Principal cast
Joan Crawford as Vienna, Sterling Hayden as Johnny 'Guitar' Logan, Mercedes McCambridge as Emma Small, Scott Brady as Dancin' Kid, and Ward Bond as John McIvers
Film 181 of 244 on the Screen Path
Johnny Guitar
Gun-Queen of the Arizona Frontier! And her kind of men!
About the film
Johnny Guitar at a glance.
Screen Path places this 1954 film at stop 181 in one curated journey through cinema. The learning experience adds context before you watch and deeper analysis after.
On the outskirts of town, the hard-nosed Vienna owns a saloon frequented by the undesirables of the region, including Dancin' Kid and his gang. Another patron of Vienna's establishment is Johnny Guitar, a former gunslinger and her lover. When a heist is pulled in town that results in a man's death, Emma Small, Vienna's rival, rallies the townsfolk to take revenge on Vienna's saloon – even without proof of her wrongdoing.
Key craft credits
Harry Stradling Sr. (director of photography), Richard L. Van Enger (editor), Victor Young (original music composer), Philip Yordan (screenplay), and James W. Sullivan (art direction)
- Director
- Nicholas Ray
- Release
- 1954-05-26
- Runtime
- 110 minutes
- Genres
- Western
- Country
- United States
- Quiz
- 50 questions
The Screen Path journey
Before. After. Remember.
The featured film is watched outside Screen Path. The app provides the learning experience around it: a guide, an analysis, and a quiz with explanations.
01
Before you watch
Start with a spoiler-free video guide to the context and filmmaking choices worth noticing.
Spoiler-free02
After the film
Return after watching for a deeper video analysis of craft, meaning, and legacy.
Contains spoilers03
Quiz yourself
Answer 50 questions with clear rationales designed to make the ideas stick.
50 questions in this journeyWant to try a complete journey on the web? The Citizen Kane page includes the spoiler-free guide, after-film analysis, and a sample quiz.
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