The Molly Maguires Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

The Molly Maguires Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 11, 2023

Martin Ritt's "The Molly Maguires" (1970) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. There are no supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with actor Anthony Zerbe; exclusive new audio commentary by author/producer Nat Segaloff; exclusive new audio commentary by critic Howard S. Berger; and vintage trailer. 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 Via Vision Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures. If you are wondering whether this is the same master that the major used for its North American review of the film, the answer is yes.

The film looks mostly decent in high-definition. However, it is very easy to tell that there is plenty of room for improvement in several different areas. For example, while the bulk of the close-ups with restricted light look pretty good, the outdoor footage does not. Delineation, clarity, and different ranges of highlights should be better, often even much better. Density levels are good, but grain exposure should be superior. Some of the unevenness is introduced by the original cinematography, but this is largely irrelevant because a brand new 4K master will balance other areas that will make it look right. Colors are stable. However, color balance could be improved, especially in daylight footage where some supporting nuances struggle. Image stability is good. While revisiting 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 LPCM 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English and English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The LPCM 2.0 track is a lossless version of the 'restored' lossy track that is present on the North American release of The Molly Maquires. I thought that the lossy track was very good, and now I can confirm that the lossless version of it is even better. The big explosions in the beginning of the film definitely sound a little bit better. The dialog is very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. While revisiting the film, I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report.

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

• Trailer - a vintage U.S. trailer for The Molly Maquires. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• "A Complicated Film" - in this exclusive new program, actor Anthony Zerbe, who plays the character of Dougherty, recalls his first meeting with Martin Ritt and what it was like to make The Molly Maquires as well as some of the hurdles that had to be overcome during the production process. There are some quite interesting observations about Ritt's personality and working methods as well. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Howard S. Berger.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by author/producer Nat Segaloff.

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 recent release from Australian label Via Vision Entertainment is sourced from the same older master Paramount used when it prepared its release for the North American market in 2019. However, the release has a couple of exclusive new bonus features, one of them an interview with actor Anthony Zerbe. If you wish to have The Molly Maguires in your library, it is the release to get.