Johnny Guitar Movie Review 1953

Women strap on six-guns in Nicholas Ray's unintentionally hilarious, gender-bending western. A guitar-playing loner wanders into a small town feud between lovelorn saloon owner Crawford and McCambridge, the town's resident lynch mob-leading harpy. This fascinating cult favorite has had film theorists arguing for decades: is it a parody, a political McCarthy-era allegory, or Freudian exercise? The off-screen battles of the two female stars are equally legendary. Stick around for the end credits to hear Peggy Lee sing the title song.

Distribution

Lions Gate Entertainment, 2700 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90404, Phone: (310)449-9200, Fax: (310)255-3870, URL: http://www.lgf.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS
Running time 116 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Role Reversal, Westrogens

Screenplay

Philip Yordan

Cast

Joan Crawford, Ernest Borgnine, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge, Scott Brady, Ward Bond, Royal Dano, John Carradine, Ben Cooper, Frank Ferguson, Paul Fix, Denver Pyle

Cinematography

Harry Stradling

Director

Nicholas Ray

Music

Victor Young

Producer

Republic