the five or so really good western that mann make be unequaled a an ensemble in hollywood . even john ford never make that many with so much quality . the curious thing about them all be how uneven they be . ford my darling clementine be worth about two and a half of any of them . or at least two . the real hero of them besides mann and stewart be chase . chase be responsible for the brilliant red river . chase write far country and bend of the river and and probably some others . but none of them be as finish a my darling clementine and but then very few film and western or otherwise be . each of the five film of mann have huge gap and or be it six and let see . bend and far and man of the west and fury and winchester 73 and and yep and six and naked spur . each have magnificent scene after magnificent scene and with fairly glare lapse . yet so do red river and which be still the single greatest western ever make . so perfection isn not everything . but the far country have huge and huge hole . it mawkish and and really come alive only when stewart and mc entire be lock horn . the rest be pretty pedestrian and with the usual exception of mann camera . mann camera be a one man course in cinematography . it be about as good an eye a anybody who ever get behind a strip of move film . it be almost never in the wrong place and never . the far country have one amazing moment . and a usual it come from stewart . nobody in the history of cinema ever receive physical punishment with the authority of that man . he be absolutely amazing represent look at him in bend and far and winchester and and man from laramie represent in bend have be beat up and be hang by a thread so believably and with such boiling hatred he look like somebody displace from dachau and in far he be shoot off a raft with such violence and it look so convincing that you wince and and of course when he be drag through the fire in man and well you find yourself look for the burn mark . what an actor . not to mention the moment in winchester when he be beat up early in the hotel room and also as well a anybody ever do it . but that be mann territory represent look at gary cooper fight with jack lord in man of the west . as painful a any fight scene ever record . cooper while not be quite as convincing a stewart and nevertheless be somehow his equal in look exhaust at the end of the fight . in short and nobody but nobody but nobody ever show the human be in extremis as well a mann . what a great and great director . see every western he ever make . they be his real monument and even if all be scetchy . but so what . when he get roar with his great scene they be as good a anybody and include ford . and his six western a an ensemble be the best ever do by anyone and period . thanks and anthony .