Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Beach Red Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 13, 2021

Cornel Wilde's "Beach Red" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the disc is a vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

And good luck to all of you!

Despite some obvious deterioration the clips with the archival footage look really, really good and instantly infuse the film with an incredible atmosphere. The giant ships are firing at will while the boats carrying the soldiers begin moving toward the shore. There is heavy smoke all around them from the ongoing explosions, but you can easily see in every direction. It is a massive invasion, maybe too big for the mind to willingly accept that it is absolutely real.

The soldiers are now storming the beach and you can hear screams, cries, cursing, and praying. Bodies are ripped apart, but the soldiers keep pushing forward. This does not look like a battle at all -- it is a vicious, indescribably brutal meat grinder no one could have been prepared for.

When eventually the enemy’s defense line is broken, the survivors regroup and Captain MacDonald (Cornel Wilde) gives new orders. Different units need to enter an area where enemy forces are consolidated and then move straight toward the jungle, where their main command center is. Time is precious, so the soldiers begin moving again. Shortly after, new incredibly violent battles ensue and more soldiers perish while the enemy retreats.

It is impossible not to compare Beach Red to Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line because the ultimate goal of these films is the same. They all do some very special things, but only Beach Red manages to make it virtually impossible for the mind to be certain where the men that get torn apart before the camera are no longer acting. (Right before and during the storming of the beach, the blending of archival footage and original content is simply astonishing. When you sit down to view the film, remember that there is no digital trickery here. It’s all masterful editing).

Despite choosing to follow closer a couple of colorful characters, the film does not tell a conventional story. Indeed, once Captain MacDonald and his soldiers land on the beach their struggle to stay alive essentially becomes the story. On the other hand, anyone expecting to see just a series of big and small battles where the soldiers always behave like heroes and strike down their enemies will be quite surprised because this isn’t how Wilde films them. These soldiers are real human beings that frequently appear terrified, overwhelmed by the presence of death around them, and on the verge of breaking down, which ultimately makes the carnage that much more disturbing. (The flashbacks where soldiers from both sides are seen recalling beautiful experiences with their lovers and wives before they were dispatched to fight each other are used for this very reason, to reveal that they are not killing machines but ordinary men who used to have ordinary lives).

The overwhelming majority of the film was shot in the Philippines, but Wilde’s camera never becomes interested in the exotic beauty of the area. After the soldiers enter the jungle, Wilde actually does quite a bit to convince that they are confronting Mother Nature as well. There are a few excellent panoramic shots here and there, but they feel like deadly distractions that only the hopelessly naïve would consider noticing.

Beach Red Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Beach Red arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by MGM. It is a tad softer than it should be, but I like it quite a lot. Its main strength is the lack of any compromising digital work, which is why all of the visuals have a fine organic appearance. Now, there is archival footage with some obvious deterioration, but the overall quality is still very nice. In fact, I intentionally took different screencaptures from the archival footage and mixed them up so that you can see how nicely they blend with the other screencaptures. Of course, you will recognize the drops in density, but I think that you will agree that the archival material can still look mightily impressive. The color scheme is good. There is room for improvement in terms of saturation, but color balance and stability are fine. Overall image stability is very good. The master is free of any serious age-related imperfections as well. All in all, if fully restored in 4K Beach Red will look better in high-definition, but while a bit rough around the edges the current master has rather strong organic qualities. My score is 3.75./5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Beach Red Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not notice any distracting imperfections to report in our review. The simple music theme sounded quite wonderful on my system and the action footage had the type of dynamic intensity I expected to hear. Also, the dialog was clear, sharp, and very easy to follow. However, I have to speculate that modern remastering tools will likely be able to produce some improvements if the audio is fully redone. There are a few sequences where it feels like there should be slightly more oomph and depth, so perhaps a fresh Dolby Atmos track is just what this film needs.

Beach Red Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Beach Red. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Beach Red Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Everything that Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line, Hamburger Hill, and Platoon do Beach Red does better. I am not exaggerating. If you do some very careful deconstruction work, eventually you will conclude that Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line for instance are simply inferior variations on key themes from Beach Red, which is fascinating, to say the least, because Cornel Wilde made the film in the 1960s without any digital trickery. (This of course is one of the key reasons its visuals are a lot more powerful). It is a genuine masterpiece that should have been restored with the same care and attention grand classics like Citizen Kane and Ben-Hur were given a long time ago. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an old but good organic master that was supplied by MGM. Unfortunately, there are no meaningful bonus features on it. Regardless, it is an unmissable release. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.