Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Wild River Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 6, 2015

Elia Kazan's "Wild River" (1960) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include the original theatrical trailer for the film; collection of production stills; and exclusive new audio commentary with film critics Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme. The release also arrives with a 32-page illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by Adrian Martin, rare archival imagery and more. In English, with English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"I know I'll probably regret it. I'm sure you'll regret it. But... Go get your hat. Get a coat. Wash up. All right?"

The entire film is set in Garthville, a small Tennessee town with a very clear dividing line between black and white residents. On both sides of the line there are people realizing that in Garthville there are many wrongs that must be righted, but they prefer to ignore them and live their lives as they have for years. It is the early 1930s.

When Chuck Glover (Montgomery Clift, Red River) arrives in Garthville, however, the status quo is quickly disrupted. Chuck is an administrator for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) who has been asked to convince a stubborn 80-year-old woman, Ella Garth (Jo Van Fleet, East of Eden), to sell her land to the government so that a large dam can be built in the same area. Ella has repeatedly refused to leave her land and has even influenced a large group of black families to oppose the new government plan so that their legacy is preserved. When Chuck visits Ella’s house, she angrily announces that she intends to die on her land and have her body buried in the same family cemetery where her parents have been laid to rest. The harsh response prompts Chuck to seek help from a few local residents and soon after everyone in Garthville is forced to choose a side.

For a while Ella’s lonely granddaughter, Carol Baldwin (Lee Remick, Days of Wine & Roses), remains neutral because she has been trying to decide whether she should marry the much older entrepreneur Walter Clark (Frank Overton, To Kill a Mockingbird). She does not love him, but realizes that this might be her last chance to remarry so that her two children can have a father. But when she spends a night with Chuck in her old house and discovers that he is the type of man she always wanted to grow old with, she is also forced to choose a side in an already very intense conflict.

This very beautiful film directed by Elia Kazan essentially tells two very different stories. The first is about two people who fall in love but then slowly begin to realize that love isn’t all they need to be happy. Their beliefs are challenged and in the process they are forced to make painful compromises. Then one of them also begins to question what it really means to be in love.

The second story is about a difficult transition. As made obvious in the film, in the 1930s America racism is a fact of life and as the socio-economic climate begins to change there is hope amongst black families that the future will be a lot better. The hope, however, is quickly replaced with the bitter realization that instead of a profound change the transition will only introduce more complex problems.

Kazan captures the essence of southern reality and its contrasts exceptionally well. Nature looks peaceful and warm but there is tension in the air. Blacks and whites work together but live in separate groups. There are always plenty of good reasons to redefine right and wrong.

Clift is sensational as the young idealist who finds himself surrounded by people that do not appreciate his progressive views. Remick is just as good as the seemingly brittle but passionate widow who wants to be loved again. The film’s true star, however, might be Van Fleet, whose transformation into the stubborn land owner is nothing short of extraordinary. (The actress was only in her mid-40s when she made Wild River).

Kazan shot the film with Oscar nominated cinematographer Ellsworth Fredericks (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) on location in Tennessee. Many of the most beautiful panoramic vistas were shot along the Hiawassee River.

Wild River Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Elia Kazan's Wild River arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment.

The release uses as a foundation the same restoration of Wild River which Fox accessed when they prepared their release for the U.S. market. As far as the technical side of the presentation is concerned, there really aren't any flaws -- image depth and clarity are quite simply outstanding; fluidity is also excellent throughout the entire film. Direct comparisons with the DVD release of Wild River from the The Elia Kazan Collection show dramatic improvements even during a number of very dark sequences -- shadow definition is far superior and again depth is so dramatically improved that there are actually new details that can be seen. Unfortunately, the restoration also introduces a new, much cooler color scheme that irreversibly alters the film's atmosphere (similar updates were done for a number of restored Fox titles, such as The King and I, Desk Set, River of No Return, and The Blue Max. The end result is really quite awkward. The film looks incredibly healthy and vibrant, but it has a distinctive modern identity that simply does not feel right. (Once you start viewing the film, you will quickly notice how overwhelming the wide range of blues and grays are). Finally, there are no stability issues. Also, there are no serious encoding anomalies to report in this review. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Wild River Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles have been provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The audio can be a bit thin a times, but it is easy to tell that this is indeed a source limitation. Clarity is good. The high frequencies can be somewhat uneven, but there is no problematic background hiss. Also, there are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review.

Wild River Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Theatrical Trailer - original theatrical trailer for Wild River. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Stills Gallery - a collection of production stills.

• Audio Commentary - in this new audio commentary, film critics Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme discuss the production history of Wild River, the social themes in the film, the different dilemmas the main characters face, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Eureka Entertainment.

• Booklet - 32-page illustrated booklet featuring: "The General Heading of Progress: Wild River" by Adrian Martin; "Elia Kazan on Wild River" (extract from an interview with Kazan in Films and Filming, v8 n6, March 1962); and technical credits.

Wild River Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I find this release of Elia Kazan's enormously moving Wild River somewhat frustrating. The technical presentation of the film is outstanding. In fact, this may well be one of the very best looking titles in Eureka Entertainment's catalog. However, Fox's restoration of Wild River introduces a new, much cooler color scheme that gives the film a very contemporary identity. I am going to recommend the Blu-ray, but I believe that Fox could have treated this film much better and produced a real stunner. RECOMMENDED.