7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
Navy Lieutenant Tufts accompanies scout Quincy Wyatt into the Everglades to rout the Seminole Indians who are threatening the early settlers in Florida. When the command is forced to run, Wyatt and Seminole Chief Oscala square off in an exciting climax.
Starring: Gary Cooper, Mari Aldon, Richard Webb (I), Ray Teal, Arthur HunnicuttWestern | 100% |
Action | Insignificant |
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 (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Somewhere out there in the vast halls of academia perhaps there’s a doctoral thesis in sociology exploring the kind of weird concatenation between the apparently complacent 1950s and the rise in popularity of the western, both in film and (especially) on the then nascent medium of television. The “Eisenhower” decade was a study in contrasts—seemingly calm and placid on the surface, but roiling with both geopolitical and maybe even sexual tension (of the Masters and Johnson variety) just beneath that surface. The threat of the Cold War getting very warm via the hydrogen bomb perhaps made American audiences yearn for a world where any threat of disorder was usually met with a guy in a white hat galloping in with guns blazing. The very term “western” brings along a host of preconceptions, usually including locations that might not initially suggest Florida to some aficionados. While Distant Drums was marketed as a western and even bears some genre conventions, especially some midcentury conventions, it’s a somewhat uniquely sited piece that highly fictionalizes a long gestating conflict in America’s southernmost clime between the Seminole and United States Navy forces in the 1840s. Brightly shot in Technicolor and bearing an opening shot of fanciful looking Native Americans (or Indians, as of course they were referred to in the 1950s) with extremely colorful face paint, Distant Drums might at first glance appear to the very model of a midcentury western. But this is no tale of the Badlands or the Rockies or even the Mississippi—and the Florida (and, ultimately, Everglades) setting of Distant Drums may well be its most memorable feature.
Distant Drums is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. The elements utilized for this transfer are in generally quite good condition, with only typical age related wear and tear in evidence. The best news about this high definition presentation is the general accuracy of the palette. While some very slight fade is in evidence, generally speaking this retains a lot of the original luster of the film's color, with some especially evocative blues and reds, as well as the omnipresent Everglades greens, on display. That said, there's a slight but noticeable shift in registration and the overall color space at times that tends to give fleshtones a slightly purplish quality, something that is only increased with the many sequences which have been aggressively filtered with blue to approximate a nighttime ambience. Grain is naturally resolved and consistent, and close-ups offer some commendable fine detail in things like weaves in costumes. The outdoor photography also features some nice depth and clarity. There are some minor issues with lack of detail (especially shadow detail) in the day for night sequences, but overall this is a really nice looking release without any fringing issues or other distractions.
Distant Drums' lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track nicely supports Max Steiner's forceful score as well as dialogue and the occasional Wilhelm scream (audiophiles should listen starting at around 45:00 for the sequence where it's utilized). Fidelity is fine, with the expected boxy sound of this era's soundtracks, but a nicely full accounting across all registers.
No supplements are offered on this Blu-ray disc.
Distant Drums doesn't quite have the gravitas of the Anthony Mann fifties' outings with James Stewart, but it similarly isn't the simple minded affair that many 1930s and 1940s westerns were. Cooper is fine as the isolated would be family man who is called into action, and the Florida setting provides a lot of dash and color to the proceedings. A lot of Distant Drums is unabashedly hokey, but it's solid, entertaining fare just about all of the way. Recommended.
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