NEVADA SMITH (DVD) (WS ENHANCE 16X9/DOL DIG(ENG & FRENCH MONO DVD

Nevada Smith
Henry Hathaway's film is based on a character from Harold Robbins' The Carpetbaggers, who, in turn, based it on cowboy actor Ken Maynard. Set in the West of the 1890s, the film opens with the torture and murder of the parents of Max Sand (Steve McQueen) by a trio of gunslingers seemingly motivated by their hostility toward the mixed nature of the marriage, since the wife is a Native American. Swearing revenge, the young cowhand enlists the help of itinerant gunsmith Jonas Cord Brian Keith, who teaches him how to shoot while counseling against revenge. Nonetheless, Sand doggedly scours one town after the other before finally running up against one of the murderers, Jesse Coe (Martin Landau). He finally kills Coe in a vicious knife fight, but is severely wounded himself and has to be nursed back to health by Neesa (Janet Margolin), a young Kiowa woman. He next heads for Louisiana where another of the murderous trio, Bill Bowdre (Arthur Kennedy), is serving a prison sentence in a remote swamp. In order to get close to the man, Sand stages a robbery, and is soon among the prison inmates. This was the only film on which McQueen worked with Landau, the only other person admitted to the Actor's Studio out of thousands of applicants in 1957. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide

Cast Steve McQueen as Nevada Smith/Max Sand Karl Malden as Tom Fitch Brian Keith as Jonas Cord Arthur Kennedy as Bill Bowdre Suzanne Pleshette as Pilar Raf Vallone as Father Zaccardi Janet Margolin as Neesa Pat Hingle as Big Foot Howard Da Silva as Warden Martin Landau as Jesse Coe Paul Fix as Sheriff Bonnell Gene Evans as Sam Sand Josephine Hutchinson as Mrs. Elvira McCanles John Doucette as Uncle Ben McCanles Val Avery as Buck Mason Sheldon Allman as Sheriff Lyle Bettger as Jack Rudabaugh Bert Freed as Quince David McLean as Romero Steve Mitchell as Buckshot Merritt Bohn as Riverboat Pilot Sandy Kenyon as Bank Clerk John Lawrence as Hogg Stanley Adams as Storekeeper George Mitchell as Paymaster John Litel as Doctor Ted de Corsia as Hudson, Bartender

Crew Al Y. Roelofs - Art Director Tambi Larsen - Art Director Hal Pereira - Art Director Frank Beetson, Jr. - Costume Designer C. Frank Beetson, Jr. - Costume Designer Daniel McCauley - First Assistant Director Henry Hathaway - Director Frank Bracht - Editor Joseph E. Levine - Executive Producer Alfred Newman - Composer (Music Score) Wally Westmore - Makeup Del Acevedo - Makeup Lucien Ballard - Cinematographer Herbert Coleman - Production Manager Henry Hathaway - Producer Robert R. Benton - Set Designer George C. Thompson - Special Effects Paul K. Lerpae - Special Effects Harold Lewis - Sound/Sound Designer John Michael Hayes - Screenwriter Harold Robbins - Book Author

Nevada Smith
Hathaway's revenge Western, minimal enough in its dialogue to seem like a silent at times, is a perfect setting for McQueen's perennially aggrieved persona. Although often primitive in its technique, the austere beauty of the film's Western locations, its leisurely pace, and the methodical nature of the hero's pursuit imbue its inevitable violence with a strangely meditative cast. Unlike action films of recent decades, where revenge is usually swift and sure, Nevada Smith underlines the exhaustive nature of McQueen's search and the sheer physical toll of killing even one man. As the years pass, the film records the ugly transformation of the vulnerable kid into a stone-cold killer. Except for Arthur Kennedy, who is reliably good in the meatiest of the roles afforded the villains, McQueen so dominates the film that the excellent cast really only needs to use a fraction of their talent. Among its spectacular locations are Mount Ritter and Banner Peak in California, and Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: English Sound Processing: DD: Generic Dolby Digital (unspecified format) Additional Features: cc Widescreen version enhanced for 16:9 TVs English subtitles Dolby Digital: English Mono, French Mono DVD Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1: Cinemascope MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 130 min Part of Series: Paramount Widescreen Collection   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. The Murder of Max Sand's Family [10:19] 2. Setting Out for Revenge [12:42] 3. Jonas Cord [5:38] 4. Studying Up [5:29] 5. Going Where the Money Is [6:09] 6. Killing Jesse Coe [7:22] 7. Neesa [4:28] 8. Looking for Names [3:31] 9. "The Word Is Apprehended" [12:25] 10. Enemies and Friends [5:31] 11. Dying in Sin [7:03] 12. Mean as Tom Fitch [12:18] 13. Father Zaccardi [8:04] 14. "Smith... Nevada Smith" [7:39] 15. Aiming to Kill [7:59] 16. "Finish Me!" [8:11]