The Furies [Criterion Collection]

Director: Anthony Mann Anthony Mann

Overview

A confused young woman's conflicting feelings about her ruthless, domineering father drive her to murder in this convoluted, off-beat western that has definite Freudian overtones. Her daddy, a cattle baron, is manipulative and shrewd, a fact that becomes painfully apparent in the first scenes of the film when he pays her money-grubbing gambler of a lover to abandon her. Next, he himself announces that he is planning to marry a beautiful but dippy socialite. The daughter tries to persuade her father not to do it, but the ceremony goes on. The daughter flies into a jealous rage and viciously stabs her father's new wife in the face with scissors. Later, in an effort to frighten the increasing numbers of Mexican squatters away from his land, the father hangs their head honcho, a dear friend of the daughter. This drives her over the edge, and reteaming with the gambler she decides to get awful revenge. This was Walter Huston's final film appearance and two months before the film's release, he died of heart failure

Product Details

Release Date:	06/24/2008
UPC:	0715515030229
Original Release:	1950
Rating:	NR
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:49:00
Sales rank:	2,201

Special Features

Audio commentary featuring film historian Jim Kitses (Horizons West); The Movies: "Action Speaks Louder than Words," a 1967 television interview with director Anthony Mann; A rare, 1931 on-camera interview with Walter Huston, made for the movie theater series Intimate Interviews; New video interview with Nina Mann, daughter of Anthony Mann; Stills gallery of behind-the-scenes photos; Theatrical trailer; Plus: a booklet featuring a new essay by renowned critic Robin Wood and a 1957 Cahiers du Cinéma interview with Mann, as well as a new printing of Niven Busch's original novel

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Barbara Stanwyck	Vance Jeffords
Walter Huston	T. C. Jeffords
Wendell Corey	Rip Darrow
Judith Anderson	Flo Burnett
Gilbert Roland	Juan Herrera
Thomas Gomez	El Tigre
Beulah Bondi	Mrs. Anaheim
Albert Dekker	Reynolds
John Bromfield	Clay Jeffords
Wallace Ford	Scotty Hyslip
Blanche Yurka	Herrera's Mother
Louis Jean Heydt	Bailey
Frank Ferguson	Dr. Grieve
Lou Steele	Aguirre Herrera
Movita Castenada	Chiquita
Myrna Dell	Dallas Hart
Jane Novak	Woman
Arthur Hunnicutt	Cowhand
James Davies	Cowhand
Douglas Grange	Cowhand
Baron James Lichter	Waiter
Pepe Hern	Felix Herrera
Rosemary Pettit	Carol Ann
Craig Kelly	Young Anaheim
Charles Evans	Old Anaheim
Jim Davies	Cowhand
Joe Dominguez	Wagon Driver
Artie Del Rey	Wagon Driver's Son
Eddy Waller	Old Man
Georgia Clancy	Wedding Guest
Nolan Leary	Drunk Guest
Sam Finn	Dealer
Richard Kipling	Bit Man

Technical Credits

Charles Schnee

Niven Busch

Gordon Jennings	Special Effects
Hal B. Wallis	Producer
Charles Schnee	Screenwriter
Niven Busch	Screenwriter
Anthony Mann	Director
Walter Oberst	Sound/Sound Designer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Furies
1. Kingdom [1:56]
2. Household [6:06]
3. Squatter's Trick [3:59]
4. Amicus Humani Generis [5:51]
5. Good Friends [3:01]
6. Open Invitation [4:58]
7. The Darrow Strip [3:50]
8. Misunderstanding [3:10]
9. Two Heads [3:29]
10. Taken [4:31]
11. Simplicity [3:13]
12. An Order [3:42]
13. Competition [3:50]
14. Wonderful Notion [3:13]
15. Restlessness [3:12]
16. A Soothing Life [6:59]
17. Word of the Eldest [12:42]
18. Bear Raid [5:28]
19. "Go Ahead" [1:50]
20. Control [8:25]
21. King of the Furies [5:33]
22. Same Kind [2:51]
23. Back to College [7:06]

Menu

Disc #1 -- Furies
   Play the Movie
   Chapters
      Color Bars
   Commentary
      Off
      On
      Index
         Kingdom
         Household
         Squatter's Trick
         Amicus Humani Generis
         Good Friends
         Open Invitation
         The Darrow Strip
         Misunderstanding
         Two Heads
         Taken
         Simplicity
         An Order
         Competition
         Wonderful Notion
         Restlessness
         A Soothing Life
         Word of the Eldest
         Bear Raid
         "Go Ahead"
         Control
         King of the Furies
         Same Kind
         Back to College
         Color Bars
   Supplements
      "Action Speaks Louder Than Words"
         Play
      Intimate Interviews: "Walter Huston"
         Play
      Nina Mann Interview
         Play
      Theatrical Trailer
      Stills Gallery

Editorial Reviews

Fans of so-called "Freudian" westerns will find a lot to enjoy in The Furies, although those who like their westerns more traditional will likely be a mite put off by it. Not that there isn't plenty of action in Furies; it's just that the psychological overtones of the piece take precedence over the shooting and the fighting. Modern audiences will probably find those psychological overtones a tad familiar, and it's true that it does come across as somewhat heavyhanded. Still, it's hard not to get caught up in the relentless nature of the film, which becomes more and more engrossing, even as one occasionally doubts that the obsessions of the characters would really be as deeply ingrained as they are made to be in Charles Schnee's screenplay. Fortunately, director Anthony Mann has no such doubts, nor does his excellent cast. All attack the material with a firm belief in it, and their commitment is more than enough to make up for the lapses in the writing. Barbara Stanwyck throws herself wholeheartedly into the part, and no one could bring as many shades and as much nuance to a single-minded character as this remarkable actress -- unless perhaps it is Walter Huston, who matches her inch for inch in Furies. Wendell Corey can't quite compete with these two, although weighed strictly on his own merits rather than in comparison he comes across as more than adequate. Even better is Judith Anderson, who combines a subtle approach with some appropriate histrionics to very good effect, and in smaller roles, Beulah Bondi and Blanche Yurka. Director Mann goes in for heavy atmosphere, aided by Victor Milner's evocative camerawork, and he knows exactly how to make the most of the theatrical sparks that his cast ignites.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler