The Ox-Bow Incident in 35mm

The Ox-Bow Incident in 35mm

In William A. Wellman’s scorching examination of the Western’s soul, The Ox-Bow Incident finds cowboys Gil Carter (Henry Fonda) and Art Croft (Harry Morgan) interrogating the legitimacy of frontier justice in 1885 Nevada. A lynching party is formed after the reported murder of a rancher, sending the denizens of Bridger’s Wells into a frenzy to find those responsible—no matter the moral cost or difficulty—to execute a questionable rule of law. Nominated for Best Picture, Wellman’s film provides a dark testament to hollow authority and a sobering reminder of human cruelty.

DIRECTED BY: William A. Wellman. WRITTEN BY: Lamar Trotti. WITH: Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Mary Beth Hughes, Anthony Quinn. 1943. 75 min. USA. B&W. English. 35mm. New print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.

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