Soldier Blue Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

Soldier Blue Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 20, 2021

Ralph Nelson's "Soldier Blue" (1970) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive audio commentary by critics Steve Mitchell and Howard S. Berger as well as a vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Here’s a film that is so poorly edited that it ought to be given as an example to aspiring young editors who are still learning how to do their job right. It is Ralph Nelson’s Soldier Blue, which was edited by Alex Beaton, who did only four other films before changing professions. Beaton’s decision to walk away from the film business was the right one because he clearly did not understand the importance of composition and continuity, and how both function when they shape up the identity of a film. Indeed, in Soldier Blue there are so many odd editing choices that damage the structure and tone of the narrative that it is actually rather remarkable that Nelson and the producers of the film accepted what Beaton handed to them. Or could it be that there is a bigger, much more complex story about the conception of this film, and Beaton only did what he could to save it? Anything is possible, but in this case it seems highly unlikely. The fact that Beaton stopped editing only a year after Soldier Blue was completed suggests that at some point he also figured out the obvious.

Soldier Blue opens up in a picturesque area somewhere in the Wild West where Cheyenne warriors ambush and quickly destroy a small cavalry group. The only lucky survivors are Honus (Peter Strauss), an inexperienced soldier, and Cresta (Candice Bergen), a young woman who has been recently 'saved' after spending the last couple of years living with the Cheyenne. After the attack, the two slowly begin moving toward the nearest cavalry base camp.

Despite various life-threatening situations and many disagreements, Honus and Cresta slowly begin to fall in love. However, their relationship begins to deteriorate when Cresta reveals that she detests the settlers and then confesses that still has feelings for the man leading the Cheyenne warriors, who appears to have gone on the warpath to reclaim what belongs to him.

As edited, Soldier Blue very quickly creates the impression that it is a problematic film of two contrasting identities because it blends material that is quite simply incompatible. Indeed, some of this material is used to channel political statements that address the violent clash of cultures that permanently transformed the Wild West. However, the remaining material shows such tremendous enthusiasm for the evolving romantic relationship between the two leads that it very quickly begins to look like the drama is being imported from an entirely different film. Predictably, feelings, emotions, attitudes and visual appearances become extremely difficult to accept as authentic because they are routinely out of sync with the order in which many events are arranged throughout the film.

But why is this happening exactly?

The easiest answer would be that the type of dramatic buildup that is needed for the film to appear coherent never materializes. After the massacre where Honus meets Cresta, the film essentially chooses a new direction and enters a territory where the drama no longer fits. There are a myriad of comedic situations here that look like exceptionally long trims, while the proper material that should have kept building the drama is missing. This suggest that a lot must have gone wrong in the editing room where Beaton was assembling the final version of the film.

But it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Nelson’s vision evolved during the shooting process and he was the one that produced a lot of unsavable, seriously incoherent material. Ponder this: if Nelson's main objective was to accurately recreate the events that led to the Sand Creek Massacre, why aren’t there any notable Indian characters, yet the disturbing finale is so elaborate? Could it be that the historical context was nothing but a ruse to validate the existence of a pretty mediocre exploitation film? While Beaton is a convenient scapegoat, this is the one scenario that actually explains absolutely everything that takes place in this film.

Soldier Blue Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Soldier Blue arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by StudioCanal. Unfortunately, this master isn't any better than the ones that often emerge from Universal's vaults. Indeed, in certain areas select close-ups can look almost good, especially if viewed on a smaller screen, but during panoramic shots -- and there are plenty in this film -- depth and clarity range from poor to average. Also, there is some sort of very light but impossible to ignore electronic sharpening that routinely compromises grain exposure, which is why plenty of nicely-lit footage can look rather harsh and smeary. When the camera zooms, on a large screen fluidity becomes very unconvincing as well. The color grading is decent, but in darker areas plenty of nuances are lost. Some are lost because of grading choices, but plenty are compromised by the harshness and smearing that is mentioned above. Image stability is very good. A few very small blemishes can be spotted, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report in our review. (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).

Soldier Blue 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.

Excluding some very minor thinness that emerges from time to time, the lossless audio is actually very pleasing. Clarity and stability in particular are very solid. Dynamic intensity is rather mediocre, even during the big action footage, but this is most likely how the original soundtrack was mixed. A new remix could strengthen and expand some nuances, but I don't think that the end result will be dramatically different.

Soldier Blue Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Soldier Blue. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 480/60i).

• Commentary - this new audio commentary was recorded by critics Steve Mitchell and Howard S. Berger.

Soldier Blue Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Soldier Blue is neither a serious period drama nor a proper exploitation film -- it is a little bit of both, which is why it looks so odd. On top of this, it is hard to imagine that its two leads, Peter Strauss and Candice Bergen, could have been any more unconvincing. Seriously, these are the actors and personalities you want to shoot a film about the Sand Creek Massacre? There are so many sequences where both look like they are auditioning for future parts in Hair, it is rather astonishing to see that some mainstream critics praised this mess of a film. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an old and pretty mediocre master that was supplied by StudioCanal. If you absolutely have to have it in your collection, pick it up during a sale.