Wanda Nevada Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Wanda Nevada Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 20, 2015

The early career of Brooke Shields is proof that the 1970s weren’t really a decade, but an extended stay inside an alternate dimension. How else does one explain global comfort with the profound sexualization of the young teenage actress, who built a career out of roles that dealt uncomfortably with her age and appeal to older men. Granted, Team Shields (including manager and mother Teri) was largely responsible for the tone of her fame, yet with films such as “Pretty Baby” and “The Blue Lagoon” (a 1980 production that plays very seventies), the public wasn’t protesting, creating a lusty icon out of the child. 1979’s “Wanda Nevada” is another example of Shields employed for her natural beauty, portraying a 13 year old who’s turned into a commodity while bewitching every creeper she meets. Director Peter Fonda (who also stars) makes an attempt to transform “Wanda Nevada” into a sassy adventure through the southwest, with secret maps and Native American mysticism, but awkwardness remains, especially when the story actively pursues a romantic entanglement between a pubescent teen and her 39-year-old owner.

Making a living out of scams and gambling in the 1950s, Beaudray (Peter Fonda) faces a particularly stubborn opponent during a back room card game in Arizona. Winning the man’s 13-year-old girlfriend, Wanda (Brooke Shields), during a reckless bet, Beaudray takes off with his prize, with the pair hitting the road, attempting to work out their differences as they travel around the state greeting various characters. During a pool hall stop, the pair learns about a possible hidden stash of gold buried in the Grand Canyon, acquiring a special map from a murdered prospector. With rivals Ruby (Luke Askew) and Strap (Ted Markland) in pursuit, Beaudray and Wanda visit the national park with plans to find the gold and leave all their troubles behind. However, crossing the dangerous terrain proves difficult for the twosome, encountering trouble from wildlife, environmental challenges, and an “Apache Ghost,” who works to prevent outsiders from reaching their destination with displays of magic.

In his third and final film as a director, Fonda takes on material (scripted by Dennis Hackin) that requires special care. Tonality is big with “Wanda Nevada,” which shows comfort trying to make a hero out of Beaudray, who’s a crook, openly swindling his way around the country pulling off petty scams and working through loaded gambling encounters. He’s a bad man, but he’s not as horrible as Ruby and Strap, two extremely violent thugs responsible for the death of the prospector (depicted as a surprisingly vivid throat-slitting) -- a crime Wanda accidentally witnesses, making her a target. The goons want the gold and the girl, but for two entirely different reasons, with Strap demanding they spare her life so he can personally ruin it through a prolonged sexual assault. This is the time where I remind readers that “Wanda Nevada” is rated PG.

Men are the enemy in “Wanda Nevada,” with the titular child hit from all sides by leering men who fail to respect her newly teenaged status. Fonda’s direction is also guilty of iffy behavior, opening the picture on Wanda as she tarts herself up for day, slowly smearing red lipstick on, embarking on an existence where she’s the property of a criminal, soon traded to another criminal. The screenplay doesn’t do much with the question of age (the only true objection emerges from a hotel clerk, ironically played by Teri Shields), preferring to identify Wanda as a free spirit working past a haunted history as an orphan, trying to find adventure wherever she can. However, the pairing of Wanda and her new master, Beaudray, doesn’t lead to parental protection, but love, with the duo flirtatious and protective as they enter the Grand Canyon, bonding through conversation and near-misses with rock slides and attacks from the Apache Ghost. It’s strange to watch Fonda pursue the pairing, trying to soften uncomfortable edges with acts of endearment, somehow believing he’s making a passable love story to go along with all the Grand Canyon adventuring. The screenplay is much better off with the search for gold than the quest for normalcy.

Hackin’s script is somewhat episodic, pitting Wanda and Beaudray against a strange assortment of characters. There’s Bitterstix (Severn Darden), an ornithologist who would like nothing more than to consume the teenager sexually, keeping close to the duo, waiting for a chance to seduce her. And there’s Dorothy (Fiona Lewis), a Life Magazine photographer on assignment in the Grand Canyon who takes a liking to Beaudray’s ways, triggering jealousy from Wanda. The pair interacts with a gas station clerk, a general store owner, and spends a moment with an old prospector on the trail (played by an unrecognizable Henry Fonda), adding a sense of narrative movement, giving the actors plenty to do.

Wanda Nevada Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.84:1 aspect ratio) presentation shows its age with slightly faded colors, but the basics aren't unappealing here, just not fresh. Detail isn't a priority to period cinematography, but desert vistas are acceptable and facial nuances remain, while texture is preserved on costuming. Hues tend to favor a southwest palette, and location changes retain a degree of potency, while neon signage is more active with vividness. Skintones look a little drained but remain within reason. Delineation isn't precise, but solidification isn't overwhelming, leaving evening encounters easy to identify. Source offers speckling and mild scratches.

Wanda Nevada Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix registers on the sharp side, with extremes in drama and action hitting crispy highs that are a little distortive, but nothing too concerning. Dialogue exchanges are, for the most part, easy to follow, with louder encounters helping with intelligibility. Scoring supports as intended, though soundtrack selections sound the best, with pleasing instrumentation and fullness. Atmospherics are generally solid for Grand Canyon travel, adding some pressure as weather changes and animals begin to stir.

Wanda Nevada Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:02, SD) is included.

Wanda Nevada Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are moments when "Wanda Nevada" plays like a Disney picture, exploring playful banter and mild disaster, along with the general earthly magical ways of the Apache Ghost. And yet, the majority of the movie hangs with a sobering reality, offering traumatic injury and a body count, keeping the endeavor grounded for no reason. It's a film that offers a bizarrely comical climatic shoot-out (Fonda, for reasons unknown, suddenly goes Mel Brooks with the showdown) and pays specific attention to agony when Beaudray takes an arrow to the chest. It's a bumpy ride when it comes to tonality and good taste, with Fonda possibly under the impression he's creating a more threatening version of "Paper Moon." Instead, "Wanda Nevada" succumbs to a grimness that isn't intentional but pervasive, trying to find light in the dark. Perhaps other viewers won't be as unnerved as I was with the ugliness of the effort, but it's hard to deny that while made with good intentions, this feature is filled with bad ideas.