White Lightning Blu-ray - Burt Reynolds

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

Directed by Joseph Sargent
USA 1973

White Lightning will give you the jolt of your life! Screen legend Burt Reynolds (he Longest Yard, Malone) is Gator McKlusky, a moonshine runner who wages war against corrupt police officials in this two-fisted, four-wheeling action extravaganza. Gator is serving time in the Arkansas prison when he learns that a ruthless and corrupt sheriff (Beatty) has framed and killed his baby brother. Swearing vengeance, Gator agrees to go undercover to expose the dirty sheriff, going to any lengths to get the goods and make him pay for the crime. With adrenaline-pumping car chases, bone-crunching brawls and terrific acting by an outstanding cast that includes Ned Beatty (The Big Easy), Diane Ladd (All Night Long), Bo Hopkins (Monte Walsh), Matt Clark (Will Penny) and R.G. Armstrong (Raggedy Man). White Lightning features excellent direction by the great Joseph Sargent (The Taking of Pelham One Two Three) with second unit direction by the film’s stunt coordinator Hal Needham (Gator).

***

"White lightning," of course, is another term for moonshine whiskey, the basis for this tale of backwoods intrigue and action. Reynolds is Gator, a bootlegger enlisted by the Treasury Department (or what Granny Clampett used to call "revenooers") to nab the corrupt (what else?) and bigoted Sheriff Connors, played by Ned Beatty, who had co-starred with Reynolds in Deliverance. Connors has his own moonshine business operating on the side. The lawman was also responsible for the death of Gator's brother, and that provides his real motive for working with the Feds. With the help of a souped-up car, another bootlegger (Bo Hopkins), and a sexy girlfriend (Jennifer Billingsley), Gator gets the goods on the sheriff. But not before engaging in the major delight and raison d'etre of movies of this type the uproarious antics of stunt drivers on dirt roads and through the swamps of the film's Arkansas location shoot.

Posters

Theatrical Release: August 8th, 1073

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

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:41:17.654
Video	1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 38,199,236,409 bytes Feature: 32,907,116,544 bytes Video Bitrate: 39.35 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 1593 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1593 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
Subtitles	English (SDH), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Kino 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 38,199,236,409 bytes Feature: 32,907,116,544 bytes Video Bitrate: 39.35 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson • Back to the Bayou: Part I - Interview with Star Burt Reynolds (9:55) • TV (3:44) and Radio Spots (1:05) • Theatrical Trailer (2:25) Blu-ray Release Date: November 21st, 2023 Standard 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 (November 2023): Kino have transferred Joseph Sargent's White Lightning to Blu-ray. Kino released White Lightning on Blu-ray in 2014, and we reviewed it HERE. This 2023 'Special Edition' has a new a/v transfer, an added commentary and an O-card slipcase packaging (with reversible cover - see below.) The new 1080P image is on a dual-layered disc with a 40% higher bitrate. This shows in richer black levels, slightly warmer flesh tones and grain support. It's not a huge difference but the new HD presentation is superior.

NOTE: We have added 30 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track (24-bit, the 2014 was 16-bit) in the original English language. The effects in White Lightning (notably car chases) are exported with some surprising depth in lossless impacting demonstratively on the atmosphere. The score was by Charles Bernstein (Gator, The Entity, Invasion of the Bee Girls, his first Hollywood film Stoney, Cujo, Deadly Friend, Mr. Majestyk) - and included is Way Down Under performed by Jerry Whitman - very suitable and works within the framework of this genre. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson. I always enjoy these guys and look forward to indulging at a later date. The other extras consist of a repeated (from 2014 BD) 10-minute, part 1 (part two on Kino's Gator Blu-ray release), of Back to the Bayou with Burt Reynolds talking about the Gator McKlusky character and the film production, its popularity and reminiscences. There is also a trailer. The package has revisable artwork (see below) and a slipcase.

Joseph Sargent's White Lightning is measure dialogue and curious subtext. It's a film I am very happy the Kino Blu-ray Still, very much worth seeing and owning, imo. The initial Gator McKlusky entry has homebrew in good ol' Arkansas. Anyone identify 6-year old Laura Dern in White Lightning? She's there. The film is about what you might anticipate and has held its Burt 'Hillbilly' milieu appeal through the years. Really, he was great - such an enjoyable actor to watch.