Official Synopsis:
Hollywood legend James Stewart takes the law into his own hands with 6 action-packed adventures in James Stewart: The Western Collection. Celebrate this Academy Award-winning screen icon's 100th Anniversary with some of his most daring roles ever in Destry Rides Again, Winchester '73, Bend of the River, The Far Country, Night Passage and The Rare Bleed. Co-starring silver screen favorites Marlene Dietrich, Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, Maureen O'Hara and Shelley Winters, this essential collection showcases one of Hollywood's most versatile actors at his best.

Destry Rides Again (1939)
James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich star in this rowdy comedy about a mild-mannered deputy who would rather fight with words than guns and the saloon girl who captures his heart.

Winchester '73 (1950)
When frontiersman Lin McAdam's (James Stewart) one-of-a-kind rifle is stolen, he tracks it and a group of desperate and vicious characters across the rugged frontiers of the Old West.

Bend of the River (1952)
Loyalties are put to the test in this thrilling Western adventure as a man-with-a-past (James Stewart) guides a band of pioneers over the treacherous Oregon Trail.

The Far Country (1954)
James Stewart gets swept up in the wild gold-rush fever of Yukon Territory as a loner who single-headedly takes on an evil lawman and his henchman in this guns-blazing classic.

Night Passage (1957)
Brothers on opposite sides of the law face off when a soft-spoken train official (James Stewart) is asked to protect a large transfer of money from a gang of lethal gunslingers.

The Rare Bleed (1966)
A ranch hand (James Stewart) comes to the rescue of an Englishwoman (Maureen O'Hara) and her daughter as they try to transport a prize bull across the dangerous American landscape.

Our Take:
I’ve always been a huge James Stewart fan, and with an output of films as prolific as his, it seems like there’s never a shortage of new DVD collections of his movies coming out. I’m okay with that, though, as it allows me to catch up with a body of work that I’ve largely enjoyed, even if I’ve only seen a fraction of it.

James Stewart: The Western Collection is made up mostly of the actor’s films from the 1950s, although there are two notable standouts. The most noteworthy and interesting film in the set is 1939’s Destry Rides Again, which features a young Stewart in his first western role, opposite Marlene Dietrich (also in her first western role). The action/comedy/semi-musical film is an awful lot of fun and not only are Stewart and Dietrich at the top of their game, but they have terrific on-screen chemistry. The movie was an early hit for Universal Studios and was one of the films that kept the movie house afloat in its leaner years after the Universal Horror boom of the early 30s started to die down.

The Rare Breed is the latest film in the set, from 1966, and in it we see Stewart starting to slow down just a little. It’s still a pretty solid affair, if a bit of a standard western outing. It’s also notable for pairing Stewart with Maureen O’Hara, giving the set a nice pair of bookends in the form of strong leading ladies for Stewart to act opposite in the first film and the last. Other films in the set feature some more powerhouse actors in supporting roles, including Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, and Shelley Winters.

James Stewart: The Western Collection features six DVDs but no extra features.

Although I’ve never been a huge fan of the western genre and most of these films wouldn’t qualify as my favorites of Stewart’s, James Stewart: The Western Collection is still a pretty nice collection. The lack of extras is disappointing but somewhat par for the course for this type of release, and the films are all pretty watchable, with no real busts in the group. The star of the set here, though, is obviously James Stewart and for fans of his, this is a collection worth checking out.

Overall Picture:
Movies (average): B
DVD set: C+

- Mike Spring

Editor