Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Shenandoah Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 23, 2022

Andrew V. McLaglen's "Shenandoah" arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary, vintage trailer, and archival short film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main features. Region-A "locked".

It ain't our war, so we stay out of it.

My recent viewing experience with Shenandoah was the exact opposite of the one I had with Journey to Shiloh, though I think that both films summarize war very well. One of them simply has a much deeper understanding of war and how when it is close to us it becomes virtually impossible to avoid.

Shenandoah is the better film. In it Jimmy Stewart plays the widowed farmer Charlie Anderson who tries to keep his family together as the Civil War is raging near his home in Shenandoah, Virginia. His six sons -- James (Patrick Wayne), Sam (Dough McClure), Jacob (Glenn Corbett), Henry (Tim McIntire), John (James (McMullan), and Nathan (Charles Robinson) -- his daughter, Jennie (Rosemary Forsyth), and his daughter-in-law, Ann (Katherine Ross) are what he genuinely cares the most. Everything else from the land that has fed his family to their wealth and material possessions to the public image comes next, and each day when they gather around the table to say a prayer and eat Charlie urges them to remember that it is so. When local army recruiters occasionally stop by, Charlie immediately declares before them that his family already has too much to worry about, so neither he nor his boys want to be part of it.

For a while Charlie’s efforts to keep the family neutral work as intended, but when Boy is mistakenly captured by soldiers from the North and taken to a remote camp, he changes his mind. Shortly after, Charlie and his sons leave the farm and head toward the battlefield to track down and free Boy. However, even though they continue to avoid a confrontation with the enemy, the war quickly transforms them into soldiers as well.

Stewart’s performance in Shenandoah is widely considered one of his very best, and rightfully so because the unforgettable transformation of his aging farmer could not have been any more convincing. Interestingly, what powers up this performance is actually a very simple, even casual dissection of war that essentially makes the logic of his arguments before and after Boy’s detention timeless. Consider this: On one hand, the farmer maintains that war is usually the culmination of a conflict that is too big for one person to resolve and therefore engaging in it, directly or indirectly, is a mistake. (It is why he repeatedly declares that the clash between the South and the North is not his family’s fight). On the other hand, the farmer warns that everything changes when war targets someone he cares about. In other words, engagement becomes unavoidable because the safety of that someone has to be protected. All of the drama between the farmer and his sons as well as the characters they encounter during their search of Boy is then used to test the logic behind his arguments, and rather predictably he is repeatedly proven right.

The cinematography is a lot like Stewart’s performance -- it routinely looks deceivingly simplistic but it is actually quite striking. Indeed, instead of searching and discovering grand visuals that would emphasize what could make the journey and the war appear epic, the camera finds beauty and sadness in casual visuals where real feeling and emotions are frequently revealed. The final sequence where Stewart is seen leading his boys back to the farm and soon after standing next to the big grave is simply pitch-perfect.

Director Andrew V. McLaglen made Shenandoah with cinematographer William H. Clothier, who worked on The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance as well. The latter features yet another iconic performance by Stewart, though this time around playing a drastically different character.

Shenandoah Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Shenandoah arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Shenandoah looked pretty decent on my system, but the master that was used to source this release shows its age. Indeed, most of the visuals look slightly softer than they should, plus wider panoramic shots do not convey proper depth. There is still plenty of detail and fine nuances, but what is needed for the film to shine on Blu-ray/4K Blu-ray -- and believe me, this film can be quite the stunner if it is given a proper makeover -- is usually missing. In darker/nighttime footage there is plenty of black crush sneaking in, though once again I must say that there is decent detail as well. Color balance is very good, but saturation can be improved and certain ranges of supporting nuance expanded. Image stability is good. Finally, I did not notice any large cuts, debris, stains, warped or torn frames to report.

Shenandoah 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.

The lossless audio track is very solid. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the great range of nuanced dynamics and the overall strong potency of the soundtrack. The dialog was very clear and easy to follow as well. So, whenever the current master was prepared, someone obviously made sure that the audio is optimized as best as possible. Can a future remix deliver some drastic improvements? I don't think so.

Shenandoah Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a remastered vintage trailer for Shenandoah. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• The Defiant Virginian - a Super 8mm short film. Presented without audio. (9 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Michael F. Banks, C. Courtney Joyner, and Constantine Nasr.

Shenandoah Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One of Jimmy Stewart's greatest performances is in Shenandoah, and I personally would place it even above his unforgettable transformation in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. The other important reason to praise Shenandoah is its simple yet very accurate summation of war. Listen carefully what the widowed farmer has to say as he tries to protect his family and you will quickly realize that his arguments are timeless. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a mostly decent older master, so you should consider picking it up. However, if properly restored in 4K and released on 4K Blu-ray, Shenandoah would be quite the visual stunner. RECOMMENDED.