by Pedro Silva
François Truffaut proclaimed Johnny Guitar “La Belle et la Bête du western”.
American audiences “didn’t know what to make of it, so they either ignored it or laughed at it” points Martin Scorcese. There where guns and horses but Johnny Guitar is not a ‘classic western’, it somehow threatened the conventions of the most American of genres. The lack of action, the untraditional themes and the unprecedented role of women didn’t match the expectation of regular western fans.
The major revision element was an issue over gender. Vienna (Joan Crawford) and Emma (a brilliant Mercedes McCambridge) were the main protagonist and antagonists instead of Johnny Guitar and the Dancin’ Kid. Both characters assume traditional masculine roles, they were the leaders on the respective sides of the fence, and even present a shocking virility to the 50’s women. Some people tend to view homosexual elements on the relationship between Vienna an Emma. I think it’s clearly exaggerated, Vienna just represents the sexual freedom Emma herself wishes she could have and this leads to anger and frustration on her part and Vienna becomes her target.
The plot: Dull. When the film begins, on the afternoon that the brother of Emma was killed – Johnny Logan, who will be called Johnny Guitar, comes in the encounter of Vienna, with whom he broke up five years ago. Why did you split? Why she call him? Why is he back? Never, in the film, we are given answers to such questions. Also we never know what happened to each of them during the five years that are not seen, between an evening at Hotel Aurora and later when Johnny returns. But those five years, produced the dominant feelings of each of the protagonists: the bitterness of Vienna, Johnny’s drained soul and Emma’s hatred.
The anti-McCarthy components are very clear (after reading about it!) namely on the confrontation of character between Vienna and young Turkey. Turkey sags and scarifies Vienna to save his skin. The scene, which begins with Vienna lightening the chandelier and ends with its fall and subsequent fire, besides the scene obvious strength, it was an overwhelming composition of Nicholas Ray. Ray uses every mechanism available to bring deepness and visual impact to the scene. Vienna’s white dress in opposition of the posse in black remains the most enduring frame of the entire picture.
Johnny Guitar is rich in backstage gossip, controversial discussions and breakthrough thematic, but none of those angles justifies my love for it.
My passion comes from the almost unbearable colors, opposite to the Noir of the time, the film’s intensely saturated Trucolor palette was always central to its appeal. The color, yes, the colors, vibrant, gaudy, fake, unreal, that’s a reason for love. Only Archer’s movies like Black Narcisus, made such a wonderful use of color. The posse in black was a master’s trick. Viennas multiple clothe changing was a clear demonstration of the importance Ray gave to the visual composition he was building. Many times the script makes unnecessary circles just to permit the introduction of those visual experimentations.
Johnny Guitar also produces one of the best dialogue scenes in cinema history. Theatrical, phony, elementary but… the way the actors stroke words as knifes, the rhythm of the sentences, the crudity, the leanness… well I guess I could almost repeat all lines by memory, together with any gesture or glance, all full of meaning
The chain of questions between Guitar and Vienna evoking the past in the night Johnny arrives to saloon de Vienna. In its words is embarrassingly banal. If it stays in memory is for the Crawford crispy and Hayden’s mellow voice, together with Victor Young’s score. The camera, the body movements, the contrast of reds, greens and browns are the verses of Ray’s poetry. The cave decor, simultaneously bordel and chantry complete the scheme.
Johnny: How many men have you forgotten?
Vienna: As many women as you’ve remembered.
Johnny: Don’t go away.
Vienna: I haven’t moved.
Johnny: Tell me something nice.
Vienna: Sure. What do you want to hear?
Johnny: Lie to me. Tell me all these years you’ve waited.
Vienna: All these years I’ve waited.
Johnny: Tell me you’d have died if I hadn’t come back.
Vienna: I would have died if you hadn’t come back.
Johnny: Tell me you still love me like I love you.
Vienna: I still love you like you love me.
Johnny: Thanks. Thanks a lot.
American critics call it the silliest film of the year, but when the movie arrived at Europe the opinions did go to extremes. Credit was given especially amongst the French New Wave circle, but few were, and still are defenders of it, Johnny Guitar is all but a consensual film. The film’s cult following has grown considerably since its original release. Where else in the Western genre will you find a film with such lyricism?
Love and masterpieces can’t be explained, of Johnny Guitar I only can speak raving.
“Keep the wheel spinning, Ed. I like to hear it spin.”
Every time I see Johnny Guitar, I have the desire of asking: “Keep the film spinning, Ed. I like to see it spin.” So much. So much.
Note: Curious that my only previous review at WiD was about ‘Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown’ where the characters portrayed by Carmen Maura and Fernando Guillén are dubbers for Johnny Guitar into Spanish.
