Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

My Darling Clementine Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 29, 2014

John Ford's "My Darling Clementine" (1946) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include the Prerelease Version of the film; original trailer; video essay by film scholar Tad Gallagher; new video interview with western scholar Andrew C. Isenberg; new audio commentary by film scholar and professor of cinema at San Francisco State University Joseph McBride; radio adaptation of the film; and more. The release also arrives with a leaflet featuring David Jenkins' essay "The Great Beyond". In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The new sheriff

Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda, 12 Angry Men) and his three brothers, Morgan (Ward Bond, The Searchers), Virgil (Tim Holt, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre) and James (Don Garner, Flat Top), are on their way to California where they plan to sell their cattle. But on the outskirts of Tombstone James is killed and the cattle stolen. Shortly after, Wyatt becomes sheriff of Tombstone, appoints Morgan and Virgil deputies, and vows to find and punish the killers of his brother.

In the local saloon, Wyatt meets and befriends Doc Holliday (Victor Mature, Violent Saturday), a former surgeon turned gunslinger who has abandoned his practice and moved West after contracting tuberculosis. Wyatt also runs into the members of the brutal Clanton clan, one of whom is secretly seeing Doc’s girlfriend, the luscious singer Chihuahua (Linda Darnell, A Letter to Three Wives).

Wyatt’s relationship with Doc becomes complicated when his former girlfriend, Clementine Carter (Cathy Downs, The Flaming Urge), arrives in Tombstone. When Doc tells her to leave town, she warms up to Wyatt and he quickly falls in love with her. Around the same time, Wyatt also accidentally discovers that Chihuahua has his dead brother’s amulet. When she reveals the name of the man who gave it to her, all hell breaks loose.

Criterion’s upcoming Blu-ray release of this monumental western directed by the great John Ford features two versions of the film: the Prerelease Version, which runs at approximately 103 minutes, and the recently restored Theatrical Version, which runs at approximately 97 minutes. There are substantial differences between the two. The Theatrical Version, which was re-edited by producer Darryl F. Zanuck, actually contains unique close-ups and even entire sequences that were not shot by Ford, as well as a different soundtrack. Unsurprisingly, it was not Ford’s preferred version of the film.

Both versions are not historically accurate, though key events in them, such as the OK Corral shootout, were apparently recreated as they were described to Ford by the legendary sheriff of Tombstone. (The two met long before My Darling Clementine was completed). There are also character identities that were invented by Ford. For example, the Earp brothers were not cattle ranchers, and Wyatt actually arrived in Tombstone as a professional gambler. The real Doc also survived the shootout at OK Corral and much later on died of tuberculosis.

Despite the historical inaccuracies Ford’s My Darling Clementine remains the best film about Wyatt’s legacy. Indeed, the chemistry between the outstanding cast and Ford’s impressive eye for detail remain unmatched. (Though both John Sturges’ Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and George P. Cosmatos’ Tombstone are very good films, the tone, atmosphere and visual characteristics of these films are drastically different).

Ford shot My Darling Clementine with cinematographer Joseph MacDonald (Elia Kazan’s Viva Zapata!, Nicholas Ray’s Bigger Than Life). The film’s dramatic score was created by Cyril J. Mockridge (Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s Guys and Dolls).

My Darling Clementine Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Ford's My Darling Clementine arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on an Oxberry wetgate Cinescan from a 35mm nitrate composite fine-grain held by the Museum of Modern Art. The scanning, color grading, and restoration were done at Cineric in New York. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Revival, Cinnafilm's Dark Energy, and Pixel Farm's PFClean.

The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the Museum of Modern Art's 35mm nitrate composite fine-grain and restored at Audio Mechanics in Burbank, California. Additional restoration was done by the Criterion Collection. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. AudioCube's integrated workstation, and iZotope RX 3.

Transfer supervisor: Schawn Belston/Twentieth Century Fox.
Colorist: Daniel DeVincent, Cineric, New York.
Layout: Janos Pileni, Ulrike Reichhold/Cineric, New York.
Scanning: Adam Wangerin, Simon Lund/Cineric, New York.
Restoration: Seth Berkowitz, Shelley Plummer/Cineric, New York."

Please note that the screencaptures included with our review appear in the following order:

1. Screencaptures #1-19 are from the 4K restoration of the Theatrical Version.
2. Screencaptuers # 21-30 are from the Prerelease Version.

Theatrical Version: Generally speaking, depth and definition are very good. The daylight close-ups, in particular, look wonderful. Clarity isn't consistently pleasing, but during some of the nighttime footage it is obvious that existing source limitations are responsible for the minor fluctuations. Light grain is visible, but there are traces of grain management which some viewers will likely spot. The majority of them become prominent during the darker footage where occasionally the image becomes somewhat flat. Color saturation and stability are good. Lastly, there are substantial improvements in terms of image stability. Also, large debris, damage marks, cuts, stains, dirt, and scratches have been removed as best as possible. All in all, while I do believe that a slightly rawer look for select sequences could have been more appropriate, the film does have a pleasing organic appearance.

Prerelease Version: It is presented in 1080p, but it has not been treated with the same type of extensive restoration work. Unsurprisingly, quite a few scratches and debris are visible. Some light halo effects are present as well. Detail and clarity fluctuate, but this is hardly surprising considering the fact that this version was copied from a 1946 nitrate preview print. Image stability is good.

(Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

My Darling Clementine Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Theatrical Version: This version of the film comes with English LPCM 1.0 track and optional English SDH subtitles. Depth and clarity are very good. Cyril J. Mockridge's soundtrack also breathes quite easily. The best news, however, is that background hiss has been convincingly eliminated. (It is definitely felt on the old R1 DVD release). There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or digital distortions.

Prerelease Version: This version of My Darling Clementine has a different soundtrack (it is not identical to the one used for the Theatrical Version). Despite the fact that only a Dolby Digital 1.0 track is included depth and clarity are very good and the music is surprisingly well balanced. Some extremely light hiss occasionally makes its presence felt, but it never becomes overly distracting. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in this review. Otional English SDH subtitles have not been provided.

My Darling Clementine Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Prerelease Version - presented here is the Prerelease Version of My Darling Clementine with a short text description. For technical details, please see the video section of our review.

• Version Comparison - this video piece highlights the key differences between the July 1946 Prerelease Version of My Darling Clementine and the film's final October 1946 Theatrical Version. It was produced in 2004 by preservationist Robert Gitt of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. In English, not subtitled. (42 min, 1080i).
  
  1. Zanuck takes over
  2. Continuity gap
  3. Dialogue and score
  4. Two rewrites
  5. The ending

• Trailer - original trailer for My Darling Clementine. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Lux Radio Theatre - presented here is a radio adaptation of My Darling Clementine which was originally broadcast on April 28, 1947. Henry Fonda (Wyatt Earp) and Cathy Downs (Clementine) reprise their roles, With a guest appearance by Richard Conte (Doc Holliday). In English, not subtitled. (59 min, 1080p).
  
  1. Introduction
  2. Act 1: New marshal
  3. Monkey business
  4. Act 2: Doubts about Doc
  5. Lovely lingerie
  6. Act 3: Proper authority
  7. Curtain Call

• Bandit's Wager (1916) - this western short was directed by John Ford's brother, Francis, and stars Grace Cunard, alongside the two brothers. Music only. (14 min, 1080i). The film appears courtesy of the BFI National Archive.

• Lost and Gone Forever - in this video essay, film scholar Tad Gallagher focuses on some of the unique themes and key relationships between the main characters in My Darling Clementine, as well as some of the most common themes in John Ford's body of work. Also included with it are archival production stills. The essay was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 1080p).

• Today: "Report on Monument Valley" - presented here is an excerpt from the September 26, 1975, episode of NBC's Today show which focuses on the history of Monument Valley, where John Ford and his team shot the majority of My Darling Clementine. In English, not subtitles. (6 min, 1080p).

• David Brinkley Journal: "Tombstone" - presented here is an excerpt from the April 15, 1963, episode of NBC's David Brinkley Journal which focuses on the history of the notorious town of Tombstone, Arizona. In English, not subtitled. (8 min, 1080p).

• Print the Legend - in this brand new video interview, western scholar Andrew C. Isenberg, author of Wyatt Earp: A Vigilante Life, discusses the life and legacy of the real Wyatt Earp, as well as some of the more popular myths about his accomplishments. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - in this brand new audio commentary, film scholar and professor of cinema at San Francisco State University Joseph McBride, author of Searching for John Ford, discusses John Ford's career, the production history of My Darling Clementine, some of the historical inaccuracies pertaining to the legacy of the real Wyatt Earp, etc. The audio commentary was recorded by Criterion in 2014.

• Leaflet - featuring David Jenkins' essay "The Great Beyond" (the author is editor of the film magazine Little White Lies) and technical credits.

My Darling Clementine Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Though not historically accurate, John Ford's My Darling Clementine remains the best film about Wyatt Earp's legacy. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release features two versions of the film: the Theatrical Version, which has been recently restored in 4K, and the longer Prerelease Version. As usual, Criterion have also provided an impressive selection of supplemental features, including a truly fantastic new video interview with western scholar Andrew C. Isenberg. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.