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"Winchester '73" is a western which is so good that even people who don't normally care for westerns would enjoy it. The story is unusual (the passage of a coveted firearm from one person to another as the story progresses), the cast star-studded (a young Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis are among those with small roles), and the plot fast-moving (it was one of several collaborations between actor James Stewart and director Anthony Mann that turned out a series of superior films). The commentary with Stewart also covers other facets and films of his career and, for film historians, is probably worth the price of the DVD all by itself. Will Geer's particular take on the character of Wyatt Earp is not to be missed, nor is Dan Duryea's pscho gunfighter, Waco Johnny Dean. This is simply a great picture from the '50s, when they knew how to tell an exciting story.

In the 50s, James Stewart made five fine westerns with director Anthony Mann. The others in this series were: "Bend of the River," "The Man from Laramie," "The Naked Spur," and "The Far Country." Not quite in the same league as the best of Budd Boetticher's much lower-budgeted Randolph Scott classics, but Mann's films are now considered western classics that helped revive the popularity of westerns as a film genre. But these Stewart starring cowboy tales are even more famous in Hollywood for changing the way it does business. Stewart gambled on hardly any money up front in exchange for a share of the studio's take. He got rich from this shrewd business move. He trusted his instincts to pick a great script and work with a director who understood story and knew how to deliver a final product that people would eagerly pay to see. Set in 1876, Lin McAdam (Stewart), on his way to compete in a sharp-shooting contest on the 4th of July with his prized repeating rifle, a Winchester model 1973, gets his gun stolen and tracks it down. The story is simple but the plot is complex with lots of action, twists and surprises. Stewart is terrific as a single-minded determined man committed to risk all to get his beloved gun. This very American movie resonates on many levels, but none more so that in Stewart's uncanny skill in conveying the ineffable core of what it means to believe in freedom and justice and the right of a man to own a gun. And why it matters. Stewart was in the best sense of the word an all-American on screen and off. Well-liked in Hollywood, her served in WW II and was widely known for treating all the people on movie sets as equals. And friendly to fans as well. He was humble, self-effacing and somehow authentic. So like the men he often played on screen. I got to know Stewart briefly and looked forward to spending my lunch hour on the set with him when he was on break from shooting "Fools Parade." Stewart was an avid wildlife photographer. I had some recent experiences shooting (with a camera) animals in Africa and he was about to go on a safari with his wife and daughters. He talked about his new Nikon camera and wanted to not be hampered with a lot of equipment. We talked about lenses and the real dangers of being in the wild. He had strong feeling about protecting wild animals before it became the politically correct thing to do. He said he would never go on a hunting safari, only a photo one. I got the impression he was a gun owner, strong second amendment supporter but would only shoot humans in self-defense or to protect his country. I liked him a lot in the brief time we spent together and wished I had asked him more about the movies he made. Watching him act, I don't think I ever saw anyone who did it with such effortless grace. He intuitively understood the character he was playing and you could actually see the subtle changes in his face and body language and hear the new tone of his voice when the director shouted "action" and then witness it evaporate when the director said "cut." It was as if Stewart was possessed, but in a very good way. If you get a chance to see "Winchester '73," you'll see great American who loves his gun as much as his life. And you will understand what's at stake in this organic relationship that shaped a nation and still does.

All for the love of a one of its kind,Winchester rifle,patented 1873,the kind of gun every kid dreams of,and will set the tone for this one of a kind western,starring Jimmy Stewart,Shelly Winters and Dan Duryea,directed by the legendary Anthony Mann. The film starts off with a bang,like the races,as the town's best known marksmen shoot it out to the end for the possession of this highly prized firearm which is passed down from hand to hand until the rightful owner takes the trophy home. There's no slacking in the acting department in this one,Shelly Winters gives an outstanding performance,as so does Dan Duryea as his usual ruthless character,and James Stewart is right on the top of his game,all featured in this motion picture worthy of viewing time and time again,a credit to the western genre,Winchester '73 is featured in black and white.

Being able to find a unique gift like the movie Winchester 73 is very important to me. I happen to give my brother a birthday gift every year that has his birthday+1 in it. I have been doing this for many years. Hence when I searched the number 73 (as he really only is 72) I was delighted to come up with Winchester 73 because not only did it provide the unique gift but he is also a western movie buff. The gift was perfect

The first of a string of westerns that Mann and Stewart would work on, it is credited with reviving the genre in the 1950's -- a decade that would see a number of classic western movies. It shows the other side of Jimmy Stewart's screen persona: a bitter, driven man bent on revenge. Not the ah-shucks image people have of him. If you don't have this one, get it. In a decade that produced RED RIVER, HIGH NOON, THE SEARCHERS, MAN OF THE WEST and the Randolph Scott/Bud Boetticher films, this is the one that laid the groundwork for all the rest.

Reviews

The movie adaption is not up to the high standards set by Hillerman's novel [Novel gets a 5-star]. It had the elements to make it a good movie - great story, great actors and the most beautiful setting in the world, the Southwest. But they botched it up- bad direction and screenplay. The deviations from the original story (not major) and the additions were not needed. The scenes are incoherent and some left unexplained. Some of the dialogs are plain stupid, for instance - Emma shows up at Janet's apartment at 5 am looking concerned. And Janet says "This is not a good time". In the end it appears as if Leaphorn did not solve the case at all (different from novel). The pluses - Authentic locations (except at Chaco). Good acting by Studi and Beach. The movie does a decent job of showing the Navajo life on reservation, being somewhat true to the novel. And if you are bored of watching NYPD, CSI-Miami etc. etc., the Navajo Tribal Police Dept comes as a refreshing change.

I just finished the book a Thief of Time and then watched the movie. I really had to let go of the book in order to sit back and enjoy the movie(and also for my partner too, since I kept saying "but that is not right"). The characters were great depsite some changes. One for instance that kept bugging me on and off throughout the movie was Jim Chee. This is not the Jim Chee in the books...this Jim is more naive, innocent, lacks some of self responsiblity that he has in the books and much more talkative. Jim 'talks' a lot in the books..but that is because we are in his head but he is less talkative to people. He waits. He is patient. He listens. He is observant. These are not traits found in the Jim Chee in the movie. Plus, Joe and Chee have a respectful, guarded, but not really like each other relationship at this point in the series. In the movie, Chee is thinks the world of Joe and likes him quite a bit. I know it doesn't sound like, I enjoyed the movie..but I did. I am just sharing that it might be best to let go of what you have read in the books...to enjoy the film.

Great movie based on the book by Tony Hillerman. We Studi and Adam Beach make a great Chee/Leaphorn team.

Very rarely do movies catch a book's essence but in this case a thief in time does just that. While it can not capture all of the principal characters or go into the details of the book, this movie does a great job at providing suspense, drama and a well thought out plot. The acting is top notch with Adam Beach and Wes Studi not only filling the roles from the book above all expectations, they also have an on screen chemistry that makes their role even more believable. I would recommend this DVD to anyone who liked the late, great Tony Hillerman and hope that PBS makes more of them in the future.

The world just lost a great writer in Tony Hillerman. I would love to see the whole series of his books made into movies.

Reviews

The movie adaption is not up to the high standards set by Hillerman's novel [Novel gets a 5-star]. It had the elements to make it a good movie - great story, great actors and the most beautiful setting in the world, the Southwest. But they botched it up- bad direction and screenplay. The deviations from the original story (not major) and the additions were not needed. The scenes are incoherent and some left unexplained. Some of the dialogs are plain stupid, for instance - Emma shows up at Janet's apartment at 5 am looking concerned. And Janet says "This is not a good time". In the end it appears as if Leaphorn did not solve the case at all (different from novel). The pluses - Authentic locations (except at Chaco). Good acting by Studi and Beach. The movie does a decent job of showing the Navajo life on reservation, being somewhat true to the novel. And if you are bored of watching NYPD, CSI-Miami etc. etc., the Navajo Tribal Police Dept comes as a refreshing change.

I just finished the book a Thief of Time and then watched the movie. I really had to let go of the book in order to sit back and enjoy the movie(and also for my partner too, since I kept saying "but that is not right"). The characters were great depsite some changes. One for instance that kept bugging me on and off throughout the movie was Jim Chee. This is not the Jim Chee in the books...this Jim is more naive, innocent, lacks some of self responsiblity that he has in the books and much more talkative. Jim 'talks' a lot in the books..but that is because we are in his head but he is less talkative to people. He waits. He is patient. He listens. He is observant. These are not traits found in the Jim Chee in the movie. Plus, Joe and Chee have a respectful, guarded, but not really like each other relationship at this point in the series. In the movie, Chee is thinks the world of Joe and likes him quite a bit. I know it doesn't sound like, I enjoyed the movie..but I did. I am just sharing that it might be best to let go of what you have read in the books...to enjoy the film.

Great movie based on the book by Tony Hillerman. We Studi and Adam Beach make a great Chee/Leaphorn team.

Very rarely do movies catch a book's essence but in this case a thief in time does just that. While it can not capture all of the principal characters or go into the details of the book, this movie does a great job at providing suspense, drama and a well thought out plot. The acting is top notch with Adam Beach and Wes Studi not only filling the roles from the book above all expectations, they also have an on screen chemistry that makes their role even more believable. I would recommend this DVD to anyone who liked the late, great Tony Hillerman and hope that PBS makes more of them in the future.

The world just lost a great writer in Tony Hillerman. I would love to see the whole series of his books made into movies.

Reviews

This is a great product. Kristal Educational does a fantastic job in teaching archaeology, palentology, astronomy, or geology through a toy. This toy also teaches patience and perseverance. Sure, there is a mess issue, but it can be easily contained by simply using newsaper, a little attentiveness, and a "project area". Note: This is a "project" toy. It does take some time to complete. I would not recommend it to any child that has a low attention level. My daughter received the Wooly Mammoth Dig Kit as a gift and she enjoyed it immensely. She still proudly displays it today.

Reviews

Finding lots of scrapers and an arrowhead on our property got my wife and I curious about who made these artifacts and when. This book is a fantastic resource for learning about how to classify Paleo-Indian artifacts and should definitely be in the library of anyone who wants to know more about them. It's slightly off-putting that the prices of many pieces are included, obviously catering to the proliferation of commercial interests. But that's a purely personal opinion. Excellent book! Buy it!

Being a collector of Indian artifacts and coming from a family of the same, I think this book is awesome. It is informative and, with the pictures and values given, makes a great resource for the information I was looking for. I had great fun looking up and matching the pictures to the artifacts that I had found in our area of Wyoming. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in artifacts.

I was completely dissapointed in this book. On the pro side: it has a lot of pretty pictures and is hardbound. That is about it. It has no technical merit, nor is there any organization to it. It is simply a mosaic of photographs many of which are subjective as to whether they are truley paleo or not, and they do not represent all paleo tools equally. You will have to work to find examples of redstones here. It may be suitable as a coffee table nicknack, but as a reference or good read....Zzzzzz.

Once the reader is able to get by the occasional editorial oversight, any serious student, artifact collector or just someone interested in Paleo-Indian/Native American artifacts will find this book an excellent and most enjoyable resource. It is both easy to read as well as full of pictures of these hard to find artifacts. Beautifully photographed...that in itself makes it worth sitting down and enjoying.

As previous critiquer noted there is an error in the book RIGHT OFF THE BAT! Could ANYONE have proofread this and missed it? It made me not trust the rest of the book, valid as it might be.

Reviews

This book got far better reviews than it deserves. It mostly is an advertisement for the Author.

This is the best guide for the amateur archeologist we have found to date. Written in layman's terms, excellent photos and descriptions. Only disagreement we have is that the author suggests that it is acceptable to take some artifacts such as arrowheads. We disagree -- all are more valuable in situ.

Not only is this book very helpful to us amateur archaeologists, but it gives a great treatment of the feeling of doing fieldwork in southeastern Wyoming and northern Colorado. Being from this area, I was naturally thrilled to read about all the sites that are found practically in my back yard. The author writes in an extremely engaging manner and you will be hard-pressed to put the book down once you start reading. Highly recommended!

This one is a MUST HAVE for serious artifact hunters or for those who aspire to be... it's the ABSOLUTE BEST guide for finding ancient arrowheads and artifacts. The reason I like this one best is because it first educates the reader about all sorts of artifacts, with lots of photos; it explains what they look like and what they were used for, etc... just so you'll know "what" to look for out in the field. It then goes on to give information about the types of ancient sites, AND how to locate them !(I also like it because it's VERY inexpensive, for the information it imparts.) Sincerely, Terry Baxter WesternArtifacts.com

This book by Mr. Yeager is easy to read and is well thought out. I use it frequently to identify different artifacts that I come across. However, I wish that the point identification chart used actual photo examples rather than line drawings as the drawings are hard to use for identification purposes. Overall a very good artifact book for those interested in surface collecting.

Reviews

I believe Mr. Bennett is take over for one of the late great authors of artifacts. The book is well done like his Authentication Book. Looking forward to the next in the series!!

Purchased this book for my husband. My son has been collecting for years and has recently got him hooked! He loves this book and the detail!

Libraries catering to either archaeologists or amateur Indian collectors and historians will relish Jim Bennett's collector's guide ANCIENT INDIAN ARTIFACTS VOLUME 1: INTRODUCTION TO COLLECTING. It provides a fine survey of Indian artifacts, including Rowe's glossary of artifact terms, and covers artifacts ranging from pottery to arrowheads, drills, weights and more. More than just a valuation guide, it offers plenty of historical background on how the Indian artifacts were used, where they can be located, how they are identified and arranged into a collection, and other topics key to artifact collecting.

This new book is an overview of collecting ancient artifacts that will help novice and seasoned collectors alike understand their avocation. The thousands of artifacts, ranging from "field grade" to "museum quality", are all authentic and portrayed well with the excellent photography. Bennett begins with American prehistory and the timelines of archaeology then describes in detail the classes of artifacts encountered. Subsequent chapters define artifact grading and values, then how to build a collection. Reproductions are defined but as this book is only the first in a series of six, more details will come in future books. One of the best features in Volume 1 is the inclusion of Rowe's Glossary of Artifact Terms, a valuable resource for students of archaeology and hobbyists alike. Ancient Indian Artifacts Volume 1 Introduction to Collecting is sure to become a classic reference for all collectors of prehistoric relics. This is a first-class publication with unequalled information and photography that should be a part of all collection libraries.