One of the finest American directors in our cinematic history is Anthony Mann, who had been known for directing some of the better Film Noirs and Westerns during the 1950s.  During that period when he explored the western genre, Mann would work with one of the greatest American actors of any generation, James Stewart. The first film they did together was Winchester ’73 from 1950 which was a huge hit. They would work together in several more Westerns, with the second go-around being Bend of the River

Based on the 1950 novel Bend of the Snake by Bill Gulick, Bend of the River was an early Technicolor film starring James Stewart as Glyn McLyntock who teams with Emerson Cole (Arthur Kennedy) who are on a mission to go from Missouri to the Oregon country for the purpose to deliver food and supplies after a town boss takes supplies from homesteaders after gold is discovered in a nearby area. On the wagon train, among the settlers going with them is Julie Adams (Creature form the Black Lagoon) and Jeremy Baile (Jay C. Flippen), Once in Oregon, McLyntock establishes a settlement through a man named Tom Hendricks (Howard Petrie). With ‘Gold Rush Fever’ on his mind, Cole, McLyntock and company head to California in search of gold with the assistance of professional gambler Trey Wilson (Rock Hudson). Wanting all of that gold for himself, the gold fever and his pure greed poisons the minds of Cole and his cronies as they double-cross and attack McLyntock leaving him stranded. Cole’s big mistake is letting him live, as McLyntock even with his horses and wagon being taken from him will not stand idly by while Cole looks for all of the gold. He devises a plan to get even with Cole and his gang.

Bend of the River is another excellent Western, with Mann’s direction and the acting by Stewart, Kennedy, Adams, Hudson and the supporting cast, which includes legendary actors Harry Morgan (from the MASH TV series), Royal Dano  (The Outlaw Josey Wales), and Howard Petrie is top-notch. Stewart is especially great playing the gritty, edgy down and dirty character Glyn McLyntock, a type of role he had not been accustomed to. The film moves at a good pace, capturing the feel and atmosphere of the old west. The climatic shootout is well-staged and executed to perfection. Irving Glassberg is the man responsible for the lavish cinematography, capturing some truly beautiful scenery throughout the film.

Kino Lorber debuts Bend of the River on Blu-ray to North American audiences and it is a dandy. The scenery is brighter, clearer and overall just stronger than all of the previous DVD releases. The colors have never looked more robust than they do with this release, whether it’s the blue skies or the clothes the actors wear, likely due to the video presentation appearing somewhat darker. Skin tones are highly detailed with a warmer look to them with great details during close-up shots. There is a scene with color bleeding which would indicate that this is the same HD master which had been used for the overseas release.

English DTS-HD master audio 2.0 is used here and the sound quality is top-notch, ranging from the dialog, gunshots and the excellent music score by Hans J. Salter. Everything comes in loud and clear with the music and gunfire sounding the strongest. English subtitles are available for this release.

Bonus features include theatrical trailers for several Westerns, Bend of the River, Man of the West, Broken Arrow, The Indian Fighter, The Kentuckian and The Wonderful Country. Exclusive for this release is a new audio commentary courtesy film historian Toby Roan, a “Western specialist” wherein he discusses the making of the film and other historical facts about the cast and crew. He goes into great detail, being precise and is definitely worth listening to.

For those who are fans of Anthony Mann, James Stewart’s upper-tier Western films, this release is a no-brainer. Kino Lorber has done a wonderful job giving Bend of the River a solid Blu-ray presentation.