7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Cattle baron Matt Devereaux raids a copper smelter that is polluting his water, then divides his property among his sons. Son Joe takes responsibility for the raid and gets three years in prison. Matt dies from a stroke partly caused by his rebellious sons and when Joe gets out he plans revenge.
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner, Jean Peters, Katy Jurado, Richard WidmarkWestern | 100% |
Romance | 3% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.55:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.55:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Is it only a coincidence that the rise of the Civil Rights Era also saw a number of films that addressed so-called “race relations” from the standpoint of the Old American West, and specifically with regard to cultural “half breeds” of a sort who might have been born into one ethnicity but who then were raised by another group? While there were certainly potent films made during the 1950s that at least tangentially touched upon the interaction between whites and blacks (The Defiant Ones), some of those entries (including the Stanley Kramer film) tended to approach that subject with kid gloves at times, offering a somewhat refracted take on what turned out to be one of the defining movements of the mid 20th century. It’s possible that the same sort of “sideways” thinking could have helped to spark the ideas behind the redolent novels of Alan LeMay that later gave birth to such films as The Searchers and The Unforgiven, where whites are forced to confront their prejudices with regard to, in the case of The Searchers, a white girl taken by “Indians” (as they were often referred to back in those days), or, in the case of The Unforgiven, a Native American girl who had been raised by a white family. It’s interesting that Broken Lance actually beat both of these well remembered films to the screen by at least a couple of years, and also that the film dealt a bit more directly with perceived bigotry, though again that aspect is simply part of the subtext of some roiling dysfunction within a family. In this particular instance, the racial divide is one between 19th century brothers, as Joe Devereaux (Robert Wagner) is a so-called “half breed” whose Irish American father, Matt (Spencer Tracy), had married Joe’s mother, a Native American woman referred to only as Señora (Katy Jurado, Academy Award nominated for this performance), after Matt’s first wife had died. That first marriage had resulted in Joe’s three older brothers Ben (Richard Widmark), Mike (Hugh O’Brian) and Denny (Earl Holliman).
Broken Lance is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.55:1. This transfer of an iconic Fox CinemaScope outing doesn't have quite the luster we've perhaps become spoiled for expecting from Fox, though it still provides some jaw dropping vistas courtesy of legendary Scope cinematographer Joseph MacDonald's widescreen lensing. My hunch is those who have found fault (rightly or wrongly) with previous Fox high definition masters from this same general era may find this release also tends to tip toward the blue side of things, but what may be more concerning to some will be the somewhat dark ambience throughout much of the presentation. This has the look of restorative efforts having been applied to attempt to regain a natural color palette, but things look at least slightly faded, with flesh tones regularly skewing toward the brown side of things. Grain is organic looking and resolves naturally. Despite a few anomalies like Scope "mumps" and some second unit photography that just looks out of focus (see screenshot 11), sharpness and clarity are largely very commendable.
Broken Lance features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 track recreating the film's original 4 track stereo theatrical presentation, as well as a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 option. The 5.0 track is a bit diffused sounding at times, but it offers a suitably wide spread for Leigh Harline's nice score, as well as discrete channelization for sound and/or foley effects. There are a number of traditional but still effective techniques employed to achieve immersion, including things like panning horse galloping or the punch of guns being fired. Dialogue is very cleanly presented and is well prioritized.
Broken Lance offers excellent performances and a compelling story of "turning the other cheek", all within the confines of an extremely scenic Western ambience that makes the most of the CinemaScope frame. A bit too rote for its own good, the film is still surprisingly thoughtful and provides great showcases for Tracy, Jurado, Wagner and Widmark. Recommended.
2016
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2K Restoration
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Limited Edition to 3000
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Paramount Presents #18
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Warner Archive Collection
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Limited Edition to 3000
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Limited Edition
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Roadshow Edition
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