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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Henry Hathaway
USA 1941

 

Henry Hathaway (Go West Young Man) directs John Wayne (Jet Pilot), Betty Field (7 Women), Harry Carey (You and Me), and Beulah Bondi (Remember the Night) in the classic 1941 melodrama The Shepherd of the Hills.

When Daniel Howitt (Carey), a kindly stranger, arrives in a remote Ozark community riven by hatred, he befriends young Sammy (Field) and raises the ire of her fiancé, Matt (Wayne), a bitter moonshiner who has sworn to kill his own father.

Based on the best-selling novel by Harold Bell Wright, and boasting ravishing cinematography by Charles Lang (The Long Gray Line) and W Howard Greene (The Magnificent Seven), Hathaway’s version of The Shepherd of the Hills was the third of no fewer than four big-screen adaptations, and was Wayne’s first film in Technicolor.

***

Young Matt Masters, an Ozark Mountains moonshiner, hates the father he has never seen, who apparently deserted Matt's mother and left her to die. His obsession contributes to the hatred rampant in the mountains. However, the arrival of a stranger, Daniel Howitt, begins to positively affect the mountain people, who learn to shed their hatred under his gentle influence. Still, Matt does not quite trust Howitt...

***

As part of a family of Ozark moonshiners, Wayne is a simple man sworn to protect the land he loves and a secret that threatens to tear the community apart.

Posters

Theatrical Release: July 18th, 1941

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Review: Indicator - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Box Cover

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Bonus Captures:

Distribution Indicator - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:37:53.826        
Video

1.37:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 24,661,733,630 bytes

Feature: 21,903,111,168 bytes

Video Bitrate: 25.99 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

LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 112 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 112 kbps / DN -30dB

Subtitles English (SDH), None
Features Release Information:
Studio:
Indicator

 

1.37:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 24,661,733,630 bytes

Feature: 21,903,111,168 bytes

Video Bitrate: 25.99 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• Audio commentary with academic and curator Eloise Ross (2025)
• The Return of the Exile (2017, 35:02): archival appreciation by filmmaker and critic Bertrand Tavernier, presented with English subtitles for the first time
• Original theatrical trailer (2:16)
• Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
Limited edition exclusive 40-page booklet with a new essay by Rick Burin, an archival report on the film’s production and its source novel’s Ozark setting, an extract from an interview with Henry Hathaway, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits


Blu-ray Release Date: January 20th, 2025
1
Transparent Blu-ray Case

Chapters 11

 

 

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Indicator Blu-ray (January 2025): Indicator have transferred Henry Hathaway's The Shepherd of the Hills to Blu-ray. We reviewed this title as part of the John Wayne - An American Icon DVD boxset back in 2006, HERE. The 1080P improves measurably with 4 X the bitrate, truer colors with more depth, improved detail with earthier browns to richer sky blues. Not discounting that it can look a shade thin, a touch pink and flat, this is a handsome film that is a positive upgrade to this format. 

NOTE: We have added 52 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Indicator use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. The Shepherd of the Hills has aggression but also many idyllic sequences of scenery accentuated by the score from Gerard Carbonara (Island Of Doomed Men, King of Chinatown, Among the Living, Union Pacific, The Monster and the Girl, Dr. Cyclops, Abilene Town.) Some may also notice Sam Coslow's There's a Happy Hunting Ground and Brahms' Wiegenlied (Lullaby) Op. 49 No. 4. . It all sounds quote flat and graceful in the uncompressed transfer. Indicator offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.

The Indicator Blu-ray offers a new commentary by academic and curator Eloise Ross (co-author of The Pre-Code Companion, Issue #2: Three on a Match, Female, & Other Men's Women.) She talks about Hathaway's visual style, the novel that the film was adapted from, the director's attention to detail etc. She observes Betty Field being barefoot through much of the film, the locations (Big Bear Lake and Moon Ridge, California) etc. It's an excellent and well-researched commentary. The Return of the Exile is a 1/2 hour 2017 archival appreciation by filmmaker and critic Bertrand Tavernier, presented with English subtitles for the first time. He discusses Hathaway and The Shepherd of the Hills. that he finds an extremely personal film. There is also an original theatrical trailer, an image gallery of promotional and publicity material and the package has a limited edition exclusive 40-page booklet with a new essay by Rick Burin, an archival report on the film’s production and its source novel’s Ozark setting, an extract from an interview with Henry Hathaway, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits.    

Henry Hathaway's The Shepherd of the Hills is notable for many reasons including being The Duke's first Technicolor film. Hathaway had such impressive output from westerns to noir including Niagara, True Grit, 23 Paces to Baker Street, Rawhide, Garden of Evil, Kiss of Death, The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, The House on 92nd Street, The Dark Corner etc. etc. The Shepherd of the Hills was based on the novel by Harold Bell Wright. The story depicts a "mountain feud" of people living in the Ozarks and the impact of a sympathetic, elderly, and learned visitor from Chicago who is escaping tragedy (deaths of his wife and children) and seeking reclusiveness. He eventually gains the trust, and positively impacts, the clans that make up his independent and self-reliant neighbors. The 'moonshining' and dialogue are detailed - cleverly establishing characterizations. The Shepherd of the Hills was the first of Hathaway’s six films to star John Wayne. It is immensely entertaining. The Indicator Blu-ray is up to their usual stratospheric standards - fabulous presentation, expert commentary, booklet and more. I'll be keeping this one - strongly recommended!

Gary Tooze

 


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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

1) Universal (John Wayne - An American Icon) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Indicator - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


1) Universal (John Wayne - An American Icon) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Indicator - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


1) Universal (John Wayne - An American Icon) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Indicator - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


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Box Cover

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Bonus Captures:

Distribution Indicator - Region 'B' - Blu-ray


 


 

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