Tonight's Movie: The Virginian (1946) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Last month I reviewed Alan Ladd in WHISPERING SMITH (1948) from the new Western Classics I collection released by Kino Lorber.

Tonight I returned to the set to watch Joel McCrea as THE VIRGINIAN (1946). I hadn't seen this film since 2010 and have looked forward to revisiting it.

I'd forgotten over the past decade that THE VIRGINIAN's story is mostly seen through the eyes of Molly Wood (Barbara Britton), an Eastern schoolteacher newly arrived in the frontier town of Medicine Bow.

Molly longed for a more adventurous life than she'd have in her hometown, but even so, she's not quite sure what to make of the wild Western town or its inhabitants, who include a cowboy known only as the Virginian (McCrea) and his pal Steve (Sonny Tufts).

Molly and the Virginian start off on the wrong foot, but he's smitten with pretty Molly and persistent in courting her. Molly gradually unbends, discovering that the Virginian is an honorable man; however, she's dismayed when he must mete out frontier justice, first when Steve is caught cattle rustling and later when he's challenged to a shootout by evil Trampas (Brian Donlevy).

Much like WHISPERING SMITH, THE VIRGINIAN isn't a great Western, but it's solid and enjoyable entertainment. The main issue working against the film is that the screenplay by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett (THE THIN MAN) could have done a better job developing the story and title character, as except for key scenes of conflict, we don't know much about the interior life of the Virginian; instead the audience mostly sees him through Molly's eyes, only learning about him gradually.

That formula works to an extent, but the story is truncated, with references to some events we don't see, so the character development is on the thin side. At 87 minutes, this is a movie which could easily have stood another 10 minutes or so to more fully develop the character of the Virginian and his relationship with Molly. Instead, we're left with something of an enigma when it comes to the leading man.

The longest section of the film focusing on the Virginian is unfortunately also the most disturbing part of the movie, when the Virginian has to deal with the fact his old pal Steve is on the wrong side of the law. I frankly find this part of the film difficult to watch.

The rest of the movie I quite enjoy. Britton's initial rejection of the Virginian may be overdone -- I mean, he's Joel McCrea! -- but I like Britton, who starred in a favorite mystery, COVER UP (1949), and I appreciated that the movie is different from the norm in its focus on the leading lady. McCrea, of course, is always a pleasure to watch.

Donlevy, dressed all in black, is terrific as the sardonic, nasty Trampas, and Tufts is sympathetic as Steve, a nice guy who makes some really bad choices. I especially enjoyed Fay Bainter and Henry O'Neill as the settlers responsible for hiring Molly. The fine cast also includes Tom Tully, William Frawley, Nana Bryant, Paul Guilfoyle, Marc Lawrence, Willard Robertson, Vince Barnett, and Ann Carter.

The movie was directed by Stuart Gilmore, and the beautiful Technicolor photography was by Harry Hallenberger, with most of the exteriors shot on Southern California ranches. The Goodrich-Hackett script was based on Howard Estabrook's adaption of the classic Owen Wister novel.

The last time I saw this film was on VHS, so while I can't compare the Blu-ray to DVD releases of the past decade, it was a big upgrade for me which I really enjoyed watching. The print is crisp, with a strong soundtrack.

Extras on the disc include a commentary by Lee Gambin and Rutanya Alda, the trailer, and an additional trailer for another Joel McCrea Western.

A fun postscript: Last year at a fundraiser for McCrea Ranch I won posters for THE VIRGINIAN in a raffle! You can read about that event in a column I wrote for Classic Movie Hub.

Still to come is a review of the final film in this Western set, WHEN THE DALTONS RODE (1940) starring Randolph Scott.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.