Red River Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Red River Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 18, 2013

Director Howard Hawks' legendary "Red River" (1948) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive video conversation between filmmaker Dan Sallitt and film critic Jaime N. Christley; Lux Radio Theater adaptation of "Red River" featuring John Wayne, Walter Brennan, and Joanne Dru; and music and effects audio track. The release also arrives with a 56-page illustrated booklet containing a lengthy dossier of excerpts from vintage writing about Hawks and the film, including an interview with Hawks, a note on the “two versions” of the film, and rare archival imagery. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"This is the place..."

After the Civil War. John Wayne is Tom Dunson, a free man who leaves behind the woman he loves and heads to Texas together with his right-hand man Groot Nadine (Walter Brennan, To Have and Have Not, My Darling Clementine) to build the cattle ranch he has been dreaming about. Somewhere near the Red River, Dunson and Nadine meet Matt Garth (Mickey Kuhn/Montgomery Clift), a bright boy who has miraculously survived an Indian attack. Dunson offers Garth to stay with them and help them build the ranch.

Fourteen years later. Dunson has become the biggest cattle baron in the West, but desperately needs money to continue operating his ranch. To raise the money, Dunson decides to take 9,000 head of cattle to Missouri, where the market is booming. He hires a group of cowboys to assist and protect him and then heads up North.

In the beginning the men are convinced that they will reach Missouri and get paid for their work, but a giant stampede followed by terrible weather and starvation forces many of them to question Dunson’s leadership. Eventually Dunson tries to punish two deserters, but Garth sides with the men and then promises to lead them to Abilene, where the railroad tracks are, so that they can reach Missouri faster. Barely able to contain his anger, Dunson vows to kill Garth next time they meet.

On the way to Missouri, Garth and his men witness an Indian attack on a wagon train heading West. After they drive away the Indians, Garth spends time with the beautiful and single Tess Millay (Joanne Dru, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Thunder Bay), who immediately falls in love with him. They part ways shortly before Dunson and a gang of mercenaries appear looking for Garth’s wagon train.

An indisputable American classic, Howard Hawks’ Red River is a film of immense beauty. The visuals, especially during the second act, where Dunson and his men begin their journey, are indeed impossible to describe with simple words.

The epic atmosphere never leaves the film. Even the intimate scenes, such as the one where Garth and Millay warm up to each other, are shot with tremendous sense of style. In the overwhelming majority of the westerns from the same era the focus of attention is typically on the panoramic visuals, but in Red River the quiet moments are just as carefully observed by the camera.

Based on Borden Chase’s story "The Saturday Evening Post", Red River was Clift’s debut film (though it was The Search that introduced the young actor to American audiences because Red River’s release was delayed due to legal issues). In 1949, the film earner two Oscar nominations, one for Best Writing (Chase), and another for Best Film Editing (Christian Nyby).

There are two different versions of Red River that have been shown theatrically. The shorter version, which runs at approximately 127 minutes, was apparently the preferred by director Hawks version of his film. The longer version, also known as the Prerelease Version, which was also the one MGM initially released on DVD in North America, runs at approximately 133 minutes. This longer version of the film is the one that is included on Eureka Entertainment’s upcoming Blu-ray release.

Red River Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Howard Hawks' Red River arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment.

Detail and image depth are very pleasing. The daylight footage, in particular, looks quite wonderful. There are plenty of close-ups that boast wonderful depth, while the panoramic vistas look appropriately crisp. Clarity is very good even during the nighttime footage (see screencapture #11; also see the stampede). Some minor contrast fluctuations are present, but there are no serious anomalies. There are no traces of problematic degraning corrections. Sharpening adjustments have not been performed either. Some light scratches and tiny vertical lines frequently pop up, but never become distracting. Also, there are a few shaky frame transitions, but overall image stability is excellent. Finally, compression is good, but I feel that some of the daylight sequences could look even more convincing. All in all, this is a good organic presentation of Red River that will please its fans. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Red River Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Also included on this release is a Music & Effects track (LPCM 1.0). For the record, Eureka Entertainment have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

Dynamic intensity is surprisingly good for a film produced more than 66 years ago. During the stampede, in particular, depth is dramatically improved when one compares the lossless track to the lossy track from the R1 DVD release. There are a few areas where mid-range dynamics are pushed back a bit, but clarity is always good. Light background hiss occasionally sneaks in, but never becomes distracting. Finally, there are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.

Red River Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Dan Sallitt & Jamie N. Christley - a casual conversation between filmmaker Dan Sallitt (All the Ships at Sea, The Unspeakable Act) and film critic Jaime N. Christley. The two gentlemen discuss some of the unique themes and qualities of Red River, as well as the legacy of its creator. The conversation was filmed exclusively for The Masters of Cinema Series in 2013. In English, not subtitled. (46 man).

• Lux Radio Theater - a Lux Radio Theater adaptation of Red River featuring John Wayne, Walter Brennan, and Joanne Dru. It was broadcast on March 7, 1949. In English, not subtitled. (59 min).

• Booklet - 56-page illustrated booklet containing a lengthy dossier of excerpts from vintage writing about Howard Hawks and the film, including an interview with the American director; interview with editor Christian Nyby; a note on the "two versions" of the film, and rare archival imagery.

Red River Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Director Howard Hawks' Red River is a true American classic that belongs in the library of every serious film aficionado. I personally think that it should have arrived on Blu-ray a lot earlier, but it is great to finally see that at least in Region-B territories there are different releases of this epic film (French label Wild Side Video also released Red River in France). Eureka Entertainment's presentation of Red River is very nice. There is some room for minor improvements, but the film has a wonderful organic look. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.