and after being captured he has different ideas - to escape the hanging rope waiting at the end of the line,escape to California with the beautiful blonde(Janet Leigh)he has forcefully taken under his wing. Will the three captors bring the outlaw to justice? The answer lies within the "The Naked Spur". - filmed in glorious colour,excellent transfer,full screen,Warner Brothers DVD.