This Is Francis X. Bushman Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

This Is Francis X. Bushman Blu-ray Movie Review

An engaging documentary about the career of Francis X. Bushman.

This is Francis X. Bushman explores the life and career of the American film actor and filmmaker. Produced by Debra Davis and Lon Davis, This is Francis X. Bushman features narration by Chris Bushman – providing details and commentary about the role of Bushman in Hollywood. As the documentary unfolds, rare archival footage and vintage photographs are shared to help tell the unconventional story.

Francis X. Bushman was a popular American actor who starred in a variety of productions across genres. The actor became a successful Hollywood icon – who made film after film (often on an increasingly difficult production-schedule: one movie a month – as film studios churned out a increasingly demanded product). A former stage actor, Bushman delved in to the cinema with enthusiasm. Bushman would go on to star in over 200 films. Well-known for his works made with Metro and Vitagraph, Bushman was one of the most successful Hollywood actors of the 1910s and 1920s.

Despite the enormous Hollywood success of Bushman, the actor became intertwined with scandal: Bushman had affairs with multiple women and was married four times (and thereby had several divorces). The actor was popular with female audiences and was promoted in the media as “The Handsomest Man in the World” (for the marketing of Bushman's films). The romantic entanglements caused a lot of behind-the- scenes commotion which eventually impacted future box-office receipts of Bushman's releases.

The story of Bushman.

Though Francis X. Bushman was beloved during the 1910s-1920s (and earned enormous salaries for his performances) the original celluloid for many of his earliest films were poorly stored and were destroyed in fires – lost forever to time. Consequently, modern audiences may be less familiar with Bushman. However, the actor is still remembered for some of his roles – including an early production of Ben-Hur.

This is Francis X. Bushman explores the life and career of Bushman through rare archival footage, behind-the-scenes material, and photographs. These vintage documents help to tell the story of Bushman and his rise-in-fame as a Hollywood celebrity. The result: an engaging documentary production.

The original music score from Richard Chon (Counting from Infinity: Yitang Zhang and the Twin Prime Conjecture) and Frederick Hodges (Early Women Filmmakers) is accomplished. The score provides the documentary with added depth – providing an engaging backdrop to the story. An excellent effort by Chon and Hodges.

Directed by Lon Davis, who co-wrote the documentary alongside Debra Davis, This is Francis X. Bushman brings Bushman back in to the spotlight. Though his fame in Hollywood may be past its golden years, Bushman is still a cultural icon for his classic film roles. The documentary is lovingly made. A tribute to the actor no fan will want to miss.

This Is Francis X. Bushman Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Flicker Alley, This is Francis X. Bushman is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The documentary is culled from a variety of archival sources – and thereby the archival footage is often in a 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratio. The alternating ratio is due to the source footage involved. Though newer footage remains crisp, archival clips are often inconsistent – showing an abundance of grain, dirt, and debris (as not all of the material has been restored). A decent video-presentation but one that is somewhat limited by the quality of the material integrated in to the documentary.

This Is Francis X. Bushman Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in uncompressed PCM 2.0 stereo. The lossless (16 bit depth) audio is a decent reproduction. The narration by Chris Bushman is clear and easy to understand throughout. The music score composed by Richard Chon and Frederick Hodges sounds crisp and clean. The audio track is simplistic and never too-exciting (it is a documentary, after all). Nonetheless, the encode is quite satisfactory.

This Is Francis X. Bushman Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

"Why Francis X. Bushman?" Video introduction (SD, 7:54)

The Thirteenth Man (1913) (HD, 8:27) presents a fragment of the film. The surviving footage was scanned in 2K resolution.

Dawn and Twilight (1914) (HD, 16:04) presents the complete short film. Scanned in 2K.

Two Men and a Girl (Love Conquers All) (1911) (HD, 7:23)

The Marriage Clause (1926) (HD, 20:11) presents a surviving fragment of the silent film.

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) Trailer (HD, 2:58)

Suspense: "The City That Was" (1957) (HD, 26:11)

Image Gallery featuring 145 slides (alternating between still photographs and descriptions of the photographs provided).

This Is Francis X. Bushman Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is Francis X. Bushman is a fascinating documentary about the popular actor and filmmaker. Though Bushman's career was intertwined with scandal, the actor is nonetheless remembered for his memorable roles. Flicker Alley provides the documentary with a solid video-audio presentation and a nice assortment of extras. Recommended.