7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
After Pardon Chato, a mestizo, killed a US marshal in self-defense, a posse pursues him, but as the white volunteers advance deep in Indian territory they become more hunted than hunter, leading to internal strife. They rape Chato's woman, and are hunted down to the last man by the unrelenting warrior.
Starring: Charles Bronson, Jack Palance, James Whitmore, Simon Oakland, Ralph WaiteWestern | 100% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (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 | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The act of taking umbrage at an actor portraying a race or ethnicity different from his native one is a relatively recent phenomenon. Reaching back into the dim mists of cinematic history, there was never really any kind of outcry when, for instance, horror masters Lon Chaney or Boris Karloff assumed the identities of Mr. Wu or Fu Manchu or Mr. Wong. There were occasional exceptions through the years, as in Mickey Rooney’s lambasted take on an Asian in Breakfast at Tiffany's, but just a couple of decades or so later and in a different medium, another actor portraying an Asian created considerable controversy when Jonathan Pryce starred as The Engineer in both the West End and Broadway productions of Miss Saigon. Those who follow contemporary media reports of filmmaking will know that the casting of Scarlett Johanssen in the upcoming live action version of Ghost in the Shell has a number of fans and even relatively uninvolved bystanders in an uproar. Weirdly, though, the complete “racial reversal” which is a major conceit of the Broadway smash Hamilton is applauded rather than disparaged, perhaps due at least in part to the fact that it seems to represent minorities taking the bull by the horns (so to speak) and perhaps saying to those raised with a certain kind of racial or ethnic privilege, “How’s it feel to you?” There’s been a certain color blindness in at least some other recent stage outings in New York City, though, with, for example, the revival of 110 in the Shade featuring a mixed race family that wasn’t part of either the original source film (The Rainmaker) or its original Broadway staging. A cursory search of the usually at least slightly questionable internet turned up no archival material to suggest that casting Charles Bronson as a Native American in Chato’s Land “offended” anyone, but perhaps part of that is due to the fact that Bronson’s character is a (to purloin a song title from a certain Cher) “half breed”, a plot point that is at least somewhat similar to one utilized in Hombre, where the decidedly blue eyed and sandy haired Paul Newman played a (white) man raised by Apache (to a similar lack of offense).
Chato's Land is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Culled from the MGM catalog (by way of United Artists), this transfer has quite a bit of age related wear and tear in the form of typical issues like dirt, specks and small signs of damage, but overall nothing rises to overly problematic levels. The palette is generally quite healthy looking, though flesh tones can occasionally be on the slightly ruddy side. Depth of field is quite good in the many expansive outdoor scenes. Sharpness is slightly variable as well, with a lot of the transfer looking at least slightly soft, but detail levels are uniformly very good to excellent, especially when Winner and DP Robert Paynter employ zoom lenses for extreme close-ups (which they do frequently). The grain is relatively heavy and tends to swarm a bit over the bright blue skies at times.
Chato's Land features a narrow but convincing sounding DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track, one which capably supports the film's dialogue, effects and winning score by Jerry Fielding (also available as an isolated track). This is not a traditional "shoot 'em up", and so many of the effects tend to be relatively more nuanced ambient environmental sounds rather than fusillades of bullets. Fidelity is fine and prioritization is well handled throughout the audio presentation.
Chato's Land is a bit silly at times, though that tendency may be subsumed by some of the more horrifying aspects that are also on display (this is not a film for the faint of heart or queasy of stomach). A really eclectic cast is probably the chief calling card here, and the performances help to elevate what is at its core a kind of tawdry story. Video is a bit problematic, but audio is fine. Recommended.
1971
1966
2016
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1967
1950
1993
Special Edition
1966
2016
1968
1974
1964
2017
1971
1973
2015
Sweet Vengeance
2013
1971
1939
1976
1972