6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
When transplanted Texan Bob Seton arrives in Lawrence, Kansas he finds much to like about the place, especially Mary McCloud, daughter of the local banker. Politics is in the air however. ...
Starring: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Walter Pidgeon, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Porter HallWestern | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
John Wayne famously debuted in the widescreen (yes, widescreen) spectacular The Big Trail in 1930, seemingly instantly set for superstardom (or whatever that level of celebrity was called back in the day), only to see his hopes dashed when the film tanked and his performance was pilloried by the press (both the film and Wayne’s work in it hold up surprisingly well, as the recent Blu-ray of this really interesting piece more than proves). Wayne then found himself consigned to B-movies for the bulk of the rest of the decade, until a little John Ford film called Stagecoach came along in 1939, a film which moved Wayne to the front rank of A-list stars, even if he continued to toil away in less than prestigious Republic Pictures’ efforts for years to come. But here’s the interesting thing—from day one, whether in his vaunted debut, certainly a big budget film, or in the programmers which were churned out like so much sausage back in the day, Wayne almost always had top billing. He wasn’t always an above the title star, mind you, even in the big budget outings, but he was almost always first. Almost always. Except on two films where he co-starred with Claire Trevor, the aforementioned Stagecoach and what Republic Pictures probably would be seen as a felicitous follow up, 1940’s Dark Command. (I certainly don’t claim to be a Wayne expert, so there may indeed be other films where this is the case, but these are the only two I remember seeing with this anomaly.) Every home video release of Dark Command (including this one) lists Wayne front and center on the cover, but the actual credits shunt him off to the still respectable, but unusual, second place. This seems especially odd in that Dark Command came in the immediate wake of Stagecoach, when the luster on Wayne’s star was inarguably burning brighter than it ever had. But perhaps since Trevor had gotten the top spot on Stagecoach, it was assumed she should have the same billing here. There’s little doubt that Trevor’s character is the fulcrum around which most of Dark Command’s admittedly corny plot hinges, but there’s also little doubt that it’s Wayne’s presence that gives Dark Command much of its energy.
Dark Command is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. This is a generally solid looking transfer whose biggest drawback is the virtually nonstop "attack" of small white flecks and other minimal damage. Otherwise, the elements here are in at least decent shape, and often quite a bit more than that. Some of the opticals (and there are quite a few of them in this film, as evidenced by some of the screenshots accompanying this review) have the expected amount of extra softness and dirt on them, but overall Dark Command features a rather nicely detailed and reasonably crisp image. Contrast is generally very strong on this release, with good, deep blacks and well modulated gray scale.
Dark Command's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio mono mix sounds surprisingly good, with a really full midrange and only some minor clipping in the high frequencies to belie its age. Dialogue is very cleanly presented, as is Victor Young's Academy Award nominated score. This has perhaps a bit more dynamic range than might be expected due to some of the big action set pieces (Lawrence goes down in flames at the end in a rather spectacular action sequence).
No supplements are offered on this Blu-ray disc.
Dark Command bears a probably needless disclaimer that it's only loosely based on history. Since when did that keep Hollywood from trying? This may play fast and loose with bushwhacking and the general chaos sparked by various factions both immediately prior to and then during The Civil War, but it's still a rather good entry in the Wayne oeuvre, one with lots of action, a liberal dose of humor, and some fantastic supporting performances from a notable cast. It's especially interesting to see Walter Pidgeon in such an unusual role. This Blu-ray offers generally good video and audio and comes Recommended.
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