6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Kansas Raiders weds two popular Western subjects: the James gang and Quantrill's Raiders. The film's story tracks the arrival and disillusionment of Jesse and Frank James (and the Younger brothers) into the service of Rebel agitator William Quantrill (Brian Donlevy).
Starring: Audie Murphy, Brian Donlevy, Scott Brady, Tony Curtis, Richard ArlenWestern | 100% |
War | 14% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Ray Enright's "Kansas Raiders" (1950) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by author/screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner and film historian Henery Parke and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Kansas Raiders arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from an older master that has a hard time reproducing the wonderful Technicolor appearance of Kansas Raiders. No, it is not a disappointing master, especially when we consider that it emerged from Universal's vaults -- which have produced a lot of very, very problematic older masters -- but its limitations are quite obvious. For example, a lot of the panoramic visuals do not reveal proper delineation and depth. Clarity can fluctuate as well. Close-ups can look decent, but trained eyes will recognize that light sharpening has been applied and as a result grain does not have that solid organic and very attractive appearance. There are color registration issues as well, though for an old master color balance and stability are quite nice. Image stability is good. I noticed several nicks, tiny cuts, and blemishes, but there are no large damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (There are several inserts from other films, so the bigger fluctuations in quality that you will observe there are inherited). All in all, to look as good as it can, Kansas Raiders will have to be properly remastered, and preferably in 4K. My score is 3.25/5.00. (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).
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.
I thought that the lossless track was solid. There is one segment where the upper register felt a bit unstable because of some extremely light background hiss attempting to sneak in, but clarity, sharpness, and depth were still very good. Dynamic intensity is good, too. However, do not expect to hear great dynamic contrasts.
It is quite remarkable that just five years separate Kansas Raiders and To Hell and Back because in the latter Audie Murphy is already a legit Hollywood star. Clearly, Kansas Raiders was made to help Murphy -- and several other young stars that had contracts with Universal -- grow, but I do not think that too many people in the film industry could foresee his rapid maturation before the camera. Murphy's public image as a superhero makes this transformation even more impressive because the pressure to meet industry and societal expectations must have been tremendous. While a small film that embellishes history quite a bit, Kansas Raiders is very entertaining. It is included in Kino Lorber's Audie Murphy Collection II, a three-disc box set. RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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