Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 12, 2018

Raoul Walsh's "The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw" (1958) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British label Plan B Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; collection of vintage promotional materials; and audio commentary by western experts C. Courtney Joyner and Marilyn Moss. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The outsider

The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw may not be a masterpiece, but it is the perfect relaxing comedy that one would want to see after a long and exhausting day at the office. It was directed by Raoul Walsh in 1958, but it has that nice European flavor that a few decades later Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill will tweak a bit more and then tirelessly promote in a wide range of exotic westerns and action films.

On a beautiful day in London, the Tibbs family learns that its gun business has slowed down dramatically and the future does not look promising. After a short but illuminating discussion, a decision is made to dispatch the young, ambitious but clueless Mr. Jonathan Tibbs (Kenneth More) to America so that he can expand sales. His final destination would be Fractured Jaw, a small but dangerous town somewhere in the middle of the Wild West.

Almost immediately after the British gentleman arrives in the former colonies, however, he begins to realize that even though the Americans speak the same language they have different ways of getting their point across. He also discovers that the natives have adopted an even more challenging system of communication, and that they can't differentiate between a local bandit and a foreign businessman with a continental top hat. Naturally, he begins relying on his remarkable instincts to avoid unnecessary complications and speed up his journey as best as he could.

In Fractured Jaw, Mr. Tibss rents a room in a busy establishment run by the very popular and currently single Mrs. Kate (Jane Mansfield), and while using his business skills to establish proper contacts he accidentally fills in the currently vacant but ‘prestigious position’ of Sheriff of Fractured Jaw. Soon after, his charm and manners help him steal Mrs. Kate’s heart, but his instincts anger and then unite a whole bunch of the area’s most wicked outlaws who vow to put a bullet in his head.

The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw feels a lot like a very distant and forgotten relative of the Crocodile Dundee films. Indeed, director Walsh basically forces More’s British outsider in the exact same type of exotic environment that Linda Kozlowski and Paul Hogan’s characters experience after they travel to the Outback and New York City, respectively. Obviously, the nature of the adventures is quite different, but the basic concept behind them is the same -- contrasting cultures collide and then the ripple effects produce a series of hilarious situations.

One important discrepancy that needs to be highlighted is the presence of a few music numbers that allow Mansfield to shine a little brighter. These are small but still quite effective performances that work well with the type of atmosphere that the film promotes.

The best material is a combination of authentic chemistry between the leads and wonderful writing that pokes fun at some cultural stereotypes. It produces plenty of good old-fashioned laughs of the kind that are now something of a lost art.

Though not spectacular, the chosen locations for the outdoor panoramic action are still quite beautiful. Director Walsh worked with cinematographer Otto Heller, who is probably best known for lensing a few of Michael Caine’s early big films (The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin) and Michael Powell’s shocker Peeping Tom.

The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Raoul Walsh's The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw arrives o Blu-ray courtesy of Plan B Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an older remaster that apparently comes via Twentieth Century Fox. There are some small but noticeable inconsistencies on it which together with source limitations lead me to believe that it was prepared sometime during the DVD era. For example, while a wide range of close-ups look quite good, there are wider shots where density levels struggle to remain solid and as a result depth struggles (see screencapture #8). Some finer details are also lost, though overall there are actually plenty of healthy nuances that are retained (see screecanpture #2). Color stability can be better, and there are nuances that can be expanded, but on the other hand the primaries are actually healthy. It is just that saturation isn't optimal and there are highlights in the background that are not properly balanced. (This is an inherited age-related limitation, so it is not exactly surprising). There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections, but a proper new master will definitely improve grain exposure and stability. Some white specks, light scratches and blemishes pop up here and there, but there are no large cuts, damage marks, or torn frames to report. My score is 3.25/5.00.(Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

Clarity is very good and there are no serious background deteriorations to report. The music also has proper ranges of dynamics and there are no stability issues. It might be possible to do some cosmetic improvements to further enhance stability, but I don't think that there will be a dramatic difference.

The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Stills Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw.

• Audio Commentary - this audio commentary features western experts C. Courtney Joyner and Marilyn Moss. It is not restricted to The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw and there is actually a lot of outstanding information about Raoul Walsh's career and trends in Hollywood at the time when the film was produced, Jayne Mansfield's short career and tragic death, the evolution of the western genre, etc.

• Cover - reversible cover.

The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill made a ton of money promoting the type of entertainment that you would find in Raoul Walsh's The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw. The only different aspect of their work was that since it emerged in a much more liberal era they were able to double-down on the action and whenever possible make it a little raunchier. The rest of the recipe was basically the same. So, The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw is not exactly a masterpiece, but there is plenty of hilarious action in it that could improve your mood and help you relax at the end of a long and exhausting day. This recent release is sourced from an older remaster that was prepared by Twentieth Century Fox in the United States. It is far from being a stunner, but it gets the job done. RECOMMENDED.