The Naked Spur

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Anthony Mann directs. William C. Mellor behind the camera. Bronislau Kaper scores. George White cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Shot for just $1.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
• 273 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
• 3Directed by Anthony Mann, shot by William C. Mellor. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 4Original score by Bronislau Kaper. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 5Editor George White shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 6James Stewart and Janet Leigh and Robert Ryan carry the top of the cast.
• 7Marketing tagline: "Packed with Technicolor Thrills!".
• 8IMDB entry: tt0044953 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 9Classified under 15 themes, including "bounty hunter", "escape", "ambush", "greed".

The technical file

Cinematography

William C. Mellor

Original score

Bronislau Kaper

Editing

George White

Makeup / hair

John Truwe

Runtime

91 min · 1h 31m

Status

Released

Budget

$1,261,000

Original language

EN

IMDB

The Naked Spur (1953) ↗

Rotten Tomatoes

100% 🍅 Fresh

IMDB rating

7.3/10 · 13,179 votes

MPAA

Approved

Also by

Anthony Mann

• 
  Moonlight in Havana

  1942 · ★ 9.0
• 
  My Best Gal

  1944 · ★ 9.0
• 
  Nobody's Darling

  1943 · ★ 8.0
• 
  Winchester '73

  1950 · ★ 7.3
• 
  The Furies

  1950 · ★ 7.1
• 
  The Man from Laramie

  1955 · ★ 7.1

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Encountering a Blackfeet Tribe Hunting Party

  Clip · Official
• 

  ▶
  Allison Anders on THE NAKED SPUR

  Featurette
• 

  ▶
  The Naked Spur - Trailer

  Trailer · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• CinemaSerf2025-12-19
  ★ 7/10

  There were not that many actors who could cross the genres as effortlessly as James Stewart, and he proves that here in this superior western that pitches him as disgruntled bounty hunter “Kemp”. He is on the trail of the ingenious “Vandergroat” (Robert Ryan) who’s found himself a vantage point that he can readily defend with rifle and rocks. “Kemp” is a lone wolf, so isn’t naturally inclined to work with the wandering prospector “Tate” (Millard Mitchell) nor with the dubious and flamboyant soldier “Anderson” (Ralph Meeker) - especially when they learn there is $5,000 riding on the head of their quarry. Anyway, team up they do and soon they manage to ensare not just “Vandergroat” but his feisty gal “Lina” (Janet Leigh) too. Now he still has to get him turned-in before anyone gets a red cent, but this small and untrusting group still have their problems to face - not least some Indians on the warpath and a duplicitous “Vandergroat” who is determined to use bribery, corruption and/or his revolver to make sure he escapes - with or without a “Lina” who is starting to show just an hint of divided loyalty. Stewart and Ryan work well together, but the other three in this tightly cast drama contribute just as much to this tautly directed plot that has wit in the script, some grand cinematography and just a little well managed romance bubbling under, eventually, too. Though on the face of it, this might seem a little precessional - I found there to be an increasing degree of doubt as to just what might happen at the end as consciences started to kick-in and loyalties started to evolve. Might it be a victory for the bullet or maybe for something altogether more unexpected? This just goes to show that you can create a characterful story in ninety minutes, with plenty of action and tension to keep us intrigued, and neither Ryan nor Stewart disappoint.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

  US

Key crew

• Makeup ArtistJohn Truwe
• Makeup DesignerWilliam Tuttle
• Unit ManagerAl Shenberg
• Second Assistant DirectorCarl Roup
• Production IllustratorMentor Huebner
• PainterFrank Wesselhoff
• StuntsTed Mapes
• StuntsFrank McGrath
• StuntsChuck Roberson
• StuntsJack N. Young
• Assistant Location ManagerCharles C. Coleman
• OrchestratorRobert Franklyn
• ConductorHans Sommer
• OtherHenri Jaffa
• OtherRobert Brower
• Art DirectionCedric Gibbons
• Art DirectionMalcolm Brown
• EditorGeorge White
• Assistant DirectorHoward W. Koch
• Recording SupervisionDouglas Shearer
• Set DecorationEdwin B. Willis
• Special EffectsWarren Newcombe
• ProducerWilliam H. Wright
• StuntsJack Williams

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• bounty hunter
• escape
• ambush
• greed
• moral conflict
• outlaw
• gunshot wound
• indian attack
• prospector
• civil war veteran
• spurs
• colorado territory
• monetary reward
• rapids
• revisionist western

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical1953-02-01
• Theatrical1953-01-29· Washington, D.C.
• Physical2021-09-21· Blu-ray
• Physical2006-08-15· DVD

Also known as

International titles

• Het lokaasBE
• Den blodige sporeDK
• Blanke SporenDE
• HopeakannusFI
• StålsporrenFI
• O teleftaios zontanosGR
• Recompensă pentru șerifRO
• Обнаженная шпораSU