Vera Cruz Blu-ray - Gary Cooper / Burt Lancaster

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

Directed by Robert Aldrich
USA 1954

A brash, lively, and totally appealing Western about a couple of American adventurers - Cooper, a decent but cynical Southern gentleman, and Lancaster, a supremely conniving crook - getting involved with Maximilian's imperial court and the Juarez revolutionaries in 1860s Mexico. Basically, the film is played as a game of bluff and betrayal, with the pair continually voicing their distrust of each other as they transport a countess and her crock of gold to Vera Cruz, allowing Aldrich to alternate with ease between earthy comedy and taut suspense. Beautifully shot by Ernest Laszlo, it conjures up a Mexico that in some ways looks forward to Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch, a country at once romantic and treacherous, wild and lovely, an outpost of freedom for exiles yet oppressed by a corrupt government. And the performances, as you might expect, are highly professional.

Excerpt from TimeOut London located HERE

***

With a tag line blaring, "The Giants Battle in the Biggest Spectacle of Them All!," Vera Cruz stormed into theaters in 1954. This groundbreaking Western was indeed a spectacle in every way - from the sweeping Mexican landscapes (filmed in Superscope no less), to the multitudinous gun battles, to the bona fide movie stars taking top billing. Starring Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster, and directed by Robert Aldrich, Vera Cruz was such a pioneering film that it inspired a genre within a genre: the Spaghetti Western. Set in the 1860s, the story follows two mercenaries on the make in Mexico. They want gold and lots of it, and they find it - but not before getting caught in a civil war between the royal loyalists and the rebel Juaristas. The two men represent a good cowboy/bad cowboy dynamic, but in Vera Cruz even the good man can be bought for the right price. The film also added a new twist to suspect partnerships with what critics have called the "double-double cross." Such themes were prevalent in the films of Sergio Leone (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, 1966) and other directors of the Spaghetti Western genre, one marked by copious bloodletting and a lack of recognizable heroes.

Excerpt from TCM located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: December 25th, 1954

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Comparison:

MGM - Region FREE - Blu-ray vs. Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover
		Bonus Captures:
Distribution	MGM - Region FREE - Blu-ray	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:33:35.818	1:33:35.693
Video	2.0:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 30,437,061,585 bytes Feature: 29,384,521,728 bytes Video Bitrate: 36.10 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video	2.0:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 35,365,523,940 bytes Feature: 30,408,228,864 bytes Video Bitrate: 39.39 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate MGM Blu-ray:
Bitrate Kino Blu-ray:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio English 2040 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2040 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit / DN -4dB) DUBs: DTS Audio French 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / 24-bit / DN -4dB DTS Audio German 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / 24-bit / DN -4dB DTS Audio Italian 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / 24-bit / DN -4dB DTS Audio Spanish 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / 24-bit / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / DN -4dB	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1554 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1554 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles	English (SDH), Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish, none	English (SDH), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: MGM 2.0:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 30,437,061,585 bytes Feature: 29,384,521,728 bytes Video Bitrate: 36.10 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Trailer Blu-ray Release Date: June 7th, 2011 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 9	Release Information: Studio: Kino 2.0:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 35,365,523,940 bytes Feature: 30,408,228,864 bytes Video Bitrate: 39.39 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • NEW Audio Commentary by Filmmaker Alex Cox • TRAILERS FROM HELL with John Landis (3:29) • Theatrical Trailer (3:03) Blu-ray Release Date: October 12th, 2021 Standard Transparent Blu-ray Case inside slipcase Chapters 9

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (October 2021): Kino have transferred Robert Aldrich's Vera Cruz to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "Brand New 2K Master". While it has a slightly superior bitrate, that is not the issue here - the MGM is from a significantly weaker source. The 10-year old transfer is pale, green and cropped on the left and bottom edges as compared to the new Kino 1080P. This is one of the largest discrepancies in Blu-ray visuals from a major studio to a boutique label that I can recall seeing. The Technicolor is very vibrant now and the film has very thick textures throughout. A highly dramatic and impacting upgrade thanks to Kino.

NOTE: We have added 54 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (16-bit) in the original English language. It is a technical notch below MGM's 24-bit audio transfer - barely notable in terms of the depth exported. Vera Cruz has many aggressive moments (100's of guns/rifles fired) that come through with some impact. The score is by Hugo Friedhofer (Plunder in the Sun, One-Eyed Jacks Two Flags West, Man in the Attic, Ace in the Hole, Body and Soul, Gilda, The Bishop's Wife) and the lossless transfer supports the film's aggressive soundstage. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A'-locked Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Alex Cox (author of the indispensable '10,000 Ways to Die: A Director's Take on the Spaghetti Western'.) As well as being an expert in film - notably westerns including Pasta and Mexican revolutions genres, he is also very educated on Mexico itself and its cities and locations used in this film. He talks about Vera Cruz being the second production of Hecht/Lancaster - the first was Apache, he quotes Aldrich on a few occasions, cites strong supporters of the film from Sergio Leone to Louis Malle. Alex talks about acting in Álex de la Iglesia's Perdita Durango (aka "Dance with the Devil") - which has inspirations and references relating to Robert Aldrich's Vera Cruz. There are some gaps in the commentary where Alex lets the extensive action sequences run. He tells a good story of Leone's interaction with Aldrich and the commentary its very worthwhile. He may be my favorite for the western genre. There is also a John Landis 'Trailer From Hell' episode, a theatrical trailer and the package has an O-card slipcase and reversible artwork (see below.)

Vera Cruz is a very strong film that took bold steps outside the usual western genre - thanks to Robert Aldrich. Both Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster play off each other amazingly while interacting on screen. Plus there is impressive support from Cesar Romero, George Macready, Jack Elam, Ernest Borgnine. Ohhh - Yes, that's Charles Bronson! (listed as Charles Buchinsky) playing the character 'Pittsburgh' in Vera Cruz. The Kino Blu-ray is a dramatic upgrade in image and supplements from the 2011 MGM. It has the valuable Alex Cox commentary and Vera Cruz evokes memories of important later westerns including The Wild Bunch and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Fans of the leads and genre are strongly encouraged to pick this up.