Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Molly Maguires Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 22, 2023

Martin Ritt's "The Molly Maguires" (1970) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Paramount Home Media Distribution. There are no supplemental features on the release. In English, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

History tells us that The Molly Maguires had very big ambitions, came out at the wrong time, did not get particularly strong reviews, but picked up an Oscar nomination for Best Art Direction. Right now, it is just another film from the 1970s. It is not forgotten, but it is difficult to describe as a classic.

The events that are chronicled in The Molly Maguires take place in the coal mines of Pennsylvania during the year 1876. In a small town -- Paramount shot virtually the entire film in Eckley -- whose economy is fueled by the coal business, a few disgruntled Irish miners have organized themselves in a secret society and begun sabotaging the people that have hired them. They place explosives inside the mine, blow up railroad tracks and incoming trains, and occasionally even attack the armed police patrolling the mine and administrative buildings. The miners call their employers oppressors, even though virtually all of them have come to the area and are free to leave.

To stop the destructive activities of the secret society, the police dispatch Detective James McParlan (Richard Harris) to the area and he promptly applies for a job at the mine. He is quickly hired but undergoes a testing period during which he must prove that he has what it takes to be a miner. First, he is tested by his employers, then by a group of miners, most of whom turn out to be members of the secret society. Soon after, McParlan earns the respect of Jack Kehoe (Sean Connery), who has the most prominent voice in the secret society, and at the right time reveals to him what his ‘brothers’ are trying to accomplish. The camaraderie that forms between the two men gradually allows McParlan to begin seeing the struggles of the mining community from a completely different angle, and the more he sees, the more he begins to question his mission.

Despite solid performances by the leads, The Molly Maguires looks and feels like an oddly unfocused film that spends a lot of time guessing what type of story it should tell and how to tell it. For example, a substantial portion of it creates the impression that the audience ought to embrace Harris as the main star and become comfortable with the evolution of his feelings about Connery, his mission, and a woman (Samantha Eggar) he is falling in love with. But the film does not feel comfortable with the intimate environment in which Harris is placed and begins expanding it so that relationships become more complicated and politics can bring new resonance to the drama. After the change occurs, while Harris’ relationship with Connery evolves, the film then attempts to revive the intimate environment so that Harris is again the lone star in it.

The balance of power in The Molly Maguires is not right. Some of the issues that emerge can easily be linked to Martin Ritt’s direction because it is obvious that he was trying to make a big political film while not everyone was on the same page with him. Harris and Eggar, for instance, are very much acting in a smaller, more introverted film that prefers serenity over politics. Connery is too big for his part, too. In the second half, Connery does plenty to overshadow Harris, but it appears that the screenplay did not require that the focus of attention shift to him. If the opposite was true, then Harris should not have had so much time to himself and hyping the secret society rather than a particular member of it.

The editing could have been a lot more convincing, too. The current version of The Molly Maguires is often too slow and repetitive, resembling some of the least impressive films Terrence Malick had directed over the years.

The Molly Maguires Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Molly Maquires arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Paramount Home Media Distribution.

The release is sourced from an old master that is not bad but is difficult to describe as good. Part of the film can look a bit soft and flat, with the daylight footage revealing the least impressive visuals. Grain exposure can appear uneven as well, so there are other density fluctuations that further impact the overall quality of some visuals. However, I must point out that the original cinematography introduces some unevenness as well, so what you would see on your screen is a mix of things, not a particular weakness. Colors are stable, but there is plenty of room for meaningful improvements, especially in terms of saturation. Image stability is good. While viewing the film, I noticed small blemishes and white nicks, but there are no large cuts, warped, or torn frames to report. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Molly Maguires Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit) and Dolby Digital 2.0. Optional English and English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 is advertised as "restored" and it is the one I used to view the film. While it is only a lossy track, it is very good. Clarity, sharpness, and stability were excellent. Its range of nuanced dynamics is quite nice too, though I did test the lossless 5.1 track and a difference was easy to hear. I did not encounter any anomalies to report.

The Molly Maguires Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this release.

The Molly Maguires Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Despite the promising story and good cast, The Molly Maguires is a disappointing film. It spends most of its time guessing how to tell its story, what areas of it to emphasize, and how to portray its stars. If you see it, a day later you would hardly remember any of it, which is odd because it is a long film. I think that virtually all of its troubles are easy to trace back to Martin Ritt's direction, which is not good enough. This Blu-ray release from Paramount Pictures is sourced from an old and mostly average master. Also, it uses a BD-R disc, not a standard pressed Blu-ray disc.