6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Set in the West of the 1890s, the film opens with the torture and murder of the parents of Max Sand by a trio of gunslingers seemingly motivated by their hostility toward the mixed nature of the marriage, since the wife is a Native American. Swearing revenge, the young cowhand enlists the help of itinerant gunsmith Jonas Cord, who teaches him how to shoot while counseling against revenge. Nonetheless, Sand doggedly scours one town after the other.
Starring: Steve McQueen (I), Karl Malden, Brian Keith, Arthur Kennedy, Suzanne PleshetteWestern | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Henry Hathaway's "Nevada Smith" (1966) 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, producer Mark Jordan Legan, and film historian Henry Parke as well as vintage promotional materials for the film. In English, with optional Enlgish SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Nevada Smith arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from a new 4K master that was struck from the original camera negative. The overall quality of the visuals ranges from very good to outstanding. Delineation, clarity, and depth are always very pleasing. Density levels are also impressive, so if you view your films on a large screen, you will see tight, very attractive visuals with tremendous organic qualities. My only minor criticism pertains to the color grading job and specifically the management of primary blue. In a couple of areas, it is pushed toward light turquoise -- which is something that is now a common issue on many new 4K masters that are done on behalf of Paramount -- so the color temperature becomes cooler than it needs to be. You can see an example here. The footage where Steve McQueen is seen riding and then meeting Brian Keith is supposed to be taking place during a very hot period too, but it looks quite cool. See examples here, here, and here. However, overall I do not think that these are serious anomalies. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections.
The entire film looks very healthy. (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. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
I did not encounter any issues to report in our review. The audio was very clear and nicely balanced. If there were any age-related issues before the film was restored in 4K, it is impossible to tell now. All registers are very healthy and dynamic intensity and balance are as good as they should be. I was quite impressed.
Nevada Smith is a mismanaged film with many flaws, some of which are quite bizarre. Steve McQueen is called "son" and "boy" by men that are not much older than him, while his Indian mother looks perplexingly young. The Carpetbaggers was supposedly a source of inspiration, but it is impossible to tell in what way. Several good character actors are wasted in underwhelming material, too. Yes, the bad characters are great and there are a lot of terrific visuals, but considering the enormous talent that was gathered the end product is impossible to praise. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a strong new 4K master that was struck from the original camera negative. RECOMMENDED, but only to the fans.
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