The Furies!

Coming out Tuesday is an elegant DVD edition of Anthony Mann’s 1950 Freudian western The Furies. Starring Walter Huston as a ruthless cattle baron named T. C. Jeffords, and Barbara Stanwyck as his devoted, fiery daughter Vance, the black and white movie is beautifully composed and fascinating in its psychological implications as Stanwyck becomes unhinged when her father brings a new mother-to-be (Judith Anderson) to the ranch and she sets out to destroy him because of it. Wendell Corey, who plays a shady banker who toys with Stanwyck’s affection, says to her later in the movie: “You’ve found a new love in your life, haven’t you, Vance? You’re in love with hate.”

Gilbert Roland plays a Mexican love interest and there are quite a few unforgettable moments (one involving a hurled pair of scissor, which is staggering). A pretty terrific film, the DVD has got audio commentary by film historian Jim Kitses, plus a 1967 television documentary on director Anthony Mann and a loving tribute by Nina Mann, the director’s daughter, which is particularly touching.