Cross Creek Blu-ray - Mary Steenburgen / Peter Coyote

Firstly, a massive thank you to our Patreon supporters. These supporters have become the single biggest contributing factor to the survival of DVDBeaver. Your assistance is essential to our survival.

What do Patrons receive, that you don't?

1) Our weekly Newsletter and Calendar Updates sent to your Inbox!
2) Access to over 100,000 unpublished screen captures in lossless high-resolution format!

Please consider keeping us in existence with a couple of dollars or more each month (your pocket change! / a coffee!) so we can continue to do our best in giving you timely, thorough reviews, calendar updates and detailed comparisons. I am indebted to your generosity.

Search DVDBeaver

S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Martin Ritt
USA 1983

Nominated for four Academy Awards, Cross Creek tells the inspiring and romantic story of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (Mary Steenburgen, Melvin and Howard), the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Yearling. In 1928 she left her husband and career as a newspaper reporter to embark on an adventure in the backwoods of Florida. Intent on a new career as a novelist, she also encounters an array of inspiring characters, including a handsome local businessman (Peter Coyote, Bitter Moon), a cantankerous backwoods joker (Rip Torn, Men in Black) and his caring daughter (Dana Hill, National Lampoon’s European Vacation). Directed with authority by the great Martin Ritt (Hud), Cross Creek is a powerful feminist biopic, and a remarkable true story of one woman’s struggle to find her own voice.

***

In the 1930s, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings moves to Florida's backwaters to write in peace. She feels bothered by affectionate men, editors and confused neighbors, but soon she connects and writes The Yearling, a classic of American literature.

Posters

Theatrical Release: May 16th, 1983 (Cannes Film Festival)

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

Review: Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	2:00:28.416
Video	1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 40,295,780,865 bytes Feature: 38,704,963,584 bytes Video Bitrate: 38.93 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1557 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1557 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -31dB
Subtitles	English (SDH), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Kino 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 40,295,780,865 bytes Feature: 38,704,963,584 bytes Video Bitrate: 38.93 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Cross Creek: A Look Back with Mary Steenburgen (17:08) • Audio commentary by film historians Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff • Theatrical Trailer (2:28) Blu-ray Release Date: October 15th, 2024 Standard Blu-ray Case inside slipcase Chapters 8

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (October 2024): Kino have transferred Martin Ritt's Cross Creek to Blu-ray. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. The 1080P image is quite impressive notably the Floridian flora and fauna. Detail is strong, outdoor scenes - naturally lit and there is frequent depth. The HD presentation is quite becoming without damage or speckles.

NOTE: We have added 50 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master stereo track (24-bit) in the original English language. Cross Creek has no aggressive sequences aside from some of the inclement weather. The score was by Leonard Rosenman (Prophecy, Hellfighters, Hide in Plain Sight, Countdown, Rebel Without a Cause, The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond, Kingdom of the Spiders, Fantastic Voyage and A Man Called Horse,) sounding clean with consistent dialogue in the lossless transfer. Kino offer optional English subtitles (SDH) on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by film historians Julie Kirgo (author of Becoming John Ford) and Peter Hankoff (Producer of The Cold Blue.) They talk about this being a "loose adaptation" of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' 1942 memoir, relate differences, talk about director Martin Ritt, cinematographer John A. Alonzo (Chinatown, Scarface, Farewell, My Lovely,) the cast, 'The Actor's Studio', and much more. It's entertaining (especially when they don't always agree) and informative. Also included is an older featurette; Cross Creek: A Look Back with Mary Steenburgen running 17-minutes where the actress relates her memories of the production and her role of Pulitzer Prize winning, American writer, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. Lastly is a trailer for Cross Creek as well as Plenty, Tender Mercies and The River.

Martin Ritt's Cross Creek is a bio-pic of author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings with some feminist themes. We are introduced to a strong female character, who divorced her husband in 1933, embracing the remoteness, wilderness and her 'cracker' neighbors of Cross Creek, Florida where she wrote her most successful novel, The Yearling. She even wrote a recipe book about the location; Cross Creek Cookery. Mary Steenburgen is excellent in the role showing obstinacy, reluctance but eventually being won-over by the rural residents. Cross Creek was home to just seven families, five white and two black, when she moved there in 1928. It's a strong feel-good biographical / romance. Martin Ritt is a master. I enjoyed the excellent a/v on the Kino Blu-ray, the film and its commentary.

Gary Tooze