Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Destry Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 30, 2023

George Marshall's "Destry" (1954) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critic/author Lee Gambin and actor/film historian Gary Frank as well as vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

It makes you wonder why fifteen years later George Marshall returned to Max Brand’s novel to make a better film with it. This is what Destry (1954) is, isn’t it? A remake of Destry Rides Again (1939). Well, the former does appear to be a remake of the latter, but I am not entirely convinced that Marshall wanted it to be seen as precisely that kind of a project. Before I tell you why, here is a summation of the story that is told in Destry:

In the Western town of Restful, Phil Decker (Lyle Bettger) has figured out a way to get rich quickly. In the local saloon, Decker has been playing poker with anyone willing to put money in front of him and winning them all with help from the beautiful singer and dancer Brandy (Mari Blanchard). At the right time, Brandy would enter the poker room, accidentally spill hot coffee over Decker’s opponent, and one of the other players around the table, all members of his gang, would hand their boss a winning card. After that, while smiling, Decker would lay his cards on the table and collect his winnings. But on the night when Decker wins an entire ranch from local farmer Henry Skinner (Walter Baldwin), Sheriff Joseph Bailey (Trevor Bardette), who has discovered the scam, declares that enough is enough and proceeds to arrest the cheater. Then, just moments later, Bailey gets shot in the back but drops dead from a heart attack. Mayor Sellers (Edgar Buchanan), who is in cahoots with Decker, is the one who confirms the fatal heart attack, so the local doctor is immediately forced to copy the information in his medical report. Much to everyone’s surprise, while Bailey’s body is being removed, Mayor Sellers announces that Rags Barnaby (Thomas Mitchell), quite possibly the most hopeless drunkard in the area, would be the next Sheriff. Barnaby gladly accepts the responsibility and instantly declares that his deputy will be a man who is not a local resident and no one has seen -- Tom Destry (Audie Murphy), the son of the famous lawman Destry, who has been dead for years. Soon after, Barnaby’s chosen deputy appears, and despite his unorthodox working methods, one of which is a strong preference to avoid using a gun, the town slowly begins to change.

As you can tell, the original material from Brand’s novel is tweaked a bit, which means that there are new developments and key relationships evolve differently. However, I think that the most consequential change comes from Murphy’s performance, which is magnificent but does not overshadow the rest of the cast. Indeed, even though the camera loves Murphy, this film produces numerous terrific characters that very effectively compete for the spotlight, so the improved balance of power in it effectively rearranges the layers of action, comedy, drama, and romance. In the previous film, Marshall works hard to ensure that Jimmy Stewart and Marlene Dietrich are the undisputed stars and everyone else around them consciously contributes to his efforts.

This is the reason I think Destry does not deserve to be described as a conventional remake of Destry Rides Again. The math is different in Destry. There is greater variety in it, virtually all of it coming from the participation of secondary characters in small scenes that are actually of crucial importance. There are plenty of westerns that work very well without such variety, but the great ones, even the most minimalistic ones, always require it.

There is one more interesting detail that must be highlighted whenever Destry and Destry Rides Again are compared. Blanchard looks every bit as ravishing as Dietrich. However, Blanchard’s character transformation is faster and ultimately unimpactful. And yet, as strange as it may sound, some of the most beautiful footage is with her.

Marshall’s director of photography was George Robinson, whose credits include such genre films as Cobra Woman (1944), Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944), Blonde Ice (1948), Walk a Crooked Mile (1948), and Tarantula (1955).

Destry Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.00:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Destry arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an old and sadly quite disappointing master. To be honest, while this master is not destroyed by awful digital tinkering, it does not have a decent organic appearance and never allows Destry to reveal even partially pleasing Technicolor qualities. There are a few close-ups here and there that convey acceptable delineation and clarity, but larger shots with movement -- especially in the background where finer details should be easy to recognize -- tend to look very, very weak. Also, color reproduction is seriously underwhelming. Saturation levels are unconvincing and balance is off. From time to time there are even small stability issues. Grain exposure needs to much, much better too, so if you view your films on a larger screen, you will easily notice plenty of unnatural flatness. Finally, there is quite a bit of dirt and other small surface imperfections that easily reveal the age of the master. All in all, to look as good as it can and should, Destry will have to undergo a proper restoration. (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).

Destry 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.

While viewing the film, I did not encounter any serious anomalies to report in our review. However, there are a couple of areas that reveal minor unevenness, plus occasionally some extremely background hiss attempts to sneak in. So, if in the future the film is fully restored and the audio remastered, I think that these limitations will be addressed.

Destry Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Destry. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic/author Lee Gambin and actor/film historian Gary Frank.

Destry Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jimmy Stewart appeared in some of the all-time greatest westerns, a few of which are favorites of mine as well. However, if I had to choose between Destry Rides Again and Destry, both very good westerns based on the same novel by Max Brand and directed by George Marshall, I would go with the latter, and not because Audie Murphy gives a vastly superior performance. I think that it has a superior cast that produces more diverse material which ensures a more enjoyable viewing experience. Unfortunately, I have to report that this release of Destry is sourced from an old and quite underwhelming master that was supplied by Universal Pictures.