7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Having fled to Mexico from the U.S. many years ago for killing his father's murderer, Martin Brady travels to Texas to broker an arms deal for his Mexican boss...
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Julie London, Gary Merrill, Albert Dekker, Jack OakieWestern | 100% |
Romance | 5% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
In 1959’s “The Wonderful Country,” Robert Mitchum portrays a mercenary caught between the U.S.A. and Mexico, living a conflicted life without a true homeland. Adapted from the best seller by Tom Lea, “The Wonderful Country” plays exactly like a literary creation, with a page-turning tone that emphasizes matters of the heart and soul, not traditional western suspense. The stasis can be taxing at times, with director Robert Parrish (“A Town Called Hell”) perhaps too caught up in melodrama to make a suitably engaging feature, missing opportunities to tighten suspense and truly depict the torturous conflict at hand.
The AVC encoded image (1.66:1 aspect ratio) presentation shows some slight wear and tear, with the source carrying bursts of scratches, while speckling remains constant. Periodically, bluish discoloration is found on the edges of the frame. Being a Technicolor production, hues are accentuated, creating bold primaries on costuming and outdoor greenery. Skintones are agreeably amplified as well. Period cinematography permits a degree of softness, but close-ups manage adequate detail, bringing out limitations in make-up and the general creased appearance of the male characters. Delineation has its struggles, but nothing is completely lost to solidification.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is hampered by age, emerging with a slightly muffled listening experience, lacking desired crispness to bring out the flavors of the setting and the performances. Dialogue exchanges aren't completely smothered, but they lack definition, losing dramatic strength at times. Scoring is equally subdued, missing inspired instrumentation. Atmospherics are lively, but the overall softening of the track leads to more of a muddled presentation than a precise one. Hiss and pops are detected.
Unfortunately, "The Wonderful Country" is on the dull side, though what stings the most about the viewing experience is the potential for a more robust conflict and thorny plotting. The production holds too tightly on its central idea of exile to work up pleasing screen energy, but performances comes through clearly, and technical credits are generally superb. In the end, the western atmosphere is felt more visually than emotionally, hobbling what passes for ambition in "The Wonderful Country."
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