ADDITION - Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray May 2010 - To the best of my knowledge these captures are all the exact frame matches and, in my opinion, it looks like both DVDs have issues - the original is thin and may have had edge-enhancement (see 3rd large capture - John Wayne) and the Special Edition from 2005 has some boosting and a waxy softness that may very well be DNR. The Criterion has strong grain structure and because of lesser manipulation seems to show more damage marks (speckles and light scratches). I'm okay with this and would rather have the marks than the over digitization. Strangely though the damage marks don't seem to match. I'm not privy to the source Criterion used but I suspect it is a different one than the DVDs - or further resorted on the film level.

Both DVDs may be marginally vertically stretched. Masters of Cinema's incredible transfer of City Girl seems to have raised the bar to an inordinate level and this can effect our expectations on such older titles brought to 1080P resolution - like Stagecoach. The Criterion has much more in common with the contrast level of the original (less noise, more detail) than the, obviously, boosted SE. While the Criterion improvement in detail and film textures may be only marginally apparent in the screen captures below - it becomes much more prominent when in motion. I can vouch for this (I toggled back and forth) - the Criterion displays dramatic superiority on my system. It has never looked better for home theater consumption. 

Criterion stay 'original' in keeping the single channel audio, but it is given a lossless transfer in a linear PCM track at 1152 Kbps. It is flat but there is a certain level of crispness over the DVD that comes through if you have an ear for it. Suffice to say this is the best audio for Stagecoach. As usual, there are expertly rendered, optional, English subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it is being Region 'A'-locked.

Extras are a real prize - We get a decent audio commentary by western authority Jim Kitses (author of Horizons West). It can be a little dry but fans of Ford will surely want to indulge. Bucking Broadway, is a 1917, 54.5 minute silent feature by John Ford, with new music composed and performed by Donald Sosin. It also has new intertitle cards. It is described as "a rollicking western about a cowboy (Director favorite Harry Carey) whose true love is whisked away by a city slicker. Bucking Broadway showcases the underdog protagonist, jovial humor, regard for family unity, and epic visual style that would become hallmarks of the director. The film, like all video supplements , is shown in HD and is advertised as restored by the Archives Francais du film, CNC.  We a just a marvelous 1 1/4 hour interview with Ford by British journalist and television presenter Philip Jenkinson from 1968. The director discusses a wide variety of topics such as the western genre, John Wayne, race representation, Stagecoach and violence. This may be the most entertaining extra feature. There is a new video appreciation of Stagecoach, with director and Ford biographer Peter Bogdanovich lasting just shy of 15-minutes. We get more new video featurettes - another interview - this time with Ford’s grandson, Dan Ford who talks about the director and his home movies. This lasts 7-minutes. Journalist Buzz Bissinger, talks about trader Harry Goulding’s key role in bringing Monument Valley to Hollywood for more than 10-minutes. There is a video homage to legendary stuntman Yakima Canutt, with celebrated stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong lasting exactly 10-minutes. I was very keen to indulge in Dreaming of Jeanie - a video essay by writer Tag Gallagher analyzing Ford’s visual style in Stagecoach. It's 22-minutes of pure supplement gold. There is an audio only piece - the Screen Director’s Playhouse 1949 radio dramatization of Stagecoach, with John Wayne, Claire Trevor, and Ford, - also downloadable as an MP3. Finishing off the digital extras is a 3.5 minute theatrical trailer. Criterion, have once again, included a 34-page liner notes booklet featuring an essay by David Cairns and Ernest Haycox’s “Stage to Lordsburg,” the short story that inspired the film. This is probably the best extras package of the entire year to date - and it may not be bested in 2010.

Just to find some fault here - the Criterion Blu-ray's file folder says "BIGGER_THAN_LIFE". So they aren't perfect.

A mammoth release as much for the definitive quality of the feature presentation as the extensive extra features. One of the essential releases of the year. Purchase without prejudice. ;)