MANN OF THE WEST

Kudos to the American Cinematheque for their recognition of Anthony Mann (“Rediscovering an American Original,” by Kenneth Turan, April 12). The Jimmy Stewart Westerns are not only the finest evocations of Freudian psychology in modern cinema, but I use them yearly to initiate Shakespearean themes and character development to young students before tackling Elizabethan English.

Without Mann’s groundbreaking, psychologically “ungrounded” heroes and villains, “High Noon,” “The Wild Bunch” and, yes, “The Searchers” would have been different films. There is no doubt the Jimmy Stewart of Mann’s films was co-opted by Hitchcock in his portrayals of Stewart as a violent and conflicted American ideal.

Rewatching “Spartacus” last weekend, it was clear that Mann’s visual pallet and themes overwhelmed any contribution Stanley Kubrick might have made and has been credited for on that film.

MIKE ANDREEN

Encinitas