Movie Legends on New Bargain Blu-Rays

By Christopher P. Jacobs
Movies Editor

Directors John Ford and John Huston. Actors John Wayne, William Holden, Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, and Montgomery Clift. All are icons of the golden age of Hollywood movies. While it’s not hard to find their films on DVD, relatively few are on Blu-ray (John Wayne being best-represented with about a dozen Blu-ray titles and John Huston by over a half-dozen). Last month, however, two notable United Artists films released by MGM/Fox Home Video brings all of them to high-quality yet budget-priced Blu-rays ($15 or less), both coinciding with landmark anniversaries.

John Huston’s “The Misfits” (1961) marks its 50th anniversary this year, and 2011 is the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War, when John Ford’s “The Horse Soldiers” (1959) is set.

THE MISFITS
Perhaps most famous as the final film for both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe, “The Misfits” can stand on its own as a poignant character drama about the conflict between ideals and reality, about memories of the past and hopes for the future while struggling to survive in changing times. Arthur Miller’s script is a thoughtful exploration of a variety of always-timely personal issues. His dialogue takes on an even more touching tone with the knowledge that both Gable and Monroe would soon be dead and that Clift would die only five years later at age 45.

Gable’s fatal heart-attack at only 59, before “The Misfits” was even released, was likely due to the strain of performing his own stuntwork in this film. Ironically, except for the rodeo and the climactic horse-capturing sequence, the film is largely dialogue-driven with little physical action. Gable gives one of the best performances of his career as the stubbornly free-spirited modern cowboy whose ideas and rough edges soften after meeting a beautiful but sad young divorcee. He brings a believable complexity and growth to the sometimes paradoxical character.

As the philosophical and emotionally sensitive ex-stripper, Monroe demonstrates that she could be a powerful dramatic actress, and not just a ditzy sex goddess in light romantic comedies. Monroe died at 36 halfway through filming “Something’s Gotta Give” in 1962, yet another sex comedy but one with a more mature edge to her character.

Eli Wallach and Montgomery Clift also are memorable as Gable’s old sidekick and a reckless rodeo competitor, each with his own troubled past, and character actress Thelma Ritter lends her typically lovable cynic to the mix.

The Blu-ray has a fine high-definition 1.66:1 transfer of Russell Metty’s stark black and white cinematography and a good mono soundtrack. The bare-bones disc has no bonus features except the original trailer (in high-def), chapter stops, alternate dubs in six other languages, and optional subtitles in eight languages including English. Like other recent MGM discs, there is no main menu, and all features must be accessed through a popup menu while the movie is running.

“THE MISFITS” on Blu-ray — Movie:  A   /  Video:  A   /  Audio:  A-  /  Extras:  F+

THE HORSE SOLDIERS
“The Horse Soldiers” may not rank among legendary director John Ford’s most memorable work, but it is a solid action adventure based on an actual incident, with good iconic roles for John Wayne and William Holden. It is also Ford’s only feature film dealing with the Civil War (except for his brief episode in “How the West Was Won,” on Blu-ray from Warners).

Wayne plays a Union colonel leading a raid south into Mississippi to destroy Confederate supplies and railroad connections. Holden is a physician reluctantly assigned to the mission, often at odds with official military policies, some of Wayne’s decisions, and war in general. When they make camp at a plantation run by spunky young southern belle Constance Towers (in her first major screen role), they discover she has overheard their plans and force her to accompany them on the rest of the raid so she can’t contact the Confederates. Naturally, the mutual distrust and disgust between her character and Wayne’s gradually develops into mutual respect, understanding, and more.

Wayne is fine in his familiar persona and Holden’s performance is very reminiscent of his role in “The Bridge On The River Kwai” (on Blu-ray from Sony) filmed two years earlier. Though she never became a major box office name, Towers makes an impressive starring debut, hinting at some of the edgier characters she’d get to play a few years later in “Shock Corridor” and “The Naked Kiss” (both on Blu-ray from Criterion). Although much of the film is predictable and it tends to drag at times, the script does a good job setting things up in logical progression, while revealing character background that enriches the story beyond Hollywood formula. Ford’s direction handles everything nicely with his trademark blend of drama, action, humor, and social commentary, particularly some potent and poignant observations on war and human nature.

The Blu-ray has an overall excellent HD transfer at 1.66:1, with rich colors and a sharp, crisp image throughout. In a very few sections optical duplication in the original print softens the picture slightly (mainly titles and dissolves). The original mono sound is very strong. Once again, this MGM/Fox disc has no main menu and no bonus features other than the original trailer (in HD), chapter stops, and multiple language and subtitle tracks, all accessible only through a popup menu.

“THE HORSE SOLDIERS” on Blu-ray — Movie:  A-  /  Video:  A   /  Audio:  A   /  Extras:  F+

Questions and comments: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)