Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Tin Star Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 29, 2024

So many fantastic composers made their names in television and films beginning more or less in the fifties and then hitting career highs in the sixties and seventies (and well beyond for many depending on their longevity) that it is understandably well nigh impossible for some fans of film and t.v. scores to select a favorite. Dimitri Tiomkin, Alex North, Henry Mancini, Jerry Goldsmith, and John Williams back when he was still Johnny, are just a very few names that might occur to some, but in this general timeframe of what might be called the first "post World War II bunch" of American film and t.v. composers, I think I have to unabashedly opt for Elmer Bernstein as my personal favorite. I've mentioned in several other reviews, notably my To Kill a Mockingbird Blu-ray review, Hawaii Blu-ray review and Thoroughly Modern Millie Blu-ray review how completely odd I found the vagaries of bestowing an Academy Award on Bernstein eventually became, but thankfully musical reputations are not built entirely out of statuettes taken home, and any number of Bernstein's less celebrated scores are often just as viscerally exciting as those that brought him the most acclaim. Case in point: The Tin Star, a western which presaged Bernstein's arguably much more famous work on The Magnificent Seven. This is all to say if there were no other reason to recommend The Tin Star (and there most certainly are other reasons), Bernstein's score might be enough to, and the fact that this disc has a really sweet interview with Bernstein's son Peter should make this of special interest to those that share my love of classic film composers.

As some of the supplementary material on this disc gets into, mention "Anthony Mann" and "western" in the same breath, and chances are visions of James Stewart in films like Winchester '73, Bend of the River (which had a rather celebrated premiere here in my hometown of Portland, Oregon), The Naked Spur and/or The Man from Laramie, and it evidently was actually due to a breakdown in the relationship between Stewart and Mann that led, if via detour, to Mann directing The Tin Star with Henry Fonda.

The Tin Star follows the well worn path of a perceived "elder" offering a form of mentoring to a "young 'un", though in this case the film is positively stuffed full of some other interesting sidebar material. The mentoring aspect involves bounty hunter Morgan Hickman (Henry Fonda) and inexperienced sheriff Ben Owens (Anthony Perkins, still very early in his career). Some perhaps inadequately detailed backstory and/or context never completely clarifies why everyone seems so "anti" Hickman from virtually the moment he shows up with a dead wanted guy to claim his reward, and that gives the emotional undercurrent of the story some simmering angst.

Adding to the general feeling that something is getting ready to explode are several other plot elements, including the fact that Nona Mayfield (Betsy Palmer), about the only person kind enough to offer Hickman room and board, has a "half breed" son named Kip (Michel Ray), which has made Nona herself something of a pariah. There's also local bully Bart Bogardus (Neville Brand), who might initially seem to be moving into "prime villain" territory, though in that regard, the film's climax is almost a study in relative "non violence" in terms of solving a conflict, at least insofar as there's not the traditional shootout. Some real villains are somewhat tangential to the tale until they unwisely decide to take out Doc McCord (John McIntire) when they fear he can indentify them after the good doctor is more or less conscripted into helping a wounded bad guy.

The whole "non violence" angle is probably reinforced, at least subliminally, by the romantic interactions between Ben and girlfriend Millie Parker (Mary Webster), who is insisting Ben give up the sheriff's badge before she'll marry him. The film is therefore virtually stuffed to the breaking point with opportunities for great little scenes offering the actors some emotive challenges. Fonda is his stolid, understated self for the film, which works perfectly for Hickman. Perkins is perhaps a bit too fond of "indicating" this early in his career, and he regularly uses flared nostrils and very wide eyes to characterize Ben's fear of taking action against villainy. Two real surprises here, though, may be the sweet little Ray as Kip and Palmer as his mother. Baby Boomers in particular who tend to associate Palmer with her game show duties on To Tell the Truth, or younger audiences who will probably inevitably associate her with Friday the 13th, may be surprised at the kind of quiet authority she brings to the role.

The Tin Star Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Tin Star is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following fairly generic information on the transfer:

The Tin Star is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with original mono, stereo and 5.1 audio. The high definition master was provided by Paramount.

This was a fairly low budget affair, as is gotten into in some of the supplements, but you wouldn't necessarily know it from Loyal Griggs' efficient cinematography. While there isn't a surplus of "style" here, there's a workmanlike professionalism that finds generally fine support from this transfer. The studio bound or at least interior material is arguably a bit better controlled overall, with more consistent clarity and contrast, and better overall fine detail levels, but a lot of the outdoor footage, particularly that in the last third or so of the film, offers some good general detail levels in what are often pretty wide framings of the supposed western panoramas. Close-ups offer appealing detail on the understated costumes. There's occasional very minor age related wear and tear. Grain resolves naturally throughout.

The Tin Star Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Tin Star features three audio options, LPCM Mono, LPCM 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Both the stereo and surround tracks do noticeably open up Elmer Bernstein's excellent score, as well as offering at least a bit of directionality in some of the sound effects, but the surround track in particular can have at least moments of a quasi-phased quality that often attends these "upgrades". I'd frankly stick with either the mono or stereo tracks, and in fact the mono track, while obviously narrow, offers secure fidelity and a generally full bodied quality that supports dialogue, score and effects perfectly well. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Tin Star Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Toby Roan


• Apprenticing a Master (HD; 27:34) is a new appreciation of the film by author and critic Neil Sinyard. Sinyard begins with the famous William Goldman quote from Adventures in the Screen Trade about no one in Hollywood knowing anything, and then goes on to disprove that thesis with his analysis of Mann's expertise.


• Beyond the Score (HD; 31:37) is a just flat out wonderful interview with Elmer Bernstein's son Peter.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:05)


• Image Galleries

  Promotional (HD; 12:55) is authored to auto advance, and chapter skipping takes you to the end, not the next image, so forewarned is fore-remoted, so to speak.

  
  

  Stills (HD; 14:25) is also authored to auto advance, and chapter skipping takes you to the end, not the next image, so forewarned is fore-remoted, so to speak.

  
  

  French Photocomic (HD; 2:51) is authored with each page as a separate chapter stop (so there are hundreds of pages, per the timing).

Additionally Arrow provides another nicely appointed insert booklet, this one with writing by Barry Forshaw and a complete (mini) reproduction of the film's original pressbook. The keepcase features a reversible sleeve and encloses a double sided fold out poster and six postcard sized reproduction art cards. Packaging also features a slipcover.

The Tin Star Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Tin Star has the same "lean" quality that attends the Mann - Stewart collaborations, but it also may have a bit more emotional heft than some of the Stewart films. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements outstanding. Recommended.