The Tin Star Blu-ray - Henry Fonda / Anthony Perkins

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

USA 1957

A timeless Western from director Anthony Mann (Winchester ’73, The Far Country), The Tin Star showcases the director’s ingenuity within the genre, taking it to new heights that elevate and surpass the conventional hero-villain dynamic.

When veteran bounty hunter Morg Hickman (Henry Fonda, My Darling Clementine) rolls into town, he finds the population paralyzed by fear. The local sheriff has been killed, leaving the inexperienced Ben Owens (Anthony Perkins, Psycho) to fill the void with the hope of securing a permanent position. Morg discovers that the newly appointed young sheriff is having difficulty facing the provocations of a notorious bully, Bart Bogardus (Neville Brand, Riot in Cell Block 11). Morg, a former sheriff, takes it upon himself to teach Owens how to assert himself and maintain order.

Featuring memorable performances by its all-star cast and a stunning score by composer Elmer Bernstein, The Tin Star is a gripping tale that delves into the evolving dynamic between two contrasting characters as they navigate the harsh realities of the Old West.

***

A cynical former sheriff turned bounty hunter helps a young, recently appointed acting sheriff with his advice, his experience and his gun.

Posters

Theatrical Release: October 23rd, 1957

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

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Arrow - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:32:57.238
Video	1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 47,451,932,846 bytes Feature: 31,258,159,872 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.45 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 LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit DTS-HD Master Audio English 3105 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3105 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 320 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 320 kbps / DN -31dB
Subtitles	English (SDH), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Arrow 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 47,451,932,846 bytes Feature: 31,258,159,872 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.45 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Brand new audio commentary by film historian Toby Roan • Apprenticing a Master – a brand new appreciation of the film by author and critic Neil Sinyard (27:34) • Beyond the Score – a brand new interview with Peter Bernstein, son of Elmer Bernstein, on his father’s timeless musical mastery (31:37) • Original theatrical trailer (2:05) • Image gallery (Promotional - 12:50 / Stills - 14:25 / French Photo-comic - 2:51) Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Hadley Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Hadley Six postcard-sized reproduction artcards Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Barry Forshaw, and original press notes Blu-ray Release Date: April 30th, 2024 Transparent Blu-ray Case inside slipcase Chapters 13

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Arrow Blu-ray (April 2024): Arrow have transferred Anthony Mann's The Tin Star to Blu-ray. We reviewed the bare-bones Paramount DVD from 2004 HERE, and compared some captures below. This 1080P is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate and vastly improves over the two-decade old 1.78:1 SD transfer. The 1.85:1 Blu-ray shows a shade less information in the open-up frame on the top and bottom, is brighter and detail and contrast rise impressively. There are no marks or speckles and the HD presentation is highly pleasing if I would have, personally, appreciated more grain. Still, Bravo.

NOTE: We have added 56 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Arrow offer the option of linear PCM mono, stereo or a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track bump (all 24-bit) in the original English language. The Tin Star has select aggression almost exclusively in the form of gun and rifle fire - these is a small brawl in the saloon. The mono does a fine job but the surround has a few impressive separations. The score was by Elmer Bernstein (The Shootist The Great Escape, See No Evil, Sudden Fear, From the Terrace, The Hallelujah Trail, The Grifters, Robot Monster, Devil in a Blue Dress, Saturn 3, Birdman of Alcatraz, Love With the Proper Stranger, The Bride at Remagen, The Comancheros, The World of Henry Orient, Kings of the Sun, Hud, To Kill a Mockingbird, Summer and Smoke) and it adds to the film's Olde west atmosphere from serenity to tension. Arrow offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A'-locked Blu-ray.

The Arrow Blu-ray offers a new commentary by film historian Toby Roan (author of A Million Feet Of Film: The Making Of One-Eyed Jacks.) He discusses much of the cast and crew including Mann, Fonda, Perkins (one of his first roles), Betsy Palmer, under-appreciated 'heavy' Neville Brand, John McIntire, Lee Van Cleef, Edith Head etc. Apprenticing a Master is a brand new 1/2 hour appreciation of the film by critic Neil Sinyard (author of A Wonderful Heart: The Films of William Wyler) discussing the career of Mann. Beyond the Score is a brand new 1/2 hour interview with Peter Bernstein, son of Elmer Bernstein, on his father’s legacy. There is also an original theatrical trailer and three image galleries ('Promotional', 'Stills' - and a 'French Photo-comic'.) The package has a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Hadley, double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Hadley, six postcard-sized reproduction artcards and an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Barry Forshaw, and original press notes

Anthony Mann's The Tin Star was shot in VistaVision by Loyal Griggs (Shane, White Christmas, The Ten Commandments) and has some impressive deep-focus and delightful western trope compositions. With Mann's simple, direct, style he helmed many of the iconic western-genre films of the 50's including Man of the West (1958), The Man from Laramie (1955), The Far Country (1954), The Naked Spur (1953), Bend of the River (1952), The Furies (1950), and Winchester '73 (1950.) The Tin Star would be the only time Mann and Fonda would work together. The film became one of the only modestly-budgeted westerns to receive an Academy award nomination for 'Best Writing, Story or Screenplay' (by Joel Kane, Dudley Nichols - who both did mostly TV work and, Barney Slater who wrote Stagecoach and Bringing Up Baby). Some of the stunts in The Tin Star were credited to Richard Farnsworth (David Lynch's The Straight Story). It's a classic, pure, western with elements of The Gunfighter / Shane while a gentle message denouncing racism. The Tin Star isn't a perfect film - it's just darn close to being a perfect western. The Arrow Blu-ray is a great package of a film that sorely deserved 1080P status. Commentary, new featurettes, accoutrements including poster and booklet. Highly anticipated by the genre's fans this is strongly recommended - and an essential for western fans. Buy with confidence, 'pardner'.