The Calgary Stampede Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

The Calgary Stampede Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 3, 2021

Note: This film is available as part of the Early Universal Vol. 2 set from Eureka! Entertainment's Masters of Cinema series.

Universal Pictures branded itself variously as Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-Jewel when the silents included in this package were released, and those slight if kind of quaint differences in names may point to the fact that Universal, in any of its "versions", has been around a long time, and is in fact the oldest surviving film studio in the United States. Some of Universal's earliest product has been getting released globally on Blu-ray, and in that regard Kino Lorber has already released two of the three films in this collection for the Region A market (links can be found in the reviews of this release's offerings). These early Universal films are noted for sometimes rather impressive technical achievements, with this collection in particular offering then innovative location filming, including underwater sequences for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and wide open prairie material for The Calgary Stampede.

The Calgary Stampede struck me as the sort of story that would soon become part and parcel of the sorts of serials that stars like Buck Jones would soon begin churning out in the early days of the sound era (and beyond, actually) for Universal. While perhaps not quite as episodic (and/or repetitive) as some of the Universal western serials, this is an at least somewhat vignette driven enterprise that follows the adventures and travails of a champion horse rider named Dan Malloy (Hoot Gibson) who travels to Canada in search of fame and fortune, and who soon falls head over heels in love with Marie La Farge (Virginia Browne Faire). Unfortunately, Marie's father Jean (Pierre Faunce) doesn't approve of the pairing, and when Jean shows up murdered, Dan is the chief suspect.

The film doesn't really go to any "Hitchcockian" lengths in its depiction of The Wrong Man being fingered, and in fact as tended to be the case in many of the films of the silent era, the villain is overtly revealed, perhaps to make it easier to "hiss" along when he shows up. The film may not have anything too exciting in its actual narrative, but it's still a surprisingly epic production that makes good use of actual Calgary locations.

The Calgary Stampede Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Calgary Stampede is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment's Masters of Cinema imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. Eureka! sent only check discs for the purposes of this review, so I'm not privy to any information about the transfer which might be included in an insert booklet, but the press sheet mentions that the film has been restored in 2K. The two other films in this set were granted 4K restorations, and that might account at least in part for a somewhat less consistent accounting of detail levels, especially fine detail, in this presentation. Close-ups and even midrange shots can in fact provide pretty surprising levels of fine detail, especially in the sepia toned material. Blue tinting can definitely lead to a substantially hazier overall appearance, and if general detail levels are still at least acceptable, fine detail can be minimized at times. There's the typical age related wear and tear on display, but perhaps due to its relatively "newer" vintage, probably not as much as is seen in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

The Calgary Stampede Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Calgary Stampede features a new score by Chris Tin which is offered via LPCM 2.0. This isn't exactly Aaron Copland, Jerome Moross or other composers who have contributed to the "official sound" of the American west (which probably makes sense since the film is set in Canada), but it's a nicely wrought score with a smaller ensemble that frequently features piano and strings, along with occasional harp. Everything sounds warm and clear, without any brashness. There are no problems with distortion or other damage.

The Calgary Stampede Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by professor and film scholar Jason A. Ney

The Calgary Stampede Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Calgary Stampede is admittedly pretty rote from a narrative standpoint, and may in fact remind some of old style vaudeville shows where the villain is in near mustache twirling mode, but the production values are very high for the period and the location photography stunning. Technical merits are generally solid, though expectations for the video side of things need to be set realistically. Recommended.