opinion: The music played by Johnny Guitar (Hayden) it´s not what you expected to be, but never the less he played only one guitar song for Dancin´ Kid (Brady) to dance!
Is this an anti mccarthyism movie, a pro women liberation movie or both? Who cares! This is unique and exclusive western movie… including the final duel between two rival women, the macho lady and casino owner Vienna (Crawford) and the ruthless, hated and cattle baron Emma (McCambridge). Men around these two rough ladies they dressed colourful and are just part of the sexual landscape 🙂
What we have in this intense movie is a mix of redemption, double-crossing, obsession, revenge, robbery, jealousy, greed, hate, love, murder, gambling, groundless accusations, hanging, persuasion, drinking, bisexuality, with all the visual elements presented by Ray and his crew.
Emma hates Vienna but loves Dancin´Kid that loves Vienna that loves Johnny Guitar and Emma. It’s a kind of quadrilateral love story.
Emma the ruthless and frustrated rancher, accuses Vienna the former outlaw prostitute and present bar owner, to be part of the killer Dancin´Kid gang, that is accused to murdered and robbed her brother! She is obsessed to kick her out of her life and of her town. Vienna the lonely and fibrous iron lady call Johnny Guitar, her former lover, infamous gun-crazy and guitar player from Albuquerque, to protect her from from the crazy town citizens inflated by the jealous and dangerous Emma. There is no law among these citizens, there are no trials… there are no justice, only hate, revenge and correction by hanging the accused with a rope!
Since Dancin´Kid and his gang are chased and accused for a murder they did not committed (not this time anyway) and will be hanged for that, the dangerous and gun-crazy gang decides to rob a bank to have enough money to escape the rope around their necks. The dishonest Emma has now a perfect motive to kill her enemies including her rival Vienna. She demands and leads all the city men, dressed in their black funeral costumes, to start the ultimate chase to eliminate the city enemies…
I love to hate Emma. She is really inhuman, cold-blooded, sadistic, cruel, frustrated… Emma will have a tragic end! But before she will be killed on an ultimate duel by the gun skilled Vienna, she will managed to kill her frustrated and platonic love the outlaw Dancin´Kid.
Vienna and Johnny will finally live together and happy forever!
rating: 4,5 of 5;
when latest: September 25th 2016;
where: S. Paulo, Brazil;
quotes: “… A man can lie, steal… and even kill. But as long as he hangs on to his pride, he’s still a man. All a woman has to do is slip – once. And she’s a “tramp!” Must be a great comfort to you to be a man. …”;
director: Nicholas Ray;
starring: Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge, Scott Brady;
country: USA;
release date: May 27th 1954;
run time: 110 min;
genre: Drama, Romance, Western;
storyline: Vienna has built a saloon outside of town, and she hopes to build her own town once the railroad is put through, but the townsfolk want her gone. When four men hold up a stagecoach and kill a man the town officials, led by Emma Small, come to the saloon to grab four of Vienna’s friends, the Dancin’ Kid and his men. Vienna stands strong against them, and is aided by the presence of an old acquaintance of hers, Johnny Guitar, who is not what he seems.
The Movies I have seen! 