7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Pioneers heading for Oregon endure the hardships of weather, unfriendly strangers and internal strife in this sophisticated early sound film. Featuring John Wayne in his first starring role, this straightforward Western tale is now overshadowed by its place in history as an early example of Fox's widescreen Grandeur process, its naturalistic sound, and prototypical Wayne performance.
Starring: John Wayne, Marguerite Churchill, El Brendel, Tully Marshall, Tyrone Power Sr.Western | 100% |
Romance | 54% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.10:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.00:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In 1930 American movie audiences were almost introduced to a brand new widescreen format that would have transformed the popular understanding of how movies looked, even while the public was still absorbing the notion of "talkies". The process known as "Fox Grandeur" used a 70mm frame and special cameras to show a 2.10:1 aspect ratio. If William Fox had succeeded in making it an industry standard, the history of both motion pictures and television might have unfolded very differently. Unfortunately for Fox and his studio, the Grandeur process required both new cameras and new projection equipment, which would have been an expensive proposition even if the country weren't already beginning its slide into the Great Depression. When Twentieth Century Fox staged what should have been the killer premiere of its first non-musical feature in the new format, The Big Trail, it could only manage to do so in two theaters, one in New York and one in Los Angeles. The rest of the country saw the film in the usual Academy ratio, which the film's director, Raoul Walsh, had shot simultaneously, using separate cameras. After The Big Trail, Fox gave up on Grandeur, and widescreen was essentially put on hold, until competition from TV prompted its resurrection 23 years later with Cinemascope and The Robe. But The Big Trail isn't just a chapter in the history of widescreen technology. It was also the first starring role for a young actor born Marion Morrison, who went by the nickname "Duke" and was given the screen name (the origin is still debated) of John Wayne. As the honorable scout, Breck Coleman, who helps lead a wagon train of pioneers across rugged territory to their new home, Wayne demonstrates why that rare and indefinable quality known as star power is so highly prized (and can't be taught). Despite being the newcomer among acting veterans, Wayne stands out among them and easily holds the center of a film that its ambitious director stuffed with extras, scenery, props and livestock. Everyone was still learning how to perform for talking pictures, and many couldn't shake the theatricality that had worked for them in silent films, but the future screen icon instinctively grasped that unadorned directness would always serve him best. It may have been the Duke's first starring role, but the essentials of his star persona are already on display.
Note: The Grandeur and Academy ratio versions feature different takes, angles and running times and, accordingly, cannot be synched up for precise comparison.
Fox previously released a two-disc DVD set of The Big Trail in 2008. This 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray contains both the Grandeur version with an aspect ratio of 2.10:1 and the standard Academy version with a ratio a 1.33:1. Both appear to be derived from the same elements used for the DVDs. Indeed, except for the cover art, the included DVD seems to be identical to disc 1 of the 2008 set. Neither the Grandeur element nor the source used for the Academy version is in particularly good shape. Scratches, speckles and other print damage are evident throughout both. My original impression was that the Grandeur version was in worse shape, but after looking again at both, I realized that it simply appears that way because there's more image in the Grandeur version and, therefore, more area to damage. Both versions contain brief segments with relatively little damage, and these convey an idea of just how good the film could look with a full digital restoration (which would no doubt be both expensive and time-consuming). Despite the damage, the superior resolution of Blu-ray reveals a remarkable level of detail in the outdoor locations and elaborate production. The fine differentiation of greys and black and the rendering of tiny details are superior to what I've seen from black-and-white films of much more recent vintage on Blu-ray. In this regard, the Grandeur version is clearly preferable, not only for the width of the frame, but also because of the superior resolution provided by its larger negative. DVD couldn't do justice to the increased resolution, but Blu-ray can.
There's no point in pretending that the sound on The Big Trail is better than it is. The format is DTS-HD MA 1.0, but lossless encoding won't do much for a soundtrack that reflects the limitation of an era when, as Richard Schickel says in the commentary, no one was quite sure how talkies should be played. Post-production dubbing (what is now called "ADR") wasn't yet possible; so every actor simply bellowed their dialogue as loudly as possible to ensure he or she could be heard over whatever noise might interfere, including copious amounts of static. And that's what comes through on the track: shouted dialogue, muffled effects (because props can't bellow) and the added underscoring by a group of uncredited composers. The instruments sound thin, distant and muddy, as if one were listening to a vintage radio broadcast, which, in a sense, one is. Still, the track does its part in telling the story, and that's the only essential job of any movie soundtrack.
The Big Trail is a fascinating experience from multiple perspectives: as a technical milestone, as a glimpse at an art form in transition, as the experience of a major—indeed, historic— talent first revealing itself, as the opening of new possibilities for the western genre that would provide inspiration for decades of filmmaking. It also happens to be a solid entertainment, despite bits that have grown creaky with age (and some that were probably creaky when the film premiered). We can hope that some day the Grandeur version will receive a complete digital restoration, but until then this Blu-ray translation is still impressive viewing. Highly recommended.
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