7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw is a fish-out-of-water story with Kenneth More as Jonathan Tibbs, a proper Englishman who decides that if he absolutely must sell his family firm’s firearms, he’ll go where firearms are in demand: the Wild West! Through a series of mistakes and misunderstandings, More is taken to be a master gunfighter and is installed as sheriff in the lawless town of Fractured Jaw! He falls in love with Kate (Jayne Mansfield), a local saloon owner and entertainer, becomes a blood brother to a tribe of Native Americans, and uses his aplomb and naivete in an attempt to negotiate harmony in a town known for discord.
Starring: Kenneth More, Jayne Mansfield, Henry Hull, Bruce Cabot, Ronald SquireWestern | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
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
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).
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.
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.
1939
Warner Archive Collection
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Arrow Academy
1958
2016
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Masters of Cinema
1961
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1972
1965
Arrow Academy
1954
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1985
Premium Collection
1972