Product Details

• Actors: Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden
• Directors: Nicholas Ray
• Region: All Regions
• Studio: South Korea
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001IN1GMY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,864 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

High Quality import from Korea~~~Audio: English~~Subtitles: Korean/Off..../Plot Summary: Vienna has built a saloon outside of town, and she hopes to build her own town once the railroad is put through, but the townsfolk want her gone. When four men hold up a stagecoach and kill a man the town officials, led by Emma Small, come to the saloon to grab four of Vienna's friends, the Dancin' Kid and his men. Vienna stands strong against them, and is aided by the presence of an old acquaintance of hers, Johnny Guitar, who is not what he seems.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars outrageous camp western with Joan Crawford, May 10, 2009

By 

Byron Kolln (the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Johnny Guitar (Import , All Regions), Joan Crawford (DVD)

JOHNNY GUITAR is a very enjoyable western melodrama with Joan Crawford, strikingly filmed in colour, as Vienna the misunderstood saloon owner who spearheads the drive for a railroad to be built through her small town. She comes under the hatred and scorn of her fellow townsfolk, not the least of which a scary pariah called Emma Small (played wonderfully by Mercedes McCambridge in another of her trademark characters with bull-dyke tendencies). Vienna's only help lies in her former love, Johnny Guitar (Sterling Hayden). When Vienna is accused of taking part in a robbery it sets into motion a chain of events that could end in her lynching...

This film is a hair's breath from being high-camp. Joan Crawford plays Vienna in her usual style, exchanging insults and threats with McCambridge in the film's most memorable scenes. A choice line of McCambridge is "She's nuthin' but a railroad tramp". Watching their scenes made me think of Faye Dunaway and Diana Scarwid in MOMMIE DEAREST, they seem to create the same energy on screen, perhaps they watched JOHNNY GUITAR in preparing for their performances?...

JOHNNY GUITAR is more than a western, and a must-see for fans of Crawford.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Queen of Clean versus the Queen of Mean, November 9, 2009

By 

JGC - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Johnny Guitar (Import , All Regions), Joan Crawford (DVD)

Find out why a hive can only support 1 Queen-Bee when you watch JOAN's **Greatest Triumph**!

If you've never seen this movie you're in for a big surprise and even a guilty pleasure. And, if you have seen it then you've found a rare gem, that is cinematic gold, courtesy of the one and only, world-famed, Joan Crawford (may she rest in peace).

After more than a year I just saw this movie again and each time I watch it it's like the very first time. I can't begin to tell you how much I adore "Johnny Guitar." It's a broad mix of high-drama, action, country and western and buckles, boots & spurs! Some have even said that it's somewhat of a musical. No matter how you describe it though, you'll agree that the entire movie is like 1 huge Joan Crawford infomercial. Joan got the best scenes, the best costumes, the best lines and all the men were all in love with her and fighting for her. But she's Joan Crawford and what the woman wants the woman gets.

What I liked most about the movie is how it ended. So dramatic and over-the-top and in pure Joan Crawford cinema fashion! And usually at the end of an epic picture such as "Johnny Guitar" I am somewhat morose, but not this time. Because it's so beautiful and almost a celebration of the picture. I love how Johnny (Sterling Hayden) takes Vienna (Joan) and they kiss passionately under the waterfall as Peggy Lee's title anthem plays, then all of a sudden a huge eagle eclipses the screen with the words REPUBLIC imposed over it. So dramatic!

The film is important because it says so much. You can watch it strictly as a western and get a lot out of it. Or, you can sit and analyse the societal issues that plague both the Dancin' Kid's (played by character actor, Scott Brady) posse and Emma Small (Mercedes McCambridge) and her gang. And perhaps you'll see that this is a story of rich, verses poor, or a story of a lovelorn, bitter and scorned woman who will stop at nothing to spread her rueful hate because damn it if she's miserable she's going to make sure that everyone that gets in her way will be miserable, too.

Speaking of miserable, Mercedes McCambridge played the perfect adversary to Joan. No, the 2 didn't like each other because they were each desperately envious of the other (for very different reasons). And in many scenes this viewer could see such raw emotion that broke the 4th wall and spilled out in real life. (Watch the first scene with Joan on the steps and Mercedes standing in front of her saying "I'm going to kill you." That look in both of their eyes cannot be duplicated because like the galaxies in the universe, it is completely unique). I think if Mercedes McCambridge learned anything it's that you don't mess with Joan Crawford, when she's been the reigning drama(tic) queen for the past 30 years prior.

The coup de grâce has gotta be when Emma scampers back into Vienna's and shoots down that huge, grand chandelier (that I think every Joan Crawford movie has). It wasn't enough that she railroaded Turkey (Ben Cooper) into betraying Vienna and it wasn't enough that she was about to have the 2 hung. Nope, this old (rhymes with) witch wanted to see Vienna's good time saloon burn as wild and hot as the hell-fire torch that she's held for the Dancin' Kid. (Or was all that just a rouse to hide the lurid lust that Emma really felt for Vienna...?)

Although in essence this was purely Joan's picture, there was something very intriguing about Mercedes McCambridge's character, Emma. Emma was the type of person who was desperate for love and desperate for attention; she wanted to have all eyes on her. But as much as she wanted to have people near her, that's how much she pushed them (all) away. I felt pity for her because she put up such a fight against Vienna, and although she played very dirty she still couldn't catch a break. Even her own posse was practically routing for Vienna. To me, the character of Emma is essentially more decisive than Vienna. Because Emma was a representation of what can happen if you let hate consume you. Like a disease it eats you up inside and it's all you can think about until you literally implode.

Contrary to the Wikipedia "Johnny Guitar" page the film has never been released officially on "DVD formats." There is actually no official release of the film in any country on DVD, including the US. The item on this page is a DVD that although is made in South Korea is actually marketed to the US by a company that holds no proprietary rights over the picture. This DVD is non-region specific and includes Korean subtitles (however they're very simple to shut off). No special features are included and it has not been remastered in any way, shape, or form. The price for this on Amazon is fairly reasonable, however if you look on ebay or half you may find a slightly lower price. By the way, I have included some pictures of this DVD.

"Johnny Guitar" is also important because it included such a first-rate cast of very talented and established supporting stars. To name just a couple, Mr. Ernest Borgnine (a year before his defining picture, "Marty") played Bart Lonergan, a member of the Dancin' Kid's posse. In this role, Mr. Borgnine played against type, but even so, he was so believable and convincing as the group's resident Judas in disguise. And veteran western character actor Royal Dano played Corey, another member of the posse, who, like all of the men that came into contact with her had a special place in his heart for Vienna.

Someday (soon???!!) I hope whomever owns the rights to the film (Republic, CBS Pictures/Video & Audio Communications, Inc.?) gets their act together and releases this modern-day masterpiece onto DVD. Joan Crawford fans have been waiting diligently for years to watch what was once described as "Joan's greatest triumph" in all its raging, colorful glory. Personally, I would be just happy with a straight transfer onto DVD, it doesn't need any extras or special features whatsoever.

"No excuse for a picture being this bad, or for me making it," Joan once said about "Johnny Guitar." Needless to say, as the perfectionist that she always was, Joan did not like anything that did not meet her high standards and "Johnny Guitar" was one of her movies that she never really accepted and in fact collectively went out of her way not to promote. But what's most unusual about Joan and what really says a lot about her character is that no matter how excellent a movie was that she made, she always was so humble and so gracious and so kind to her colleagues. But with a film that was less than perfect (in her mind) such as this one she tended to take all of the burden and blame herself completely. I just wish Joan were still alive today to see an entirely new generation of fans, fans who were not even born when she passed away, enjoy this movie for the very first time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the great yet cruelly overlooked films of the 1950s, April 18, 2011

By 

Jeff Crouse - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Johnny Guitar (Import , All Regions), Joan Crawford (DVD)

Whenever I lecture before general audiences or film students and explain what elements comprise the essential grammar of cinema (the lighting, performances, editing, costumes, art direction, script, music, photography, etc), I ALWAYS use the opening 15 minutes of Johnny Guitar. Nothing, aside from Rebel Without a Cause, made the following year by the same director (Nicholas Ray), better communicates these features more palpably -- and interestingly -- than this film. Yet despite these virtues, the film is hardly known in its native country. Although it was initially a popular hit in the US, the critics didn't take to it (its feminist theme and gender bending were decades ahead of their time) and so it eventually fell away from consciousness and distribution. In contrast, however, the French instantly recognized its achievement, followed by the British. In Europe then, and later in parts of Asia, the film attained a very devoted following, but to this day the average American is likely to shake his head and say "Johnny what?" Time to rectify this injustice.