JohnnyGuitar, Nicholas Ray's bizarre and operatic Western, can be read in many different way- as a feminist struggle between two women, as a freudian film about the paradoxes of sexual desire, as an attack on McCarthyism or as a discussion of art and masculinity. Watching it last night though one thing struck me more than anything. For those who do not know JohnnyGuitar...
... as it relates to the number of Ray films still MIA on DVD in the US: 55 Days at Peking , JohnnyGuitar , Bigger Than Life (which is coming from Criterion, reportedly), Born to Be Bad , Hot Blood , Knock on Any Door , The Lusty Men , Run for Cover , The Savage Innocents , Wind Across the Everglades , A Woman's Secret , et al. For those curious, there are a number of clips from We Can't...
... it's the stolid Sterling Hayden playing Bowie. Hayden already had The Asphalt Jungle (1950) and JohnnyGuitar (1954) under his belt by the time The Last Command rolled around. His laconic dynamism keeps the character of Bowie both grounded and exciting, just a hair away from decking someone if he pushes Bowie the wrong way. And even if that quality is not easily discernible to his...
... all the lyrics for the first time in a long time means no boneheaded Ament moments, although "JohnnyGuitar" has such a vividly loony lyrical conceit that it kinda feels like the Ed who wrote "Bugs" is still alive and well, even if he's not breaking the accordion out anytime soon. Unfortunately, his voice is sounding more winded and whiney with every album, while...
Saturday, October 24, 2009 Posted by JohnnyGuitar at Labels: , , , 0 comments: Subscribe to: author JohnnyGuitarNorthern Ireland "We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men." popular front compaƱeros archive (110) (4) (2) (13) (1) (10) (7) (14) (7) (19) (33) (209) (23) (25) (26) (30) (10) (20) (16) (10) (6) (10)...