Every day, AlloCiné recommends a film to (re)watch on TV. Tonight: the second of five films in Anthony Mann’s western series starring James Stewart.
Born Emil Anton Bundesmann, Anthony Mann began his career in the theater world. In 1934, he founded the Stock Company troupe in which a certain James Stewart plays.
Sixteen years later, the two men began a fruitful collaboration in the cinema. Started with Winchester 73 in 1950, it continued with three other films – Les Affameurs in 1952, L’Appât in 1953, Je suis un aventurier in 1954 -, before ending in 1955 with L’Homme de laplain .
The second film in this cycle, considered by critics to be the finest and purest expression of the classic western, The Hungers is adapted from Bill Gulick’s novel, titled Bend of the Snake.
However, screenwriter Borden Chase strays from the original plot to dwell on little-known and picturesque aspects of the conquest of the West. In this case, he mixes the march of pioneers in Oregon in the 1840s with a story of thwarted friendship.
Always imposing, James Stewart is surrounded by Arthur Kennedy in the role of the villain, or even Rock Hudson, then in his debut on the big screen. With an average viewer rating of 3.9 out of 5 on AlloCiné, The Hungers perfectly illustrates the western according to Anthony Mann: complex heroes, in search of redemption, filmed in tight frames, unlike the splendid natural settings (here we retain the panoramas of the Columbia River and Mount Hood), recorded, for the first time, in Technicolor.
Upon its release, the film was a hit, grossing nearly $3 million in the United States. In France, it is seen by 1.1 million viewers.
The Hungers by Anthony Mann with James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Rock Hudson…
Tonight on C8 at 9:15 p.m.