High Plains Drifter Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

High Plains Drifter Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 1, 2020

Clint Eastwood's "High Plains Drifter" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials for the film; new video interviews with actors William O'Connell, Mitchell Ryan, and Marianna Hill; two archival episodes of Trailers From Hell; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Don't even think about it

Most old reviews of Clint Eastwood’s High Plains Drifter point out how its visual style incorporates a lot of what defined Sergio Leone’s great westerns. It is a valid comparison. If you ignore the technical construction of High Plains Drifter -- which covers everything from the lensing preferences to the precise management of light to the careful editing choices -- it is quite clear that Eastwood and Leone saw and recreated the Old West with extremely similar admiration. In their films, the Old West was always a cruel but uncharacteristically beautiful, almost mythical playground for adults that were unafraid to face death.

High Plains Drifter is the one and only western Eastwood directed that also incorporates quite a lot of what made Alejandro Jodorowsky’s films special. For example, in El Topo a mysterious gunslinger emerges in a picturesque desert region and eventually confronts vicious bandits that have terrorized and destroyed a small town. The film overflows with symbolism that ultimately alters the playground in a very unusual way, but its ambience is quite similar to that of High Plains Drifter. Indeed, once Eastwood’s gunslinger emerges on the horizon you can feel the same surrealistic vibes sneaking in and gently starting to bend the narrative as Jodorowsky does in El Topo. In High Plains Drifter Eastwood simply does not have the same colorful characters that can help him do more and ultimately end up in the same place El Topo does. (Think how different, and much more similar to El Topo, Eastwood’s film would have been if it had a dozen or so characters like Billy Curtis’ Mordecai).

The most memorable material in High Plains Drifter, however, is the one where Eastwood’s sense of humor overshadows the cruelty and exotic tempers of its characters. It pops up without the conventional buildups that prepare the audience for the shift in tone and as a result the action and drama become enormously entertaining. There is similar material in Leone and Jodorowsky’s films as well, but it is typically part of larger developments where the main characters engage and react in rather predictable ways. In High Plains Drifter Eastwood’s gunslinger is every shrink’s worst nightmare -- it is simply impossible to tell what is happening in his head, which is precisely why his opponents can’t keep up with him. This is the exact same reason why Eastwood’s sense of humor repeatedly catches the audience off guard as well.

Eastwood worked from a screenplay by Earnest Tidyman, who just a couple of years earlier had collaborated with William Friedkin on The French Connection. However, it is hard to tell just how much of what is in High Plains Drifter came directly from Tidyman’s screenplay because Eastwood’s individuality before and behind the camera powers up the entire film. Indeed, there are endless examples where it becomes painfully obvious that Eastwood’s gunslinger relies on his instincts, and in the process, his words and actions force the characters he engages to respond in very particular ways. This type of organic material is virtually impossible to script and then shoot to look as it does in the final version of the film.

The small town where the gunslinger gets his revenge was supposed to be recreated on one of Universal’s studio lots. However, Eastwood disagreed with the studio bosses and instead built the town near Mono Lake, an ancient saline lake at the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada in California. He was assisted by cinematographer Bruce Surtees (Dirty Harry, Escape from Alcatraz).

High Plains Drifter Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, High Plains Drifter arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an old but very, very solid master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. (In case you are wondering, yes, this is the same master that was used to produce the 40th Anniversary Edition of the film). The density levels on this master are outstanding, which is why on a larger screen the visuals often look rather striking. Delineation and depth are also terrific. Furthermore, I have to praise the strong fluidity because it is quite a bit better than what you would see on many very recent 2K/4K masters. The color grading job is very convincing. In fact, even though the master is old, in terms of color grading it is one of the best that I have seen prepared for a Clint Eastwood western. However, there is quite a bit of light to moderate black crush that could have been avoided with some more careful manual adjustments, but this really is the only notable weakness the master has. There are a couple of areas where some sporadic highlights could have been managed better as well, but as far as I am concerned these are cosmetic adjustments. There are no distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, blemishes, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 4.25/5.00. (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).

High Plains Drifter Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I revisited the film with the lossless 2.0 track. I think that it is outstanding, and in terms of clarity and sharpness I would probably use it as 'reference material'. The psychedelic/surrealistic theme during the opening sequence sounded particularly impressive on my system. There is quite a bit of outstanding action footage as well. The dialog is very clean and easy to follow.

High Plains Drifter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers and TV Spot - in English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Trailer One. Fully remastered. (3 min, 1080p).
  2. Trailer Two. Vintage trailer. (2 min, 1080p).
  3. TV Spot. Vintage TV spot. (1 min, 1080p).

• Radio Spot - vintage radio spot. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

• Image Gallery - a collection of vintage posters and images from the film. With music. (4 min, 1080p).

• Trailers From Hell One - an archival episode of Trailers From Hell with director Edgar Wright (Baby Driver). In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Trailers From Hell Two - an archival episode of Trailers From Hell with screenwriter Josh Olson (A History of Violence). In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• A Man Named Eastwood - a vintage featurette that focuses on the production of High Plains Drifter and Clint Eastwood's career. In English, not subtitled. (8 min, 1080p).

• William O'Connell - in this brand new video interview, actor William O'Connell (the barber in the desert town) explains how he entered the film business and what it was like to work with Clint Eastwood in High Plains Drifter. The interview was conducted exclusively for Kino Lorber. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).

• Mitchell Ryan - in this brand new video interview, actor Mitchell Ryan recalls his first encounter with Clint Eastwood and trip to the High Sierras where High Plains Drifter was shot and discusses his working methods. There are also some interesting observations about the film's lasting appeal. The interview was conducted exclusively for Kino Lorber. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, 1080p).

• Marianna Hill - in this brand new video interview, actress Marianna Hill discusses the wild character she played in High Plains Drifter and interactions with Clint Eastwood. The interview was conducted exclusively for Kino Lorber. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080p).

• Audio Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by filmmaker Alex Cox.

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art for High Plains Drifter.

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog.
  
  1. A Fistful of Dollars
  2. For a Few Dollars More
  3. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
  4. Two Mules for Sister Sara
  5. Joe Kidd

High Plains Drifter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is an undeniable fact that High Plains Drifter carries the genes of Sergio Leone's work. However, the Old West that emerges in it is a lot like the surrealistic playgrounds the colorful characters in Alejandro Jodorowsky's films typically visit. I like High Plains Drifter quite a lot and think that the location near Mono Lake where Clint Eastwood shot the film is a genuine stunner, arguably one of the best to be used in a period western. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an old but very solid master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. It also features a good mix of exclusive new and archival bonus features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.