Westerns are like music of the Classical period. They are always composed according to a strict formula. There are only so many situations that a Western producer can use: cowboys & Indians, gold-mining, and so on. Within those restrictions producers can do anything they wish, and they do some marvelous things too.

Bend of the River is a case in point. James Stewart is a fearless but good-humored hero who defeats insurmountable difficulties. Arthur Kennedy is as black a villain as there ever was, and Julia Adams is a fine heroine. The story brings in wagon trains, a gold-rush, slick gamblers, and even a Mississippi paddle-wheeler.

The story centers on Stewart's efforts to get a band of settlers established northwest of Portland, Oregon during the good old days. The real trouble comes when a gold-rush so corrupts Portland's Boss that he fails to send the settlers their winter supplies. Stewart and a band of Portland men steal the supplies and set out over a mountain range toward the settlement.

If the formula is wooden, the acting is not. Both hero and villain tend to be human and at times very funny, while the small part players are much more than dummies. There is enough action and suspense to satisfy anyone, and Technicolor makes the best of the beautiful Columbia River basin. Bend of the River is undoubtedly one of the best Westerns in a long time, and anyone who likes the formula should not miss it.