Customer Reviews

Carbine Williams

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is one of Stewart's lesser known movies, but it deserves to be better known. Stewart plays an imprisoned felon who got caught while doing a little moonshining, and killed a federal officer in the process. Now in prison, he has nothing to do but think about guns and how to design and build a better one.

One of the most memorable scenes is when the warden confines him to solitary for an infraction. Stewart lasts longer than any other man without breaking, and when he gets out, the warden asks Stewart how he did it. Stewart explains that he imagined the walls of his cell covered with all the guns he knew and loved, and he just lay there, taking them apart and putting them back together again. The warden finds this astonishing and incredible, but nevertheless, Stewart managed to beat the warden at his own game.

Eventually, Stewart and the warden make their peace and when Stewart gets an idea for a new gun with a "...bolt that only moves 1/30th of an inch..." the warden, equally incredulous that such a gun could be designed and built, allows Stewart to work on it at the prison machine shop. When he completes the gun, the warden allows him to test fire it in a demonstration, becoming the only prisoner to ever fire a live weapon in the prison. The gun is a success and was eventually adopted by the U.S. military.

Although as I said, one of his lesser known movies, it's still one of the best and should be better known, and available on DVD. It's worth renting, especially if you're a Stewart fan if you can find a rental place that carries it.

David Marshall "Marsh" "Carbine" Williams was my great Grandfather. He passed in 1975. He never made moonshine in the NC mountians, as you say. He lived in the eastern part of NC.This is where he practiced his craft and was arrested.
In difference with the 1st reviewer again; He most definiatly would hurt a fly. He was a mean cuss who often booby trapped his top secret work shop door with loaded guns. He could and did whip most men who challenged him in any fashion and hence had earned a lot of respect or fear from those who knew him. A "G man" was killed on a raid on HIS still. He took the blame because it was the right thing to do. He was a true mechanical genius. He overcame a tremendous amount of tourture by the warden as was the custom with willful prisioners. James Stewart did a great job in the movie. "Marsh" was on the set making sure of it. Want to know the real story? Read the book written about him. He approved it and proof read it.
My name is Tom Williams and these are the facts.

This is one of those classic movies not to be missed. If you enjoyed "Birdman of Alcatraz" with the fine performance by Burt Lancaster, you will definitely want to see James Stewart in "Carbine Williams". It floors me this isn't on DVD yet. I see so much trash come out on DVD everyday and yet classics like "African Queen", and others like this gem of a movie are overlooked.

Synopsis: An ornery moonshiner is partially responsible for the killing of an agent on a raid of his still. He goes to prison and over the years develops a respect for the law and his country. He designs a carbine automatic rifle while in prison and it is tested and then used by the US military. Don't miss this movie if you can catch it. I highly recommend it for the whole family.

FINALLY they put this on DVD - - - WHAT TOOK THEM SO LONG??? I remember the real David Marshall (Carbine) Williams appearing on a TV show years ago. As I understand it, the rifle used in the movie was the actual rifle he invented. A great story of how a gun got him into prison and another gun got him out, the CORRECT way. I'm glad somebody FINALLY got around to putting it on video. WAY TO GO, WHOEVER you are.

...considering the soundtrack on this DVD is worse than any broadcast of the film on TCM I've ever seen. Maybe it was just my particular disc, but this product really disappointed. The video quality was excellent, but what does that matter if you have unconstrained noise on the audio? Do note that this is an unrestored DVD-R of this film issued by Warner Brothers with absolutely no extras and no chapter stops. You can only go forwards and backwards in ten minute increments.

As for the movie itself, it is an excellent and unusual film starring James Stewart as a moonshiner serving a thirty year sentence for the death of a federal officer who raided his still. Williams is quite bitter as he really doesn't understand why and how he landed in prison, and doesn't feel like his fate is just. He and the warden of the prison (Wendell Corey) soon wind up in a semi-adversarial relationship, with the warden seeing that Williams is an exceptional individual, but still needing to rein him in for the purpose of maintaining order at the prison. In time the trust between the two grows as the warden really sticks his neck out and allows Williams to work on building an experimental rifle in the prison metal shop.

I highly recommend this film, but as a disappointed customer I advise you steer clear of this product.

Excellent film as shown on television many years ago....was able to enjoy this when my father told me what the characters were saying. (I am deaf)
Now that it is on DVD, why oh why does it NOT have English subtitles?
Now that it is 2010, an era of the MOST modern technology, just why won't the makers include subtitles?

I saw this film as a child with my father. It seemed it took forever for DVD release. Upon viewing again for the first time as an adult I was duly impressed with Stewart's acting, Not really a character he would portray which I think made it all the more enjoyable. I am aware that some liberties were taken in contrast to Mr. Williams' actual life. That's Hollywood at the time. Overall a great performance and a Class A film. Solid Biopic.

I love any movie with Jimmy Stewart in them and this is one of the best, been waiting for this to come out for years

I thought that this title was no longer available. I saw this film over 50 years ago and it was great to be able to purchase it on DVD.

I have waited years and years to see this movie again. I thinks it cost .50 to see at saturday matinee