DVD Comparison Edward Dmytryk's Broken Lance - 20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL Broken Lance DVD Review Spencer Tracy Edward Dmytryk Broken Lance DVD Review Spencer Tracy Edward Dmytryk Broken Lance DVD Revie

directed by Edward Dmytryk
USA 1954

A Western remake of ”House of Strangers” (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1949), there is also a touch of King Lear in the story, in form of the brothers and their relationship to their father. But its only a touch, and King Lear would not be adapted into Western before “The Man from Laramie” (Anthony Mann, 1955). It nevertheless is interesting with what ease themes from King Lear can be carried over into the Western.

Joe Devereaux (Robert Wagner) has just spend four years in jail and now discovers, that not only is his father (Spencer Tracy) dead, but his brothers have taken over the ranch and sold it off to an oil company. Refusing to become part of the enterprise, he revisits the ranch, thereby the past, and eventually comes face to face with the elder brother, Ben Devereaux (Richard Widmark).

By itself a classic Western, noting upon the birth of the west, where men took law into their own hands, and how that part of the west died away, with the introduction of towns, and as such laws and banks. Tracy is superb as the self-made rancher, who is betrayed by his oldest son.

Henrik Sylow

Theatrical Release: July 29, 1954 (New York City, New York)

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Comparison:

20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL

(20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers

The Fox is part of the Classic Western Collection - The Outlaws which contains The Proud Ones, Forty Guns, Broken Lance, and The Culpepper Cattle Co.

Distribution

20th Century Fox

Region 1 - NTSC

Optimum Releasing
Region 2 - PAL

Runtime

1:36:12

1:32:22 (4% PAL speedup)

Video

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 5.52 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

2.52:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 5.61 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Fox

Bitrate:

Optimum

Audio

English (Dolby Digital 4.0 Surround), DUBs: Spanish (mono), French (mono)

English (Dolby Digital mono)

Subtitles

English, Spanish, and none

None

Features

Release Information:
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 2.52:1

Edition Details:
• Theatrical trailer
• Fox Movie-Tone news Reel

DVD Release Date: May 25th, 2005
Keep Case

Chapters 16

Release Information:
Studio: Optimum Classics

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 2.52:1

Edition Details:
• None

DVD Release Date: February 21, 2005
Keep case

Chapters 12

Comments

Same deal as "Forty Guns", "Drums Along the Mohawk" and "Warlock" as in this comparison. The Optimum is slightly sharper although differences may be more pronounced than in the aforementioned DVD analysis'. The Fox has well-appointed optional subtitles and the Optimum has none. The Fox has a trailer for the film and the Fox Movie-Tone News reel, where the Optimum has nothing. The Fox offers Stereo 4.0audio where the Optimum is only monaural. I don't see any significant cropping issues and as both are very reasonably priced. This may be one instance where you want to nab the Optimum if you don't have it already

Gary W Tooze

RE: Optimum - This is an amazing looking DVD, even if its an DVD-5. While the source is grainy, and there are slight halos, details are surprisingly sharp and colors look great. And then anamorphic to add. Impressive, even with its flaws.

The film is presented in its Cinemascope OAR of 2.55:1.

Sound is mono, dialogue is clear, the score is surprisingly dynamic and there is no noise.

- Henrik Sylow

DVD Menus

(20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)