Unconquered Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Unconquered Blu-ray Movie Review

Unconquered is a compelling and exciting action-adventure epic. Based on the novel by Neil H. Swanson, Unconquered is produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille (Reap the Wild Wind, The Greatest Show on Earth). Starring Gary Cooper and Paulette Goddard, audiences who enjoy classic adventures will certainly appreciate the outstanding filmmaking.

Chris Holden (Gary Cooper) finds himself in an unexpected scenario when on board a ship carrying several English slaves. The commanding militia man is in charge of his own destiny and decides to help set free a slave woman, Abby Hale (Paulette Goddard). Abby is on auction with multiple men vying for her as their personal slave for at least the next decade.

Chris fights to win the bid and help Abby escape. Yet after this immediate conflict, more danger awaits: there might soon be a battle brewing between natives and the colonists with both Chris and Abby involved in the situation. Is battle an inevitability?

The performances are excellent. Paulette Goddard steals the show as Abby Hale. Goddard is a great performer and she has a lot of fun with her performance. Gary Cooper provides a stoic machismo. Cooper is also impressive in the film and has a lot of fun bouncing off of Paulette Goddard – their chemistry on screen is undeniable. A wonderful pairing.

The production is beautifully mounted. Unconquered features superb art direction by Hans Dreier (Double Indemnity, Sunset Blvd.) and Walter H. Tyler (Sabrina, Roman Holiday). The sets are fun: showcasing a sense of creativity and ambitious scope. These elements make the adventure more engaging.

The costumes by Gwen Wakeling (The Grapes of Wrath, Samson and Delilah) make a solid impression as well. The costumes certainly stand out as one of the best production elements for Unconquered. These costumes are a perfect match for the central characters. The respective roles of Gary Cooper and Paulette Goddard are enhanced in a remarkable way with these top-notch costumes. 

The cinematography by Ray Rennahan (Blood and Sand, Lady in the Dark) is beautiful and outstanding fun. The cinematography highlights the vigorousness of the outdoors and the sea-faring adventurous scenes. The scale and scope of the production is all the more lush and involving because of the effort showcased by cinematographer Rennahan.

The score composed by Victor Young (The Quiet Man, Around the World in 80 Days) enhanced the film with a great backdrop to the sense of adventure. The score is rousing in the right ways: building on the concept of the film and providing a great backdrop for the action set-pieces. The finale of the film has the most energy and vitality (enhanced by the score).

Edited by Anne Bauchens (Reap the Wild Wind, The Greatest Show on Earth), Unconquered is a well- cut and paced film. Bauchens did a great job assembling the footage and the edit flows with a great style: cohesive and engaging. The results are certainly noteworthy.

Written by Charles Bennett (The 39 Steps, Foreign Correspondent), Fredric M. Frank (The Greatest Show on Earth, The Ten Commandments), and Jesse Lasky Jr. (The Ten Commandments, Steel Against the Sky), Unconquered has a fun script and while it might not be the best aspect of the production, the story has fun one-liners and charismatic dialogue. The script is over-the-top at times but this is part of the appeal.

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille (Reap the Wild Wind, The Greatest Show on Earth), Unconquered is another fine showcase for the filmmaker. DeMille was a master filmmaker – showcasing the beauty and artistry of everyone involved with the production. DeMille harnessed great performances from the central cast. Unconquered might not be the finest hour of DeMille but it is an entertaining and engaging adventure highlighted by great performances and fans of the action-adventure genre won’t want to miss it.

Unconquered Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, Unconquered is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the theatrical aspect ratio of 1.36:1 full frame. Though not a brand-new restoration, the print used for the Blu-ray release is reasonably good and looks solid throughout the presentation, with little in the way of print damage or wear to the presentation. Though a 4K restoration would have been preferred on this title, the presentation is largely free from print damage and looks sharp with excellent color reproduction. A nice encoding by Kino Lorber.

Unconquered Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. The lossless audio sounds crisp and engaging. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The track has a somewhat modest sounding dynamic range but the track is crisp and well reproduced with the lossless sound. The score is highlighted well during the presentation.

Unconquered Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Film Critic Nick Pinkerton

Unconquered Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:41)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Kino Lorber: The Plainsman (SD, 2:21), The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (SD, 1:42), Desire (SD, 2:49), The General Died at Dawn (SD, 1:28), Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (SD, 3:08), Beau Geste (SD, 1:28), The Cat and the Canary (SD, 3:40), The Ghost Breakers (SD, 2:15), Nothing But the Truth (SD, 2:02), Reap the Wild Wind (SD, 2:17), and The Sign of the Cross (SD, 1:35).  

Unconquered Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Unconquered is an entertaining classic. A worthwhile action-adventure, Unconquered might not be a top tier Cecil B. DeMille production but it is a rewarding one with excellent production merits and strong performances by stars Gary Cooper and Paulette Goddard. The Blu-ray release features a quality presentation with a nice encode and lossless audio. Recommended.