If any decade can be said to offer the finest representation of the strengths of the western, then the 1950s has to be it. And if any one year is to be regarded as providing the purest distillation of the themes and motifs of that genre, then 1959 has to be the prime contender. Whether the effort was conscious or not is of little importance; what matters the way everything built upon foundations already laid earlier, gaining depth and gravitas as the decade wore on, to culminate in the cinematic riches of that peak year. The Gunfight at Dodge City is a fine film, a beautifully shot piece of wistfulness, a mature film for a mature star in a genre which had become a master of its own conscience.
There are certain names which have a habit of cropping up time and again in westerns – lawmen like Wyatt Earp and outlaws such as William Bonney. Bat Masterson may not be quite as well-known but it would be a close run thing and he can’t be far off most people’s radar either. The movie isn’t what you could call a biopic, it just uses a familiar western figure and weaves a story around his legend. We first encounter Masterson (Joel McCrea) as he’s about to return to civilization after a spell hunting buffalo. First though, there’s a visit from an old acquaintance Dave Rudabaugh (Richard Anderson), warning him of the threat posed by a jealous and belligerent soldier. Right away we come face to face with the theme that dominates the movie, violence and its consequences. Masterson tries to explain to his young and naive companion how the fear and anxiety that walk hand in hand with violence gnaw at the soul, and how the cold brutality of the consequences haunt one thereafter. We get to see it too, in order to drive home the point and the rest of the film employs the oft-used town tamer motif as a vehicle for its parable about loneliness and renewal.
The previous year had seen director Joseph M Newman explore the ambiguities in McCrea’s character in Fort Massacre. There’s less of that quality on display here, instead we get to see more of the personal integrity typically associated with the star, and an implacability that both commands and demands respect. McCrea was then in his mid-50s, confident enough to project a cool self-awareness and accomplished in the craft of dominating the screen. If the film goes places the western had been before, it’s McCrea’s honesty and directness that keep it feeling fresh. Still, it’s a role that is uncompromising and could become almost too harsh were it not for one character player in particular. John McIntire was a marvelously versatile figure and could add a twinkle to his eye when necessary to lighten even the grimmest situation. Julie Adams and Nancy Gates are the two women competing for McCrea’s affections, and adding subtle shades to the usual good girl/bad girl scenario.
The Gunfight at Dodge City isn’t a western of the plains or the wide open spaces, remaining confined to the back lot and interiors throughout. However, Newman’s pacy direction and careful use of angles ensures this is never a drawback. If anything, the shot selection in combination with the atmospheric lighting choices of cameraman Carl E Guthrie are used to the greatest possible effect. And then there’s the finely staged climactic duel. It’s a terrific piece of work, as McCrea hears his own words from the film’s first scene echoing in his ears, fatalistically pointing out the folly and fear of the gunman’s path. He reluctantly strides out onto a deserted street to confront an equally unwilling foe, two men fully aware of what they are undertaking yet apparently powerless to break free of the deadly code that binds them. After the iconic face-off the guns will crash and one of them will crumple in the dust, and the whole affair is executed clinically and without any veneer of glamor. This is what the western was building up to – a frank acknowledgment of the grubbiness of violence. The myth of the west was not built on a celebration of gun play but a celebration of the quest for accommodation with one’s own soul and conscience.
The Gunfight at Dodge City has been readily available on DVD for years now, and there’s also a Blu-ray on the market. I still have the old US DVD, which presents the film quite handsomely in anamorphic ‘Scope. I imagine the Hi-Def version will show off Newman and Guthrie’s imagery to great effect but the old SD copy isn’t bad. I think this is a very strong film, a good example of the quality of work in the genre by this time – an excellent film from a year filled with highlights.
Riding the High Country 
Great review Colin. Never seen it actually. Just watched one of Newman’s episodes of Twilight Zone, which was only OK but you make this sound great – must think about that Blu-ray …
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The BD ought to look sweet, Sergio. I think it’s a cracking little film – McCrea is in fine form and whole thing is splendidly shot.
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I keep thinking I must have seen this – doesn’t help that the title feels like a compilation from half a dozen other Westerns almost randomly assembled!
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Yes, the title is somewhat prosaic, and you do feel it could have been hung on a dozen other movies just as easily.
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I think you hit the nail on the head perfectly, Colin, with your assessment of the decade, the year of 1959’s important place in it and the ultimate takeaway of the fact that violence is sometimes unavoidable but in no way to be celebrated. Outstanding review.
I first saw “THE GUNFIGHT AT DODGE CITY” in 1962, at a local fleapit (in its correct aspect ratio). Joel McCrea had been a favourite of mine as a kid for some years already and I had just been to see the new film “GUNS IN THE AFTERNOON” (UK release title for “Ride The High Country”) TWICE in its first week! So I was buzzing about McCrea when TGADC turned up locally very soon after. While it didn’t quite match up to the impact of RTHC, I still thought it a very fine western. It has only grown in my estimation in ensuing years.
Silly minor piece of trivia – because I saw the two films so close together I was struck by the fact that McCrea’s hair had turned silver in the 2-3 years between the making of the two films. Maybe he had coloured it up to that point, or maybe it just changed quite quickly. Doesn’t matter really – I just pick up on minutae like that, I guess.
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Thanks, Jerry. Peckinpah’s movie is of course a classic and quite possibly his masterpiece. This film isn’t at that level but that’s not really a criticism of it either – on its own terms it works just fine.
And you’re right about McCrea’s appearance. He did seem to age more quickly in those few years, but I guess that does happen sometimes.
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Sounds like I’m due for a revisit. Been years and I just happen to have a copy here on the shelf. I like Joel in pretty much anything and the same can be said for McIntire. Great character actor. And yes Julie is easy on the eyes.
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Yes, dig it out and give it another go, Mike.
The casting is very strong, although if I had one complaint it might be that Richard Anderson’s shadowy villain isn’t given more to do.
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I can only second Jerry’s comment “outstanding review”
Impressive,too that you give deserved credit to Carl Guthrie. The way the interiors are lit certainly raise the game of this film especially in the attempted rape of Nancy Gates by Richard Anderson. A very powerful scene beautifully lit.
We have discussed Guthrie’s lighting before especially in the much admired QUANTEZ with its “natural” lighting of the interiors. It’s almost as if Bruce Surtees and Clint Eastwood used QUANTEZ as a template for how they wanted their Westerns to look. A couple of Guthrie Noirs made in 1950 are worth checking out,for his outstanding photography alone; firstly HIGHWAY 301 and also UNDERCOVER GIRL. Apart from the considerable merits of both films it’s great fun to
see that splendid character actor Edmon Ryan on both sides of the law,as a law enforcer in one and a crook in the other.
I would say that the Blu Ray is a considerable upgrade on the DVD. In the stark opening scene with the kid and Richard Anderson I had to adjust the brightness on the DVD to see what was actually going on. The Blu Ray version,however none of this was necessary, I guess the scene was shot day for night (often problematic) but in high def McCrea,Anderson and the kid are clearly visible.
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John, I think Guthrie’s work in the movie, as in Quantez, plays a major role making it so impressive and elevates the whole picture a fair few notches. As such, he more than earned any praise coming his way and it’s only fair to give him his due.
That’s good to know about the Blu-ray – the opening scene is indeed dark on the DVD and I’m pleased that this beautifully composed and staged piece looks much better on the BD.
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I recall watching this with my dad back in the mid 60’s on our old black and white monster of a tv. From your write-up it seems that I need to re-watch it now in color.
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Seeing movies in less than optimum conditions,does tend to influence our opinions of them. I must have seen plenty myself without color and in chopped down ratios. While it probably didn’t trouble me too much at the time, it’s also true that revisiting titles years later and seeing them as they were intended to be viewed was a very different (in a positive sense obviously) experience.
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Just recorded this off FilmFour so will watch in your honour this coming weekend!
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Well, in that case, I sincerely hope it pleases.
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Finally got round to this and really liked it. As you rightly say the many plot strands come together very well indeed by the end.
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Thanks for coming back to give your thoughts on the movie. Speaking of plot points coming together and blending, I just finished a rewatch of Funeral in Berlin, which I had a good time with, and as you mentioned elsewhere the plotting there is delightfully smooth too.
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It is simplified compared to the novel but also tends to confi
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Sorry, message sent early. Meant to say, confirms that Deighton was really writing the equivalent of 1940s private eye stories updated for the cold war. Feels a lot like FAREWELL MY LOVELY for example with wisecracking here, shady femme fatale, corrupt aristos and eccentric villains. And as usual with Chandler, two separate plots intertwined.
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I’d not thought of it in those terms but yes, I can see that now you mention it.
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It’s more obvious in the books, the first person narration in very Philip Marlowe (this is a compliment). But like the early le Carre books, these can be seen as detective stories first, cold war espionage second.
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Which reminds me I ought to get back to reading some more Deighton – it’s been a while.
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Yeah, really worth it. Specially the first Sampson trilogy.
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It’s the 2nd one – Hook, Line & Sinker – I really ought to dip into. It should be next in my notional queue.
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SINKER is really, really special. Not go everyone’s taste, but it’ll get you where it hurts 😀
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Well that’s my curiosity definitely piqued!
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All part of the service 😀
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