Only the Valiant Gregory Peck

Directed by Gordon Douglas
USA 1951

In this surprisingly astringent frontier tale, the Fordian motif of the stern commander gradually winning the respect of a motley Cavalry troop (boozy Irishman Bond among them) almost elides into the anti-authoritarian dynamic of The Dirty Dozen. When a vital fort guarding a mountain pass is threatened by gathering Indians, Peck's stone-faced captain picks the most disposable bunch of malcontents and psychos to hold out until reinforcements arrive, whereupon various personal animosities bring them closer to killing him than the enemy.

Excerpt from TimeOut Film Guide located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: April 13th, 1951

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DVD Review: Lions Gate - Region 1 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Lions Gate - Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	1:44:48
Video	1.33:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.5 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	English, Spanish, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Lions Gate Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • none DVD Release Date: July 1st, 2008 Keep Case Chapters: 12

Comments:

Lions Gate are very inconsistent - this is an absolutely horrible transfer. Aside from the inherent damage and haziness this edition has more Chroma bug than I have ever seen in any commercial DVD release - ever. Actually, I think it has more than any DVD-R I've seen to boot. The flecks of spectrum-like color are consistent in just about every frame of this film. It's like the telecine was working through a prism.

The audio is also at the weak end of the scale but it does offer optional English or Spanish subtitles.

There are no extras on this single-layered, progressive, disc. This is a decent little western - surprisingly grim and hard edged but even at less than $10 I'm not recommending this DVD. Most could dupe it from TV with a superior transfer. I'm surprised that Lions Gate even bothered to produce this. No sale (and I love Peck and westerns!).