Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

The Tall T 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 17, 2023

Budd Boetticher's "The Tall T" (1957) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include archival introduction by Marty Scorsese; archival audio commentary by film scholar Jeanine Basinger; and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles foe the main feature. Region-Free.

The man who lost his horse

It is a mystery to me why over the years The Tall T has been repeatedly praised as an excellent western. It tells a very simple story and produces characters that are quite easy to forget, and while there are several wonderful panoramic shots in it, it is not a visual stunner either. It is a small western with limited ambitions, clearly shot with a tiny budget, too.

Admittedly, on paper The Tall T does look very promising. Budd Boetticher, a former bullfighter, directs one of the all-time greatest western stars, Randolph Scott, who is surrounded by superb character actors like Richard Boone, Henry Silva, and Arthur Hunnicutt, plus the lovely Maureen O’Sullivan, Skip Homeier, and John Hubbard. These names promise quality, a lot of it, too. Also, The Tall T comes from the 1950s, which was a tremendous decade for the American western.

But I found The Tall T to be a very ordinary western. It is about an aging cowboy (Scott) who accidentally gets caught in a hostage situation with a newlywed couple (O’Sullivan, Hubbard) when three bandits (Boone, Silva, Homeier) seize the wrong stagecoach. In a secluded area, where the hostages are kept while the bride’s wealthy father is blackmailed, the cowboy carefully begins eroding the supposedly solid relationship between the bandits and, in the process, discovers true love. While not bad, this story is as straightforward as it sounds and its characters, sadly, are very transparent.

What could have been done differently so that The Tall T delivers top-quality entertainment?

First, The Tall T is by no means a bad western. It tells its story convincingly and looks good, so its technical merits are certainly fine. Second, all actors properly engage each other, which means that there isn’t a problematic performance that hurts the credibility of the story. So, what is the problem, then? The Tall T looks and behaves like a nicely polished western that would have been greenlighted by Republic Pictures -- it rehashes a range of tired cliches and produces as many entirely predictable contrasts. Like most such westerns that can be found in Republic Pictures’ catalog, it does it as quickly as it can, too. As a result, it very quickly creates the impression that it moves forward with minimal effort to impress.

The most interesting character in The Tall T is played by Boone. He is the leader of the bandits and the most intelligent in the bunch. After the hostages are transported to the secluded area, Boone repeatedly engages Scott and quickly begins to admire him because he recognizes in him a superior version of the man he has been over the years. The screenplay easily could have expanded this relationship and produced superior drama, but sadly Boon is dispatched to finalize the ransom negotiations with the bride’s wealthy father.

The man behind the camera was Charles Lawton Jr., who lensed one of the all-time greatest American westerns, 3:10 to Yuma. Certain areas of The Tall T reveal the type of minimalistic appearance that gives 3:10 to Yuma its identity, but stylistically these westerns are quite different. 3:10 to Yuma oozes a very heavy noirish atmosphere that is nowhere to be found in The Tall T.

*The Tall T is the first of five westerns that are included in Criterion’s The Ranown Westerns: Five Films Directed by Budd Boetticher, a six-disc 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray box set. All five films have been recently restored in 4K by Sony Pictures.

The Tall T 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Tall T is presented on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. The 4K Blu-ray release is Region-Free. The Blu-ray release is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and are downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-29 are taken from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #32-35 are from 4K Blu-ray.

The Tall T was fully restored at Sony Pictures and looks quite impressive in native 4K. On my system, delineation, clarity, and depth were often at what I consider to be reference levels. The outdoor footage in particular routinely looked tremendous, though the darker footage was impressive as well. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. (The transitions where density fluctuations are noticeable are handled extremely well). The color grade is convincing, but I think that in several areas the blues begin to shift toward cyan, causing a few visuals to have a light neon-esque appearance. I still think that the balance is fine, but a slightly better-managed blues would have ensured a flawless presentation. HDR tones down some of these areas quite well and minimizes the effect, so in my opinion the native 4K presentation is undoubtedly preferable.

The Tall T 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track surprised me a lot because its dynamic potency is off the charts. Indeed, even though The Tall T does not have any notable action footage with a great deal of dynamic activity, there are some tremendous dynamic contrasts. Again, this surprised me a lot because it is very obvious that the film's original sound design was not supposed to be ambitious. The dialog is very clear, sharp, and always easy to follow.

The Tall T 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction - in this archival introduction, Martin Scorsese recalls his first viewing of The Tall T and explains what makes it a special western. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for The Tall T. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by film scholar Jeanine Basinger in 2008.

• Booklet - 34-page illustrated booklet featuring Tom Gunning's "Some Things A Man Can't Ride Around: Budd Boetticher's Ranown Westerns", Glenn Kenny's The Outlaw Variations: The Ranown Westerns' Finely Drawn Antagonists", and technical credits.

BONUS BLU-RAY DISC

• Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That - this archival documentary examines the life and legacy of Budd Boetticher. Included in it are clips from interviews with Clint Eastwood, Peter Bogdanovich, Taylor Hackford, Robert Stack, Robert Towner, and Boetticher, amongst others. The documentary was produced in 2005. In English, not subtitled. (85 min).

• Cinema, de Notre Temps: "Boetticher Rides Again" - presented here is an archival episode of the French TV program Cinema, de Notre Temps in which Budd Boetticher discusses his transformation into a "western director" and career in Hollywood. The episode was first broadcast on September 13, 1995. In English and French, with imposed French subtitles and English subtitles where necessary. (60 min).

• Budd Boetticher: A Stury in Self-Determination - in this archival documentary, Taylor Hackford interviews Budd Boetticher about his experiences as a bullfighter in Mexico, which were eventually recreated in Bullfighter and the Lady. The documentary was produced in 1971. In English, not subtitled. (61 min).

• Visiting Budd Boetticher - in this archival program, Budd Boetticher recalls various experiences he had with Randolph Scott and Burt Kennedy while working on the Ranown westerns and discusses the evolution of the American western. The program was produced in 1999 by Fiction Factory. In English, not subtitled. (38 min).

• Visiting Budd Boetticher - in this archival program, Budd Boetticher recalls various experiences he had with Randolph Scott and Burt Kennedy while working on the Ranown westerns and discusses the evolution of the American western and his decision to exit Hollywood. The program was produced in 1999 by Fiction Factory. In English, not subtitled. (38 min).

• Budd Boetticher and Jim Kitses - in this archival audio interview, film scholar Jim Kitses questions Budd Boetticher about the various westerns he made with Randolph Scott. The interview was conducted in 1969. In English, not subtitled. (63 min).

• Farran Smith Nehme on Randolph Scott - this new visual essay was created by critic Farran Smith Nehme. In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

The Tall T 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

After Richard Boone reveals that there is a lot he admires about Randolph Scott, The Tall T could have evolved into a very intriguing character study. But at the most interesting moment, as such a development seems almost unavoidable, the screenplay forces Boone to go away, while Scott goes to work to prepare a very predictable finale. Considering that The Tall T was directed by Budd Boetticher, I thought that this was rather disappointing, though you should not conclude that it is a poor western. This release is included in Criterion's The Ranown Westerns: Five Films Directed by Budd Boetticher, a six-disc 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray box set. RECOMMENDED only to the fans.