Border River Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Border River Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 23, 2023

George Sherman's "Border River" (1954) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include an exclusive new audio commentary by critic Toby Roan and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional Engish SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

During the war between Maximilian and Juarez in 1865, there was a small territory on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande River known as Zona Libre -- “Free Zone”. It was dominated by a man who called himself General Eduardo Calleja and he made it a haven for any man outside the law. This is the story of Zona Libre.

After the short description disappears from the screen, while Calleja (Pedro Armendariz) and a few of his men observe from afar, Clete Mattson (Joel McCrea) is pulled out of the Rio Grande River by the beautiful Carmelita Carias (Yvonne De Carlo). Several American soldiers demand that the fugitive is kicked back to the U.S. side, but Calleja gives him immunity to please Carmelita.

When Mattson recovers, Calleja invites him to his place and reveals that he knows his true identity and why he has reached Zone Libre. Mattson is a Confederate officer who has $2 million in gold and wants to use it to buy guns for the Confederate Army. Calleja is willing to do a deal with Mattson, but only if he sets its terms. While Mattson pretends that he is considering Calleja’s terms of the deal, Carmelita makes him realize that $2 million in gold is a temptation few women can resist. However, Carmelita also genuinely likes Mattson and quickly begins to fall in love with him. The news about a newcomer willing to spend $2 million in gold then spreads like fire and Mattson becomes a walking target for several other parties that are not as patient as Calleja.

Directed by George Sherman in 1954, Border River is impossible to describe as a big and memorable western. However, it has a solid cast that performs very well and makes its story a lot more interesting than it should be.

The power structure and social order of Zona Libre will undoubtedly remind some viewers of the modified Manhattan Island from John Carpenter’s classic Escape from New York. While much smaller, Zona Libre is that kind of a lawless place where outcasts are allowed to roam free. However, the different nature of the drama and especially the romance that is attached to it make it impossible to think of Border River as a distant relative of Escape From New York.

The most obvious weakness of Border River is its enormous reliance on McCrea. While this is not surprising given McCrea’s tremendous reputation as a big western star, it does feel like Border River is not willing to trust the supporting cast, which is quite good. For example, De Carlo appears eager to quickly make her relationship with McCrea a lot more meaningful, but virtually all material where they are seen together remains casual. Also, Armendariz and Alfonso Bedoya, who plays Calleja’s right-hand man, do not add much to the drama to make it appear more exciting even though they spend plenty of time before the camera.

The middle section where McCrea leaves town searching for the gold that his partners have hidden and gets stuck in the quicksand could have been developed better as well. In fact, this is where Border River could have done a lot to give the supporting actors plenty of opportunities to shine while making the drama even more exciting. But for such a change Sherman would have required a proper budget, which undoubtedly would have been far bigger than the one he was handed to make Border River.

Ultimately, Border River will almost certainly appeal only to McCrea fans. It is a good film that entertains well, but it is a small film that will always remain in the shadow of the great classic westerns of the era it emerged from.

Border River Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Border River arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

If properly restored, Border River will undoubtedly look quite a bit better. However, despite some sporadic registration issues that are common on Techninoclor films that have not been fully restored, I think that the visuals look pretty good. Many close-ups, for instance, boast very nice delineation, clarity, and depth (see screencapture #3). In these close-ups, even color balance is convincing. The limitations of the current master are most obvious during panoramic shots, where delineation and depth should be superior. However, while grain should be better exposed, I did not see any smearing of the type that is present on the recent release of Tomahawk. This is why on a bigger screen virtually all visuals, including the ones from the nighttime footage, hold up quite well. How much better can color reproduction be? Actually, not a lot better. The primaries are already quite good and there are decent ranges of nuances. Saturation should be better and the registration issues can be addressed. So, there is room for rebalancing improvements and minor adjustments in the saturation levels that will inevitably affect the dynamic range of the visuals as well. Image stability is good. I noticed a few blemishes, but there are no distracting large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your plater regardless of your geographical location).

Border River 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.

The lossless track is very healthy. I had the volume of my system turned up quite a bit and did not notice any troubling age-related imperfections. The upper register, in particular, was very stable, which tells me that the audio must have been optimized as best as possible when the current master was prepared. Dynamic intensity is very good for a film that was completed during the 1950s.

Border River Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Toby Roan. It is yet another very nicely researched audio commentary from Mr. Roan that explores in great detail the production of Border River, the period in which the film emerged, and the careers of George Sherman and various actors. If you enjoy Border River, I recommend that you find the time to listen to it in its entirety.

• Trailer - presented here is a vinateg U.S. trailer for Border River. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Border River Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I cannot recall seeing a western with Joel McRea that I have not enjoyed. I had a good time with Border River, too. However, I think that George Sherman should have been given a much bigger budget to expand the middle section of Border River -- where McCrea's character leaves Zona Libre to look for the hidden gold -- and make it a lot more exciting. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an older but good organic master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. Also, it features a very nice exclusive new audio commentary by Toby Roan. RECOMMENDED.