Devil's
Doorway
(1950*)/3
Godfathers
(1948 w/1936 original/*all MGM/Warner Archive Blu-rays)/Tin
Star
(1957/MVD/Paramount/Arrow Blu-ray)
Picture:
B Sound: B-/C+/B- Extras: C/C+/B Films: B-/C+/B-
PLEASE
NOTE:
The
Devil's
Doorway
and 3
Godfathers
Blu-rays are now only available from Warner Bros. through their
Warner Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.
Now
for four key westerns, two directed by one legend in the genre,
another by yet another legend....
Anthony
Mann's The
Devil's Doorway
(1950) is a western that wants to be progressive, but is
unfortunately, a but regressive to and that is because Robert Taylor
plays a Civil War solider and hero who happens to be Native American.
He wants to retire to his own land, but now, the U.S. government
will not recognize land rights for those who have always owned the
land and a local battle will ensue.
Of
course, Taylor is not that ethnicity at all and he actually wears
make-up to make him look darker (Red face? Black face? Brown face?)
and it undermines the whole film, though it is trying to sincerely do
the story it has to tell and a 'real' Native American is in the cast
and we hope others among the Native Americans are Native American.
With that said, this was a sort of progress as the genre was starting
to get more serious and look at the truth and consequences of North
America being invaded by outsiders and what they did to it.
MGM
barely distributed it and later when other such westerns surfaced,
only limitedly so, too much of a downer versus their usual upbeat
entertainment. Cheers to an effective supporting cast that includes
Louis Calhern, Paula Raymond, James Mitchell, Marshall Thompson, Rhys
Williams, Fritz Leiber and Edgar Buchanan. Despite its flaws and
limits, The
Devil's Doorway
is still one of the more challenging westerns of its time, deals with
racism honestly in its own way and was a bellwether of what was to
come in the genre. All serious fans should see it at least once.
Extras
include an Original Theatrical Trailer and two classic animated
cartoons: The
Chump Champ
and Cue-Ball
Cat.
John
Ford's 3
Godfathers
(1948) is the third and most successful version of the tale of how
three men (John Wayne, Harry Carey Jr., and Pedro Armendariz (From
Russia With Love))
land up having to help a baby after burying his mother and it will be
a wild ride all the way. More comical than the 1936 version also
included, the script ups the comedy and reliance on its leads,
especially Wayne to deliver the expected film and the result was a
hit.
Not
that I was ever a big fan of this film, but I had not seen the 1936
original in its entirety and I think I like it a bit more, more
naturalistic and realistic than this version, plus the child seems
more in jeopardy in a way that is not insulting or pandering, whereas
in the new film, he is in no major trouble at all since it is so
Hollywood. I also like Chester Morris in the 1936 version, an actor
who had a good run and was impressive as detective Boston Blackie in
a movie and radio series with the character.
Now
you can choose between the two and its nice to have them both on one
disc.
Extras
include Original Theatrical Trailers for both versions of the films
included and the 1936 version of the film.
Anthony
Mann's
Tin
Star
(1957) has finally made it to Blu-ray and being one of the few
large-frame format westerns, fans will be happy for the upgrade. We
originally covered the film in its decent DVD edition at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/1123/Tin+Star
Anthony
Perkins and Henry Fonda play off of each other well, but the
supporting cast is more effective than it might first seem, including
Betsy Palmer, John McIntyre, Lee Van Cleef, Neville Brand, Russell
Simpson, Mickey Finn and among the uncredited townspeople, Frank Cady
and Richard Farnsworth.
With
so many films having gone to color and so many older westerns being
monochromatic and grainy, it is interesting to see one in black and
white be so clear, even clearer than Wayne's 70mm The
Big Trail
in 1930. This is almost a one-of-a-kind western and all serious
western and film fans should see it at least once. Nice its been
upgraded so well.
Extras
include
a...
Now
for playback performance. The 1080p 1.33 X 1 black & white
digital High Definition image transfer on Doorway
can show the age of the materials used here and there, but this is
far superior a transfer to all previous releases of the film on home
video and shows off the incredible cinematography by Director of
Photography John Alton, A.S.C., very effectively. I hope this helps
the film to be more remembered with the two big Anthony Mann/John
Alton Noir classics they made better: T-Men
and Raw
Deal.
The
1080p 1.33 X 1 digital High Definition image on the Technicolor 1948
Godfathers
is a pretty good approximation of the dye-transfer three-strip
process, if not as stunning as other Technicolor films and westerns.
Director of Photography Winston Hock, A.S.C., had also shot the
Technicolor on Joan
Of Arc
the same year, plus later lensed The
Quiet Man,
The
Searchers
(a VistaVision classic being released in a a restored edition in
2024,) Jet
Pilot,
Robinson
Crusoe On Mars
and Necromancy.
It is consistent enough and the black and white 1936 version (an
earlier silent version was made in 1916, but sadly is not included
here) looks pretty good for its age too.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 black & white digital High Definition image
transfer on Tin
Star
was shot in VistaVision and can look really good, but also can show
the age of the materials used at times, though it outdoes the
then-decent DVD just the same. The
sound is here in a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix upgrade,
but we also get PCM 2.0 Stereo and Mono mixes for purists. I like
the Stereo and 5.1 best and may be from the soundmasters created when
the DVD was issued. Not bad.
The
Warner Archive Blu-rays both have DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono
lossless mixes that allow the originally theatrical monophonic films
to sound as good as they ever will, so they are delivering their
top-grade restorations as usual.
To
order either of the Warner Archive Blu-rays, The
Devil's
Doorway
and/or 3
Godfathers,
go to this link for them and many more great web-exclusive
releases at:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/ED270804-095F-449B-9B69-6CEE46A0B2BF?ingress=0&visitId=6171710b-08c8-4829-803d-d8b922581c55&tag=blurayforum-20
-
Nicholas Sheffo
