7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The small town of Bottleneck is under the control of Kent, a power-hungry boss who gets control over the local cattle ranchers by winning a rigged game of cards. When the local sheriff questions the legitimacy of the game, Kent has him killed and names the town drunk, Dimsdale, as sheriff. What Kent doesn't know is that Dimsdale knows legendary lawman Tom Destry, who in turns sends his daring son Tom Destry Jr. to Bottleneck to save the day.
Starring: Marlene Dietrich, James Stewart, Mischa Auer, Charles Winninger, Brian DonlevyWestern | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
George Marshall's "Destry Rides Again" (1939) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an arhcival program with the director; new program with critic Imogen Sara Smith; vintage Lux Radio Theatre radio broadcast; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme as well as technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The longer they wait, the more they like it.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Destry Rides Again arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:
"This new 4K digital restoration was undertaken by Universal Pictures in collaboration with The Film Foundation, with special consultation by filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. A new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution from a 35mm nitrate composite fine-grain and a 35mm safety composite fine-grain.
The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm nitrate composite fine-grain by NBCUnibersal StudioPost Audio Operations. The audio restoration involved fixing loose sync; the removal of anomalies, noise, and hum using Avid's Pro Tools with iZotope RX; and a final mix performed to balance out the levels."
The release is sourced from a new 4K master that was prepared by Universal Pictures with the assistance of The Film Foundation. One could speculate that in an ideal world the lost OCN would have produced an even better end product, but the current master is outstanding. Indeed, aside from having the film look just marginally softer, the rest of its technical characteristics are as solid as I expected them to be. Density and image stability are particularly impressive, which is why even on a very large screen the visuals continue to look rather striking. The new is also very carefully graded, allowing great ranges of grays and whites to coexist with equally solid looking blacks. There are no traces of compromising digital work. The entire film is spotless as well. Fabulous restoration. My score is 4.75.5.00 (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).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
There are no technical anomalies to report in our review. After the restoration, the audio sounds very clear, clean, and nicely rounded. Balance is also very good. I was even pleasantly surprised by the good dynamic intensity that emerged during some of the mass sequences. (See the cat-fight and the final shootout in the saloon).
It is not far-fetched to assume that Marlene Dietrich's bad girl was a blueprint that many writers and directors carefully studied over the years. Frenchy is one of those classic characters that undergoes the type of transformation films need to look great and be remembered. There are plenty of other reasons why Destry Rides Again works well, but Dietrich's performance comes first. Criterion's release is sourced from a lovely exclusive new 4K master that was prepared by Universal Pictures with the assistance of The Film Foundation. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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