GUNMAN’S WALK (1958)

US PREMIERE RESTORATION

One of the greatest behind the scenes craftsmen of the Western genre was cinematographer Charles Lawton Jr. He created indelible images for key works by John Ford (The Last Hurrah (1958)) and Orson Welles (The Lady from Shanghai (1947)) while also specializing in outdoor action. Although he spent most of his career working in black and white, his color Westerns are particularly vibrant, as revealed by the U.S. premiere restoration of this picture from director Phil Karlson. A noted specialist in film noir, Karlson brings the same hard-hitting treatment of violent emotions to this tale of a tough rancher (Van Heflin) dealing with his two sons: the hotheaded Tab Hunter and the sensitive James Darren. The father-son conflicts allow Karlson and screenwriter Frank S. Nugent to explore deeper issues related to the morality of violence. When both sons fall for a part-Sioux woman (Kathryn Grant), the film addresses the topic of race, a theme Nugent had visited in his earlier scripts for The Searchers (1956).

d. Phil Karlson, 95m, DCP

DCP courtesy of Sony Pictures.

Restored in 4K from the 35mm original picture negative and the 35mm original magnetic mono soundtrack master by Sony Pictures Entertainment. 4K scanning and digital image restoration by Cineric, Inc. Sound restoration by BluWave Audio. Color grading, conforming, additional image restoration, and DCP creation (preserving the original Cinemascope aspect ratio 2.55:1) by Motion Picture Imaging.