Pursued Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Pursued Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 9, 2024

Raoul Walsh's "Pursued" (1947) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include archival introduction by Marty Scorsese and new audio commentary by critic Imogen Sara Smith. In English, with optional English SDH subtiltes for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

It has been stated many times that Orson Welles’ influence is easily detectable in Raoul Walsh’s Pursued. Is it true? If one begins examining how Walsh positions the camera and uses shadow and light, some similarities with Welles’ work during the same period become undeniable. However, if one goes this far, one could also dig up enough to claim that several of the beautiful panoramic outdoor sequences Walsh shot share a lot with John Ford’s work.

Pursued tells its story in reverse order. Fugitive Jeb Rand (Robert Mitchum) and the love of his life, Thor Callum (Teresa Wright), hide in an abandoned ranch in an isolated rugged area. They both sense that this will be where the gunslingers tracking down Jeb will finally get him and finish the job they were paid to do. While Jeb holds Thor in his arms, she asks what went wrong.

A series of flashbacks begin reconstructing Jeb’s past. In one of them, as a boy, he hides in the same ranch and witnesses how the angry Grant Callum (Dean Jagger) guns down his father and the rest of his family. In another, he is adopted by Mrs. Callum (Judith Anderson) and then seen growing up with her daughter, Thor, and son, Adam (John Rodney). More flashbacks from years later reveal how Jeb, already a young man madly in love with Thor, clashes with Adam, who wants him out of his life. After going to war and coming back only with a minor injury, Jeb resumes his feud with Adam, and, while being forced out of the family ranch, kills him. In the final and longest flashback, which merges with the present, Adam is buried, Mrs. Callum disowns Jeb and Thor vows to avenge her brother’s death, while Grant Callum and his men go after the killer.

Large parts of Pursued unquestionably mimic the visual aesthetics promoted by film noir, so it is not unreasonable to state that it has noirish overtones. Several of its characters, including Mitchum’s, appear to be consciously pushing Pursued toward film noir territory, too. However, Pursued does not produce a proper noir atmosphere. As noted earlier, it continues to present the environment of its characters as the classic westerns of its decade did, emphasizing its scope and suitability for conventional western action. The westerns that will visit film noir territory and produce a proper noir atmosphere will emerge several years later, during the 1950s, and have an unmistakably different identity. (Some of the best such westerns are 3:10 to Yuma, Day of the Outlaw, and Face of a Fugitive)

Mitchum leads with authority and quickly emerges as the undisputed star of Pursued. However, even when the less civilized side of his character dominates, he looks a bit soft, which is unfortunate because a wilder and rougher character undoubtedly would have supercharged just about everything noir in Pursued. Wright is likable but occasionally too melodramatic. Anderson is very good but never steps into the film noir territory where virtually all the exciting material is.

It has to be said that if placed next to the grand western classics of the same era, like Red River and Fort Apache, Pursued looks like a much smaller film. Despite several very good outdoor sequences, it just does not produce epic visuals that can leave one speechless. Also, in several areas, but during the final third, in particular, it leaves the impression that it was edited as quickly as possible.

Walsh worked with director of photography James Wong Howe, who shortly after lensed the classic film noir Body and Soul, starring John Garfield and Lilly Palmer.

Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray release of Pursued is sourced from a new 4K master struck from the film’s original camera negative, a dupe negative, and a composite print.

Pursued Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Pursued arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Pursued made its high-definition debut with this release, which Olive Films produced in 2012. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a new 4K master struck from the film's original camera negative, a dupe negative, and a composite print.

I compared the two release and can comfortably state that the new 4K master gives the entire film a more convincing and attractive organic appearance. In darker areas, in particular, there is quite a bit more to see, which is important to note because darker nuances and shadows are crucial elements of the film's stylistic identity. During footage with plenty of natural light, declination and clarity are improved as well, though here the difference in quality is much smaller. If you have a large screen, you will notice healthier and better exposed grain now, which is something that has a positive impact on fluidity, too. I did notice a couple of areas with obvious density fluctuations, but they are inherited. (For example, see the darker nighttime footage around the 0:26.37 mark). The grayscale is very good. I did not see any crushing or similar anomalies. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. 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 player in order to access its content).

Pursued Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

All exchanges are clear, easy to follow and stable. During the shootouts, dynamic intensity is good too, though in my opinion Max Steiner's dramatic score does virtually all of the hard work to create memorable contrasts. The upper register is very healthy. I did not notice any thinning, hiss, or similar anomalies.

Pursued Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction - presented here is a short archival introduction by Marty Scorsese. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Imogen Sara Smith.

Pursued Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A wilder and rougher Jeb Rand would have single-handedly placed Pursued in film noir territory, which is where a lot of people believe this film belongs. I do too, but despite some flirtations with film noir aesthetics, I think that it remains a conventional western. The legit western noirs, like 3:10 to Yuma and Day of the Outlaw, will emerge during the 1950s, which is the decade that produced some of the most diverse traditional film noirs as well. Kino Lorber's release of Pursued is sourced from a new, very strong organic 4K master. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.