The Big Trees (Roan Group)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C     Extras: D     Film: C+

 

 

In a venture by Kirk Douglas to get out of his Warner Bros. contract once and for all, he did The Big Trees (1952) for free.  In it, he is a wise guy con man who is sarcastic and clever at every turn, not letting go his thieving ways.  His performance is so good, he out-acts a cast seemingly trapped in an older, dated Western and shows up how problematic and slow the script and directing are.  This is amusing if you follow him, but the film (the third feature-film version of the same story) is even too long at about 90 minutes and is a curio at best.

 

The 1.33 X 1 image was originally issued in 3-strip Technicolor when they would actually shoot three black and white strips, but there is no evidence of those vibrant colors here.  Instead, the colors are dull and not so good, while there are detail limits and agedness in the transfer.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is also average and shows its age, especially being a few generations down.  There are no extras.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo