7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A Swedish whaler is out for revenge when he finds out that a greedy oil man murdered his father for their land.
Starring: Sterling Hayden, Sebastian Cabot, Carol Kelly, Eugene Mazzola, Nedrick YoungWestern | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Two of the supplements included on this new Blu-ray release of Terror in a Texas Town repeatedly refer to director Joseph H. Lewis as “a stylist without a theme”. That might be an almost backhanded compliment in a way, alluding to a quality that otherwise might be simply called “versatility”, but the implied subtext is that while many of Lewis’ films have directorial flourishes galore, there’s not much “there” there to support all of those “bells and whistles”. Lewis was a journeyman director who is chiefly remembered these days for his noir (or at least noir-ish) entries like Gun Crazy and The Big Combo, but his filmography, while not overly vast, includes a number of interesting productions in an array of genres, such as Bela Lugosi’s first foray into the “poverty row” environment of Monogram Studios, Invisible Ghost, as well as Bombs Over Burma, a “war film” featuring Anna May Wong that features an unusual context and perspective, but which, like many of Lewis’ efforts, was hampered by a near non-existent budget. Lewis is also credited with directing the production numbers of a higher profile musical property, the multi-Oscar nominated (and winning) The Jolson Story. Lewis also directed one of my personal favorites from the 1940s, the creepy mystery My Name Is Julia Ross which later served as the source for Dead of Winter. Even this massively abbreviated list may tend to put the lie to the fact that there’s no “content” underlying Lewis’ unmistakable visual style, but Lewis’ last feature film, 1958’s Terror in a Texas Town, is a really bizarre combination of hoary Western tropes mixed with sometimes completely outré elements that few would expect to find in an “oater”. The fact that the film’s marketing campaign promised both “Iron Hooked Fury!” as well as “harpoon against six gun” may indicate at least one way in which Terror in a Texas Town subverts traditional Western formulations, but there’s a slightly anarchic quality to the film which at least hints at something deeper going on than some of the surface shenanigans may suggest.
Terror in a Texas Town is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Academy with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the transfer:
Terror in a Texas Town has been exclusively restored in 2K resolution for this release by Arrow Films. The film is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with mono sound.With an understanding of the source elements utilized, this is a largely stellar looking restoration, with excellent contrast, solid black levels and generally nice detail levels. There are occasional moments that have slightly "dupey" appearances, including the bookending sequence (which, considering its reappearance in the film, is understandable) as well as equally understandable use of stock footage (see screenshot 19). Grain resolves organically virtually all of the time, but spikes a bit in the aforementioned dupe-like moments. Lewis, along with DP Ray Rennahan, often utilize unusual framings (as discussed above), and that can sometimes lead to things like foreground objects being out of focus, with the intended main object or character placed further back in the frame, something that in and of itself can slightly diminish detail levels.
An original 35mm fine grain positive was scanned in 2K resolution on a pin-registered 4K Lastergraphics Director Scanner at Deluxe's EFilm facility in Burbank. Picture grading was completed on the Nucoda Grading System. Picture restoration was performed using Phoenix and PF Clean software. The soundtrack was sourced from a 35mm magnetic element created from the original sound negative reels. All grading and restoration work was completed at R3:Store Studios, London.
Terror in a Texas Town features an LPCM 2.0 mono track that has a few issues which may bother more persnickety audiophiles, but which most likely won't be a deal killer in any case. There's prevalent hiss throughout this track, which is discernable from the get go and is certainly noticeable in quieter moments. This is the rare Gerald Fried score that I have to say is often pretty unhelpful, and the trumpet cues (which sound like calvary bugler on crack, and, no, I'm not kidding) have slight but persistent distortion. Sound effects resonate relatively clearly but are often lacking oomph in the low end. Dialogue is largely problem free and typically well prioritized.
Terror in a Texas Town may not hit the bullseye (with or without a harpoon), but it's kind of weirdly fascinating, featuring some interesting performances and Lewis' inimitable style. Video fares better than audio in this release, and with caveats noted, Terror in a Texas Town comes Recommended.
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1966
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1975
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1968
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1967
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2K Restoration
1972
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Il grande duello / The Big Showdown
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1950
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