Unconquered - Gary Cooper

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille
USA 1947

Cecil B. DeMille's noted fondness for the good old-fashioned life and for the good old-fashioned way of making movies out of good old-fashioned stuff has never been manifested in a franker nor more disarming way than it is in his latest lavish picture, "Unconquered," which hit the Rivoli yesterday. For here is adventure drama of the sort that we got in silent films—except that it's done in Technicolor—and dialogue such as that we used to read. Here is unblushing employment of the oldest dime-novel clichés. And it will probably reward its producer with a tub full of good old-fashioned gold.

That is because the smiling gentleman who has been doing this sort of thing for years has thrown so much into his picture that it has a strange magnetic pull. Laugh as one may—and one does laugh—at such accumulated old stuff as Indian fights, tavern brawling and a canoe going over a waterfall—and hoot as one may at such brave lines as "I've killed men for less than that!" and "This is greater than you or me or both of us"—two hours and twenty-five minutes of such cannot be blinked.

Excerpt from NY Times located HERE

Poster

Theatrical Release: September 24th, 1947

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DVD Review: Universal - Region 1 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Universal Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	2:26:50
Video	1.33:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.86 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	English (Dolby Digital Mono)
Subtitles	English, French, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Universal Home Video Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Robert Osborne Introduction (2:08) DVD Release Date: May 22nd, 2007 Double-lock Keep Case Chapters: 30

Comments:

Another dual-layered, yet pragmatic package from Universal. The color image looks very good - as good as I have seen from this era. There is some occasional digital artifacts but nothing excessive. Advertised as De Mille's most expensive spectacle to date at $5 million - it is certainly a film that is rife with grandiose backdrops, multitudes of extras and beautiful scenic vistas. There are very few speckles and overall the image is quite strong. It is progressive and sports optional English (hoh) or French subtitles. Audio is mono but clear and consistent enough to interpret the dialogue easily.

No extras save the short Robert Osborne introduction, but I think it has some merit for vintage film fans and the price, around $10, makes it an easy purchase decision.

Gary W. Tooze

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