The Proud Rebel Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Proud Rebel Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 12, 2024

Michael Curtiz's "The Proud Rebel" (1958) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Reel Vault Inc. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critic Scott Harrison and the short film "Unfinished Rainbows". In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Don't do it. Words can be more effective than a rifle.

Good things happen to those who wait. They say this famous statement is seldom quoted properly because it is extracted from a longer statement. However, the missing part exists in a couple of variations and the complete statement is credited to different people who have used it in drastically different contexts. Does this make the famous statement any less relevant? No. It proves that the truthfulness of its message is so strong that it does not need to be attached to an additional text to be understood correctly and agreed with.

Michael Curtiz’s film The Proud Rebel uses the famous statement as its foundation, and everything that happens in it supports its truthfulness. Obviously, Curtiz did not direct The Proud Rebel to defend its right to exist, but because it does wonderfully well, the connection between the two must be acknowledged. When it is, one immediately must acknowledge the source of the original material Curtiz worked with too, which is a short story by James Edward Grant titled “Journal of Linnett Moore” and published in 1947.

In The Proud Rebel, Confederate veteran John Chandler (Alan Ladd) and his boy David (Ladd’s real son, David) are in Yankee territory looking for a doctor who can help the latter talk again. But while passing through a small town in Illinois, the veteran is attacked by several drunk troublemakers, blamed for instigating the brawl, and sentenced by a crooked judge to spend thirty days in jail or pay thirty dollars, a development that instantly puts him in a terrible predicament because he is broke. To his surprise, a local spinster (Olivia de Havilland) who has observed the brawl offers to pay his fine if he agrees to do several big repairs and other random farm work at her ranch. In the days ahead, the three warm up to each other, and the spinster even secretly begins dreaming of being a proper wife. However, the happy days and dreams are put on hold when another rancher (Dean Jagger) reveals his ambition to take over the spinster’s land by any means necessary, and the veteran, who is eager to take his boy to see a renowned doctor in Minnesota, is left with no other option but to intervene.

Approximately two-thirds of The Proud Rebel make it impossible not to describe it as a conventional western, while the remaining material is of the kind that would fit perfectly in a conventional melodrama. However, and this is very important to underscore, even though there is less of the latter, it shapes the identity of The Proud Rebel. For this reason, The Proud Rebel is frequently labeled a ‘family western’.

Several minor subplots repeatedly split the main story, which is about strangers bonding and finding happiness in a place where life is an ongoing struggle. The most consequential one redirects the spotlight to David’s best friend, a wonderful shepherd dog named Lance, and his condition. Because of David and later Lance, John is eventually forced to gamble his life and future with the spinster who has fallen in love with him.

The main reason to see The Proud Rebel is unquestionably the quality of the acting. This is by no means an attempt to imply that its story could have been told better, or visuals made to look more impressive. Both are fine as they are. But as cliché as it may sound, the wonderful acting repeatedly makes what should have been ordinary material look quite extraordinary, which is the magic that old Hollywood was famous for. In The Proud Rebel, there is just so much of it that it is always the main attraction.

The supporting cast includes a young Harry Dean Stanton, Tom Pittman, Cecil Kellaway, Henry Hull, James Westerfield, and John Carradine.

The Proud Rebel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Proud Rebel arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Reel Vault Inc.

The master that was used to produce this release is uneven but quite nice. Yes, in an ideal world, this film will be fully restored and made to look glorious, but at the moment it has a somewhat dated yet still pretty attractive appearance. Unfortunately, there is plenty of room for meaningful encoding optimizations that would have helped the film look as good as I think the current master allows, so if you have a larger screen, you will most likely notice a wide range of avoidable limitations. For example, in a lot of areas the grain exposure fluctuates quite a bit, and in the most problematic ones the grain begins to look like mush, significantly impacting delineation and clarity. Because the master already produces visuals that are softer than they need to be, some fluctuations could be rather distracting. On a positive side, many close-ups and even select panoramic shots can still look pleasing, in some areas even good. Color balance is also stable, though this is another area where various improvements can be made. The most significant ones will affect saturation levels, but the expansion of supporting nuances, especially lighter ones, will make a significant difference, too. Image stability is very good. Finally, even though there are a few nicks, the film looks very, very clean. (Note: This is a Region-Free BD-R SL release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Proud Rebel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is very good. I was very surprised because it leaves the impression that the audio may have been restored. If The Proud Rebel is fully restored in 4K or 2K and the audio redone, I would be very interested to hear how old and new tracks compare because at the moment it seems like there isn't a lot of room for improvements, or at least meaningful ones. Some stabilization enhancements? Yes. However, clarity, sharpness, depth, and stability are very good.

The Proud Rebel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Scott Harrison and offers plenty of information about the exact period in which The Proud Rebel emerged and some changes that were underway in Hollywood, the film's production history, its themes and characters, etc.

• Unfinished Rainbows (1940) - in this short film, produced by Alcoa, Alan Ladd plays inventor Charles Martin Hall, which was his first officially credited and color role. In English, not subtitled. (37 min).

The Proud Rebel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is surprising that The Proud Rebel was not a massive box office success because it is a wonderfully acted and very moving film. I think that it is only because its stars have appeared in much bigger and glamorous films that their performances in it are not considered some of their best. This recent release, which uses a BD-R 25, is good to have, but The Proud Rebel will have to undergo a proper restoration so that it looks as good as it should. Pick up a copy if you can find it on sale, but it is practically guaranteed that in the future you will have to upgrade it.