Donovan's Reef 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Donovan's Reef 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 16, 2025

John Ford's "Donovan's Reef" (1963) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by author and film historian Dwayne Epstein; new audio commentary by author and films historian Joseph McBride; documentary film; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It's a deal. We swim.

The final collaboration between John Ford and John Wayne is a mismanaged project. It produces plenty of stunning visuals and even a few hilarious scenes, but it lacks the quality that one would rightfully expect from it. It is not because Wayne, or any of his costars, are cruising through it. They are all trying, and a few even share good chemistry. It is because the narrative and Ford constantly force them in different directions, almost as if to test their ability to retain control of their characters.

The entire film is set on a picturesque island in French Polynesia that has undergone various dramatic changes after the Americans have liberated it from the Japanese invaders. A few Americans have settled down there, but for different reasons and with different long-term plans. “Guns” Donovan (Wayne) operates a small bar, Donovan’s Reef, with his good pal "Boats" Gilhooley (Lee Marvin), while “Doc" Dedham (Jack Warden) looks after the sick. Even though Mother Nature regularly reminds everyone who calls the island home that she has total control over their lives, they all feel blessed to be there.

The seemingly repetitive cycle of existence on the island is disrupted when Dedham's estranged daughter, Amelia (Elizabeth Allen), arrives from Boston. While she waits for her father to return from a business trip, Amelia begins spending time with Donovan, and, after initially annoying each other, against all odds, the two quickly fall in love. However, removing the barriers they have placed between them before getting to know each other and revealing how they feel proves to be a seriously tricky business.

One half of Donovan’s Reef is scripted and shot to impress as a romantic comedy in which two supposedly genuinely incompatible individuals discover that they were meant to be together. This is an old and overused concept for a romantic comedy, but it is not why it is problematic. It is problematic because it is embedded in an underdeveloped material, demanding that the audience accept Wayne and Allen as a romantic couple without enough evidence that they see in each other any potential for a serious, lasting relationship. For example, Wayne looking substantially older than Allen is not an issue. However, aside from revealing that he cares about his children, Wayne remains only a slightly less aggressive replica of Marvin’s boozer, and his only successful move is to kiss Allen as, according to her, no man before him has. The rest of his interactions with Allen are defined by macho posturing that, while occasionally charming, is missing the magic capable of melting a woman’s heart.

The other half of Donovan’s Reef works with material that would have been perfect in one of those popular Cinerama films exploring our planet’s most picturesque locations, like Cinerama: Search for Paradise. Indeed, this material has a borderline documentary appearance and often visibly hurts the evolution of the romance between Wayne and Allen. The most effective material is the one where Wayne and Marvin are very loose, with the highlight being the big but short melee that nearly destroys the bar. Unfortunately, Ford treats it almost as filler material.

Donovan's Reef 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of Donovan's Reef is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray disc and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-26 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #29-38 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release introduces an exclusive new 4K restoration sourced from the original camera negative and completed at Paramount Pictures. In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with Dolby Vision and later spent time with the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.

The 4K restoration is a jaw-dropper, one of the very best I have seen from Paramount's restorers. In fact, I was so impressed by the quality of the visuals my system displayed, I would not hesitate to declare the 4K restoration one of the best to be released on 4K Blu-ray to date.

Delineation, clarity, and depth are routinely at or around what I consider to be 'reference quality'. Also, the density levels of the visuals are exceptional. Color reproduction and balance are impeccable, and with the expanded color gamut of 4K, many, many visuals become seriously gorgeous. Needless to say, everywhere I looked and everything I saw, I liked a lot. The Dolby Vision grade is gentle but effective. I went back and forth between various sequences with outdoor and indoor footage on the 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray to see how they compare. The 4K presentation is the clear winner, and by a lot. Simply put, there are superior primaries and wider ranges of supporting nuances that are easier to appreciate there. The 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray is mighty fine too, but some of the richness and vibrancy present on the 4K presentation are missing. Image stability is outstanding. The entire film looks spotless as well.

Donovan's Reef 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

As soon as the opening credits appear, it becomes very easy to conclude that the audio has been fully restored as well. The music and all exchanges sound crisp, sharp, and very clear. Stability is excellent, too. If you raise the volume of your system, you are not going to hear any thinning, hiss, crackle, etc. Dynamic intensity is good. However, variety is limited, which of course is hardly surprising.

Donovan's Reef 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - in this exclusive new audio commentary, author and films historian Joseph McBride explains why Donovan's Reef is a lot like a succession of Fordian motifs, and comments on the overlapping of different types of contrasting material in its narrative, John Wayne's performance, specific locations in Hawaii that were used in the film, the film's reception and reputation, etc. McBride also reveals that he does not consider Donovan's Reef one of John Ford and/or Wayne's better films.

• Commentary Two - in this exclusive new audio commentary, film historian Dwayne Epstein, author of Lee Marvin: Point Blank, shares plenty of information about John Ford (and explains why he considers him the greatest of all American directors), John Wayne and Lee Marvin's antics before the camera, the female cast, the quality of comedy that gives the film its identity, etc.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - in this exclusive new audio commentary, author and film historian Joseph McBride explains why Donovan's Reef is a lot like a succession of Fordian motifs, and comments on the overlapping of different types of contrasting material in its narrative, John Wayne's performance, specific locations in Hawaii that were used in the film, the film's reception and reputation, etc. McBride also reveals that he does not consider Donovan's Reef one of John Ford and/or Wayne's better films.

• Commentary Two - in this exclusive new audio commentary, film historian Dwayne Epstein, author of Lee Marvin: Point Blank, shares plenty of information about John Ford (and explains why he considers him the greatest of all American directors), John Wayne and Lee Marvin's antics before the camera, the female cast, the quality of comedy that gives the film its identity, etc.

• The Growler Story (1957) - a short documentary film directed by John Ford for U.S. Navy. Color. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Donovan's Reef. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Donovan's Reef 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

John Ford and John Wayne made numerous films together, several of which are rightfully considered masterpieces of American cinema. Their final collaboration, Donovan's Reef, has an impressive cast, but it is a mismanaged project. It works with underdeveloped material and heads in different directions at the same time, making it virtually impossible for its cast to impress as expected. It is still worth seeing because it frequently produces gorgeous visuals, but only after one has experienced Ford and Wayne's masterpieces. Kino Lorber's combo pack introduces an exclusive stunning new 4K restoration of Donovan's Reef, recently completed at Paramount Pictures. This 4K restoration is also available on a separate Blu-ray release. RECOMMENDED.