7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Two cowboys on the road to Alaska help a wagon train in trouble.
Starring: James Stewart, Ruth Roman, Corinne Calvet, Walter Brennan, John McIntireWestern | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1, 2.00:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.00:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A couple of supplements on The Far Country kind of half jokingly refer to the film as a “a northern” rather than “a western”, and while the supposed geography of the film is indeed Alaskan, the basic setup of a cattle drive interrupted by a conflict between a conflicted good guy and some pretty unconflicted bad guys is the stuff of countless oaters (to use a term that one supplement on this disc also utilizes). The Far Country continued the now acclaimed collaboration between star James Stewart and director Anthony Mann, both of them reunited with screenwriter Borden Chase, who also penned the screenplays for the previous Stewart-Mann films Winchester '73 and Bend of the River . As such, there’s a “well oiled machine” aspect to The Far Country that keeps things moving at an appealing pace, but which may also strike some fans of westerns in general and the Stewart-Mann films in particular as feeling at least occasionally rote.
The Far Country is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Academy with AVC encoded 1080p transfers in 1.85:1 and 2.00:1 (this is a two disc release, with the 1.85:1 aspect ratio version on Disc One, and the 2.00:1 aspect ratio version appropriately on Disc Two). Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the restoration:
The Far Country has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films and is presented in both original aspect ratios of 1.85:1 and 2.00:1 with mono sound.Aside from expected framing differences between the two aspect ratios (screenshots 1 - 14 are from the 1.85:1 version, and screenshots 15 - 19 are from the 2.00:1 version), I noticed no other major variances, with everything from palette reproduction to grain structure looking pretty identical to my eyes between the two. Densities do seem just a trifle anemic at times, with the palette looking a bit on the wan side on occasion, though primaries like reds tend to pop fairly well. A lot of the night or day for night footage has a pretty decided blue undertone which can defeat fine detail levels at times, but even in more brightly lit sequences, there's noticeable softness to the overall presentation. Some of the process and/or matte photography isn't particularly effective (see screenshot 10). All of this said, the transfer boasts a really healthy organic appearance, and in close-ups in brighter lighting fine detail is typically quite excellent. Some damage does remain, including a couple of major blemishes in some opticals like dissolves.
The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution at NBC Universal's Studio Post facility. The film was graded and restored at Silver Salt Restoration, London. The original mono mix was remastered from the optical negatives at Deluxe Audio Services, Hollywood.
The Far Country features an LPCM Mono track which is occasionally a bit boxy sounding, especially in terms of some of the effects like gunfire, but which provides more than capable support for the film's dialogue, glut of ambient environmental effects and the score which evidently had a bunch of uncredited assists from Universal staff at the time, including Henry Mancini (according to the IMDb). Fidelity is generally fine throughout the presentation, and there are no wide variances in reproduction of dialogue between studio set pieces and what seems to have been live location recording out in the wilds of Jasper.
Note: As mentioned above in the video section, this release comes on two discs featuring two different aspect ratios. All of the non-
commentary supplements are found on Disc 1, which has the 1.85:1 aspect ratio.
- Production Stills (1080p; 16:30)
- Art Concepts (1080p; 3:30)
- Posters and Lobby Cards (1080p; 7:10)
A lot of The Far Country is frankly pretty resolutely predictable, and yet the film still glides by on a wealth of finely tuned performances and some really evocative location photography. The Far Country probably doesn't have the built in "hook" of, say, Winchester '73, but it's never less than enjoyable, and it's easy to see why the film was a substantial hit in the mid-1950s when it was originally released. Arrow has assembled another package with solid technical merits and some very appealing supplements. Recommended.
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