univers du western - winchester '73

anthony mann - winchester '73 - 1950

james stewart * - lin mcadam

millard mitchell * - high spade

dan duryea * - waco johnnie dean

jay c. flippen * - sgt. wilkes

john mcintire * - joe lamont

will geer * - wyatt earp

cinematography - william h. daniels

cinematography by william h. daniels *
editing by edward curtiss *

(number 4 of 500 detailing westerns)
((number 5 of 500, anthony mann's the tin star, done previously))

before the descent of complete darkness (invisible birds)

törless was still gazing out into the garden. he thought he could hear the rustling of the withered leaves being blown into drifts by the wind. then came the moment of utter stillness which always occurs a little before the descent of complete darkness. the shape of things, which had been sinking ever more deeply into the dusk, and the blurring, dissolving colours of things--for an instant it all seemed to pause, to hover, as it were with a holding of the breath....

from the deserted garden a leaf now and then fluttered up against the lit window, tearing a streak of brightness into the darkness behind it. then the darkness seemed to shrink and withdraw, only in the next instant to advance again and stand motionless as a wall outside the window. this darkness was a world apart.

(taking photographic advise from robert musil. and, as always, inspired by woolgathersome)

invisible birds (the lost estate)

sometimes, for a few steps, my feet are resting on a bank of fine sand. and in the silence, i can hear a bird: i think it's a nightingale, but i must be wrong because they only sing in the evenings... this bird is relentlessly repeating the same phrase: voice of the morning, a recital in the shade, a delicious invitation to a journey between the elms. invisible and obstinate, it seems to be accompanying me through the leaves.
alain-fournier, the wanderer

(photos by matthew swiezynski)

invisible birds (trees as moons)

behind the quivering reeds stirs the couch of birds
-
the green is near to black, the silver slightly blue. the tree-trunks are like old wall-stones, the leaves about like shadows

univers du western (trains in cinema) - night passage

jay c. flippen

dan duryea

james neilson - night passage - 1957

cinematography by william h. daniels *
music by dimitri tiomkin *

with:
james stewart *
dan duryea *
jay c. flippen *
robert j. wilke *
jack elam *
olive carey *

includes some beautiful technicolor photography by william h. daniels
(not really a great film, but worth it for the muted, near monochromatic tones)

(number 3 of 500 detailing westerns)

univers du western - 3 godfathers

john ford - 3 godfathers, 1948

john wayne - robert marmaduke hightower

pedro armendáriz - pedro 'pete' roca fuerte (as pedro armendariz)

harry carey jr. - william kearney (the abilene kid)

ward bond - perley 'buck' sweet

jane darwell - miss florie

guy kibbee - judge

ben johnson - posse man #1 (center, both stills)

charles halton - oliver latham

hank worden - deputy curly

jack pennick - luke (the conductor)

cliff lyons - guard at mojave tanks

francis ford - drunken oldtimer at bar

richard hageman - saloon pianist

cinematography - winton c. hoch *

editing - jack murray
music - richard hageman
screenplay - laurence stallings & frank s. nugent

(number 2 of 500 detailing westerns)