Spencer's
Mountain (1963/MGM/Warner
Archive Blu-ray)/Three
Brothers (1981/Arrow
Blu-ray w/DVD)
Picture:
B/B & C+ Sound: C+/C+ & C Extras: C/C+ Films:
C/C+
PLEASE
NOTE:
The Spencer's
Mountain
Blu-ray is now only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner
Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.
Melodramas
can be successful as these two have been, but that does not mean they
totally work...
Delmer
Daves' Spencer's
Mountain
(1963) is based on a book by Earl Hamner Jr., whose work here later
was the basis for the endlessly successful (if dull and formulaic)
hit TV series The Waltons, but this self-contained film has a
different family led by Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara heading the
family whose family has owned their land for eons. There are also
music moments (played out songs for that matter) that help add to the
fakeness and flatness of this long, long, long film, but Wally Cox
(Mr.
Peepers,
Underdog)
shows up in a decent turn and future Hawaii
5-0
(original series, of course) James MacArthur shows up (often without
a shirt?!) as their oldest son who may be leaving to go to school.
MGM
made this film, but not the TV show that it inspired (that was
Lorimar, who was later bought by Warner) and it is a curio at best,
but it goes on and on and on and on and is just too sappy to take at
times. I saw it a very long time ago, forgot it and I can see why.
Two
vintage featurettes in black and white promoting the film and an
Original Theatrical Trailer are the extras.
Francesco
Rosi's Three
Brothers
(1981) is a drama that tries too hard at times to deal with Italian
history, recent, good, bad, dark and including how WWII and fascism
affected the whole country. Phillippe Noriet (Cinema
Paradiso)
plays one of the three title characters in later life, dealing with
how their futures will land up, are there any regrets and did they
miss anything? The film opens with another brother running an orphan
boys institution, a metaphor for refugee Italy post-WWII and the
title even wants to reference Rocco
& His Brothers
(a character here is even maned Rocco), but the result is a mixed bag
that never rang true for me despite the critical acclaim and big
names who like this one.
Still,
it is a key Italian film release that did well internationally and
Arrow's new Blu-ray/DVD does justice to the film with its extras and
a competent new transfer than gets the film to look and sound as
top-rate as it can. Now you can judge for yourself.
Extras
include a booklet
featuring an essay by Professor Millicent Martin, a 1981 interview
with Rosi and a selection of contemporary reviews (first
printing only),
a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
by Matthew Griffin, while the discs add an archival interview with
Francesco Rosi and an original theatrical trailer.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Mountain
(Panavision and Technicolor, the latter of which the print can
absolutely look like) and 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition
image transfer on Brothers
can
both show the age of the materials used, but these are far superior
transfers to all previous releases of the film and look good
colorwise and with the definition you'd expect from 35mm film. Both
have good, if not always stunning images and there's little to
complain about in either restored upgrade. The
anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image on the Brothers
DVD is passable, but you can see how it pales as compared to the
Blu-ray.
Both
also have lossless sound with the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Stereo
lossless mix on Mountain
good for its age, if not in multi-track and more limited in range
than expected. Brothers
gets a PCM 2.0 Stereo on the Blu-ray version and it is more
compressed and limited than I expected for a newer monophonic
theatrical film. The lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono on the DVD is
weaker still, so be careful of loud playback or volume switching with
that one.
To
order the Warner Archive Spencer's
Mountain
Blu-ray, go to this link for it and many more great web-exclusive
releases at:
http://www.wbshop.com/
-
Nicholas Sheffo