The War Lord Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

The War Lord Blu-ray Movie Review

An underwhelming sword-and-sandal misfire that should be left forgotten

Set against the backdrop of Normandy, The War Lord is an action-adventure that has a surprisingly dark core. The film is produced by Walter Seltzer (The Omega Man, Soylent Green) and features Charlton Heston (Planet of the Apes) in the lead role. Based on the play by Leslie Stevens (Stoney Burke), the filmmaking explores the growing obsession that the knight Chrysagon (Charlton Heston) develops towards a young girl from the village, Bronwyn (Rosemary Forsyth).

Initially on a knight's quest that was to see Chrysagon defending the land of Normany from pillagers, the “war lord” instead goes on a detour when he comes face-to-face with a naked girl, covered only from holding her hands over her chest. Instead of trying to woo her off her feat, the arrogant knight instead wishes to make her his lover even against her wishes. As the story progresses, Chrysagon is placed in a position to make the girl become his wife and he carries out his quest to bed Bronwyn.

The War Lord is a mixed-bag on a number of levels but the production nonetheless has some effective filmmaking components that are hard to simply ignore. The original music score by Jerome Moross (The Cardinal, The Big Country) and Hans J. Salter (The Land Unknown, It Started with Eve) is one aspect which demands attention: the music is beautiful and enhances the experience of the film through its unique creativity. The score is a standout even despite some other weak elements in the filmmaking.

The False One

Likewise, the cinematography by Russell Metty (Spartacus, Touch of Evil) is gorgeous from start to finish. The visuals in the film are superb and almost make the journey one that is worth watching (simply for this reason alone). This is an impressive element that showcases the fine artistry of a composer with a firm grip on the fundamentals of storytelling. There are some landscape shots of impeccable beauty that simply bask in the glow of the sunlight and add so much visual wonder to the filmmaking.

Unfortunately, the screenplay for The War Lord doesn't have as strong of an understanding of the importance of storytelling: the script is certainly no match for the evocative visuals or the eclectic music. The screenplay by John Collier (Alfred Hitchcock Presents) and Millard Kaufman (Gun Crazy) has weak character-development and a horrid concept that is poorly executed. If the entire script could be demolished and restarted from the beginning it would instantly have a better chance of becoming a good film.

Franklin J. Schaffner (Patton, Planet of the Apes) is a great director and while The War Lord often does feel like a major career misstep, the film is still nonetheless one that shows his keen stamp as an artist. While The War Lord is a mess at times, the editing and pacing is at least reasonable to see. The end result of the story is a throw-away film is best left forgotten despite some impressive components (which simply don't add up to a truly satisfying whole). This film is far from being a long lost classic with good reason.

The War Lord Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, The War Lord has received a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. The release appears to have received a gorgeous restoration. The quality of the photography is excellent throughout. The visuals are crisp, clean, and detailed. The scan is free from any glaring issues with print damage, debris, scratches, and other ailments.

The beginning of the film is slightly softer when compared to the later sequences (and around the six minute mark the transfer looks a tad out-of-focus and blown-out from the way the film was shot), but the bulk of the presentation is simply magnificent. Tremendous. The cinematography by Russell Metty is well preserved with the release and fans will be hard pressed to be disappointed by the exceptional care that went into this presentation.

The War Lord Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release features a DTS-HD Master Audio mono soundtrack. The lossless sound design is just as effective as the remarkable video-presentation. Dialogue is consistently crisp and easy to understand. The score composed by Jerome Moross and Hans J. Salter is similarly detailed and has plenty of air to breathe on the presentation. While the fight scenes aren't as robust as a modern production, the track is still surprisingly vital. This is a exceptional audio track and one that preserves the sound design of the film.

Please Note: Optional English subtitles are provided.

The War Lord Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Film Historian and Critic Sergio Mims

The War Lord Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2:55)

The release also contains a selection of trailers showcasing other releases available from distributor Kino Lorber: The Vikings (SD, 3:26), Taras Bulba (SD, 3:35), Kings of the Sun (HD, 3:44), and Flesh+Blood (SD, 2:35).

The War Lord Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Featuring an awful screenplay (which is outdated), The War Lord is far from being the grand adventure that some audiences might be hoping to find for a rainy afternoon. On the plus side, the Blu-ray release features an excellent audio-video presentation which will be highly satisfactory for fans. Everyone else? Skip it altogether. The War Lord is far from a classic and calling it a misfire isn't a overstatement.