If you like western scenery, this one is for you. The outdoor shots were filmed in Red Canyon Crossing, Sedona,AZ. The red rocks and the Arizona colors are spectacular. The movie itself, however, not so much ! Much has been said about the "plot" and the "cult wonderfulness" of the film. I did not "get it". I usually just watch a film and either like it or not. This one tho' PHEW! I was distracted by so many things, the awful makeup done by Crawford herself and by the gosh-darn-terrible scene chewing by the "leading ladies" BOTH of them. Not to mention the total lack of chemistry between the "love interests" . The supporting players did their best with what they were given. Carradine, Borgnine, Bond and Royal Dano among the best.Don't usually react to stuff like this but : Johnny Guitar tells Vienna that it's like hiding out with a lit lantern as she is flouncing around the woods and rocks in her White Chiffon swirly whirly dress. She just happens to have a clothesline in her cave's basement with garments handy for changing into. So what does she pick ? A SCARLET SHIRT ! For hiding in the woods !The whole "phantom of the opera" like scene with the piano in the cave ... ugh ! Another "pick-picky". McCambridge gleefully shoots down the chandelier and the building immediately erupts into total flame mode. The go to the bridge and do their little rope trick and come back much to the STILL BURNING BUILDING ! It's that kind of a picture. Called a "masterpiece" by some but not by all.

I first saw this in film-grad school and didn't like it. I knew it was beloved by man cineasts but I just couldn't get over how artificial and over-the-top it was. I rewatched it recently and thought it fantastic! A bizarre experience, this film at once seems a work of genius and "so bad its good". Its allegorical critique of McCarthyism is spot-on and politically on-point. The gender-dynamic is one-of-a-kind. Both the main protagonist and antagonist are women, perhaps singular for a western of its era. Even yet, however, I can't call any work feminist that contains the following dialogue: "She hates him because he's the only man who ever made her feel like a woman, and she can't stand that!" The, um, operatic story is undeniably involving, if also ridiculous.

Nicholas Ray has taken a theme of America's expansion westward to the Pacific and brought us two strong women who embody landownership, cattle barons and the ever widening industrial revolution and urbanism that will challenge and ultimately vanquish older capitalist forms of power. Love is a theme but the women, Vienna played with nerve and steel by Joan Crawford and the impulsive Emma Small by Mercedes Cambridge overshadow the men in the film. And it's a duel in sun between the whore that made good as a bar girl and now has a title for land the railroad will develop and she will build a town on it, and Small the gun totting land and cattle baroness. is 'Johnny Guitar' a precursor of feminism? It's up to you to judge. Nonetheless, it's Crawford's finer hour.

Although it's largely known today for its camp value (most of which is due to Joan Crawford), this wonderful film is so much more than something to snicker at. It's an intelligent, colorful western with a great cast and solid direction from Nicholas Ray. It's a story of a battle of wills between two women - - saloon owner Vienna (Joan Crawford) and rancher Emma (Mercedes McCambridge). Emma hates Vienna with a passion and intends to see her dead no matter what it takes. Brought into the struggle between these two is a gang of outlaws led by the Dancin' Kid (Scott Brady), a mob of 'upright citizens' led by rancher John McIvers (Ward Bond), and a guitar-playing gunslinger named -- you guessed it -- Johnny Guitar (Sterling Hayden).Joan Crawford does a fine job as Vienna. As with most of Crawford's later output, her performance is overshadowed by her looks and wardrobe. I'm as guilty as the next person of having a laugh at Joan but I try to keep in mind she was a great actress who, more often than not, delivered the goods. I see some reviewers referring to her performance here as hysterical or campy but I don't see that. She's pretty subdued by Crawford standards. This isn't Queen Bee or Torch Song. Mercedes McCambridge does an amazing job as Emma, almost to the point of making me uncomfortable while watching. Emma is a virulent character seething with hatred and, given the behind-the-scenes stories of how McCambridge really did hate Crawford, it makes you wonder where the line is blurred between the actress and her role. You definitely feel the tension between the two in all of their scenes. Of the rest of the cast, the other standout is Sterling Hayden. He's a wooden actor I'm not always a big fan of. He walks that fine line between bad and good that few actors pull off successfully. I will say that he gives one of his more charming turns here and it's possibly my favorite performance of his for that reason.The movie was filmed in Republic's Trucolor process and it looks fabulous. A lot's been written about this one over the years. There's certainly a great deal of symbolism and subtext for movie buffs to chew on. So it works on the level of giving you something to think about but it also works as simple entertainment. Nicholas Ray wanted to do a different kind of western than people were used to in 1954 and he certainly accomplished that. Definitely recommended, not just for western fans or fans of the actors, but for anyone who likes their movies to be both entertaining and smart. Oh and it served as partial inspiration for Once Upon a Time in the West. It warrants viewing for that alone.