Bend of the River (1953)

I have a thing for westerns.  I think it appeals to my inner child more than any other genre except maybe sci-fi because it's set on the "frontier," or what was the frontier of the American west, which means unexplored terrain, wide open spaces, sun and adventure.  Of course it's not a realistic depiction of the wild west by any means, but there's a cosy innocence to that ideal that is appealing, and a youthfulness and sense of adventure.

This is my favourite of the Anthony Mann westerns so far for a number of reasons.  Like Red River it is about a journey to a new place, in this case a place for a bunch of settlers to call home.  The film opens with the hero, played by James Stewart, and his roguish friend played by Arthur Kennedy defending the settlers from a group of Indians.  They find themselves at Portland, a small harbour town, and then head up river to find a new land beyond the mountains.  So far so corny, but beyond the beautiful cinematography, what I liked about this film is the conflict between the two leads, one of mercenary nature who likes the town life, and James Stewart's character, who's no longer cares for monetary gain and wants to live a quiet life in the new settlement.  This divide is not only between the main characters but between the settlers and the greedy bandits of the local gold mine.  Fate has them discover gold at just the right time so that the two are separated by their motivations, one turns to the evil of materialism and quick gains and the other follows his heart.  In the end of course it's obvious how it turns out, but I liked the idea and the look of the film as much as anything, and it's one of the most entertaining.