The Furies
A masterful blend of melodrama and Western, dark, psychological, and stylish, this film draws inspiration from King Lear and features stellar performances by Walter Huston and Barbara Stanwyck. Stanwyck plays Vance, the determined daughter of a wealthy rancher at war with Mexicans settled on New Mexico land. Banished from her home by a father smitten with his future stepmother, Vance plots her revenge. Unlike John Ford’s focus on American mythology, director Anthony Mann’s westerns are more concerned with existential dilemmas, where characters battle inner turmoil rather than external enemies. Vance is a strikingly complex and strong female lead for her time—devoted to her father yet manipulative and power-hungry. In one defining moment, she turns to her companion in a carriage and says, Do you mind if I take the reins? I like to know where I’m going.
Anthony Mann
Anthony Mann started his career directing B movies before establishing himself as a master of film noir in the late 1940s. Though never achieving star director status, Mann gained recognition for navigating between popular genres of the time, particularly excelling in westerns and historical epics. He became best known for his psychologically complex westerns, especially the series with James Stewart (Winchester '73, Bend of the River), where he infused the genre with the darker tones characteristic of his noir roots.
Selected filmography
1947 T-Men
1948 Raw Deal
1949 Konflikt na granicy / Border Incident
1950 Winchester 73
1952 Zakole rzeki / Bend of the River
1953 Zatoka sztormów / Thunder Bay
1961 Cyd / Cid
1965 Bohaterowie Telemarku / The Heroes of Telemark
Cast & Crew
