Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

The Duel at Silver Creek Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 8, 2022

Don Siegel's "The Duel at Silver Creek" (1952) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive new audio commentary by critic Toby Roan and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked.

If you find the time and energy to go through Don Siegel’s entire body of work, one of the more interesting discoveries you will make is that all of the feature films he directed are extremely similar in terms of production quality. I can’t think of another post-war American director that had such consistent output. However, what makes this accomplishment truly remarkable is the fact that Siegel took on a number of very different projects simply because he thought that if executed properly, they could open bigger doors and eventually present better opportunities to him. In other words, Siegel wasn’t picky, yet he always delivered high-quality films. It is true that his style did evolve, but it was primarily because over time he gained more freedom that allowed him to be creative. You are not entirely convinced that it is so? Even though The Big Steal comes from a different period and does not enjoy the same reputation Madigan does, technically it is just as nicely polished. The same can be said about Riot in Cell Block 11 and Charley Varrick -- they are both brilliant films but in their own ways. In The Lineup and Dirty Harry the city of San Francisco is transformed into the exact same striking hunting ground, with the only notable difference being that the former is shot in black-and-white while the latter in color. (Both ditch the conventional for film noir darkness and gloom in favor of bright daylight as well). Even some of Siegel’s so-called misfires, like China Venture and The Black Windmill, are actually good looking films that are harmed by mediocre screenplays.

Even though it was Siegel’s first western, The Duel at Silver Creek is another very nicely polished film that you would have expected to emerge much later in the career of a seasoned director. It is based on a screenplay by Joseph Hoffman, who adapted an original story by Gerald Drayson Adams, which isn’t terribly impressive. Audie Murphy plays a young gunslinger with a murky past known as The Silver Kid who decides to confront a gang of vicious outlaws after they murder his father, an aging miner. But because plenty of his targets are as good with their guns as he is, Murphy is forced to team up with Stephen McNally’s marshal ‘Lightning’ Tyrone (Stephen McNally), who has suffered a terrible injury while trying to get them to face justice as well. The resolution of the conflict is quite predictable, but the film’s entertainment value is still pretty great.

There are two very simple reasons why The Duel at Silver Creek works well, and both have to do with Siegel’s ability to craft cinematic excitement.

For example, even though there are a couple of stars that shine brighter, Siegel’s camera spends plenty of time observing various colorful characters that enrich the drama. It is why even when the spotlight is on the stars it constantly feels like a lot is happening in the peripherals that shouldn’t be missed. Also, this is why the numerous minor twists that begin to emerge as the film progresses do not feel scripted; they do surprise but can easily be traced back to ongoing developments around the stars.

While The Duel at Silver Creek does not channel the same sense of freedom that is so prominent in Siegel’s later films, it still feels very organic. The trick that makes the difference is Siegel’s ability to maintain a steady tempo combined with proper energy. The end result is a western that does not produce the repetitive overly melodramatic contrasts that often make the division between the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ characters tedious.

Siegel worked with cinematographer Irving Glassberg, who lensed a pretty diverse group of westerns and film noirs such as Bend of the River, Backlash, Day of the Badman, Larceny, and The Web.

The Duel at Silver Creek Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Duel at Silver Creek arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by Universal. It is pretty weak master that gives the film a very dated appearance. A lot of the outdoor panoramic shots for instance can look quite flat, occasionally disappointingly anemic as well. Obviously, delineation and depth are underwhelming, but even clarity can be problematic. There are no traces of compromising digital work, but it is very easy to tell that if properly restored the film will boast visuals with much better grain field. The lush Technicolor colors are missing, too. There are some obvious registration issues that further exacerbate the basic weaknesses of the master as well. Image stability is good, but there is room for minor enhancement work. Finally, a few blemishes can be spotted here and there, but there are no large cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (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).

The Duel at Silver Creek 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.

The lossless audio track sounded very good on my system. However, I think that if remastered some minor enhancements could make a difference in the mid-/upper registers where occasionally some unevenness can be noticed. But the overall quality of the lossless audio track is still very nice, so you should not worry about encountering annoying age-related imperfections.

The Duel at Silver Creek Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for The Duel at Silver Creek. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - this new audio commentary was recorded by critic Toby Roan. As usual, there is plenty of factual information about the conception of the film, its production qualities, Don Siegel's career and legacy, Audie Murphy's work in the film industry, etc.

The Duel at Silver Creek Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Don Siegel's first western, The Duel at Silver Creek, is the type of nicely polished and confident film that you would expect to emerge much later in the career of a veteran director. However, I personally do not think that this is surprising because Siegel's output was remarkably consistent. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an older and regrettably pretty weak master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. It is included in Audie Murphy Collection, a three-disc box set.