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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
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Fox Western Classics (3-DVD)
The Gunfighter (1950) Rawhide (1951) Garden of Evil (1954)
NOTE:
The Gunfighter is on Blu-ray - compared HERE
Rawhide is on Blu-ray - compared HERE
Garden of Evil is on Blu-ray compared HERE
Titles
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The
Gunfighter (1950):
A simple story
with a unique angle - this is the first
western to confront the issue of the aging
gunslinger - his reputation dogging his
attempts at a settled lifestyle. Gregory
Peck is Johnny Ringo - reputed to be faster
on the draw than Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid
and Hikcock - and every cowboy looking to
make his mark is foolishly prepared to test
his mettle - to see how far he can be
pushed. Then are those that mark Ringo as
the killer of their son, or brother and they
seek revenge. Helen Westcott plays the
abandoned wife, a school marm with Johnny's
son in tow. He is ready to return to her but
circumstance and his blooded history prove
his greatest hurdle. You can forget your
past... but it won't forget you. This easily
ranks as one the most enjoyable westerns I've ever
seen.
Excerpt from TimeOut Film Guide located HERE .
Henrik Sylow |
out
of
Posters
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Theatrical Releases: Various from 1950-54
DVD Review: 20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC
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CLICK to order from:
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| Distribution | 20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC | |
| Time: | Respectively - 1:24:27 + 1:26:30 + 1:40:03 | |
| Bitrate:
The Gunfighter |
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Bitrate:
Rawhide |
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Bitrate:
Garden of Evil |
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| Audio |
English (mono and Stereo), Spanish and French mono DUB options on The Gunfighter English (mono and Stereo) on Rawhide English (Dolby Digital 4.0), Spanish and French mono DUB options on Garden of Evil |
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| Subtitles | English, Spanish, None (French is also an option on Rawhide) | |
| Features |
Release Information: 2.44:1 (box incorrectly states 2.55) for Garden of Evil
Edition Details:
On The Gunfighter
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Featurette - Arthur Miller: Painting with Light
On Rawhide
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Featurette - Susan Hayward: Hollywood's
Straight Shooter
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Interactive pressbook
On Garden of Evil
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Commentary by Nick Redman, John Morgan, Steven
Smith and William Stromberg
• Featurette:
Henry Hathaway: When the Going Gets Tough
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Restoration Comparison
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Interactive pressbook
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| Comments: |
Blu-rays of Rawhide (HERE) and Garden of Evil (HERE) are compared to the DVDs. NOTE: Although the 3 main features of this boxset are housed in individual slim keep cases (see images above and below) they are not sold separately at this time and can only be obtained in Fox's Western Classics Collection. Technical specifications of the discs: Surprisingly two of the discs are single-layered (Garden of Evil is dual-layered)... and region 1 coded in the NTSC standard, progressive and anamorphic (for Garden of Evil) in the cinemascope 2.44:1 ratio (not 2.55 as advertised on the box).
NOTE: The Gunfighter is on Blu-ray - compared HERE
Rawhide is on Blu-ray - compared HERE
Garden of Evil is on Blu-ray compared HERE Image: Where applicable we have compared below screen captures with the region 2 - PAL counterparts and in both cases (The Gunfighter - PAL reviewed HERE and Garden of Evil PAL covered HERE) these new Fox editions prove superior on all fronts. Frankly, these transfers look pretty amazingly good considering the discs are single layered (is my software reading these right?) and they contain fairly vast supplements tacked on. There are no glaring flaws - detail and contrast is very good (Rawhide perhaps a notch above The Gunfighter) - all are very clean, colors on Garden of Evil are somewhat muted and dull. They are all very watchable, and I'd say the screen grabs below can give you the best idea of the image quality. I am not disappointed in the least. Audio - is a bit of a mix-an-match with English (mono and Stereo), Spanish and French mono DUB options on The Gunfighter, English (mono and Stereo) on Rawhide - with no DUB options and an English 4.0 track with Spanish and French mono DUB options on Garden of Evil. I noted no flaws - dropouts or undue hiss - very clean and clear with optional subtitles on all three (see samples below). Extras - I'm not going to slice and dice these extras too much as I would strongly recommend this boxset, even without their inclusion. Each disc has a restoration split-screen sample (I've never seen too much variation in these and prefer our own method of comparison), trailers, galleries and two shortish featurettes. On The Gunfighter we have Arthur Miller: Painting with Light and The Western Grows Up. On Rawhide a decent one on Hayward - Susan Hayward: Hollywood's Straight Shooter and another on shooting westerns in Lone Pine. On Garden of Evil, the best supplements is an interesting commentary track by Nick Redman, John Morgan, Steven Smith and William Stromberg plus the isolated score (fdor those who care to indulge in Bernard Herrmann's bombastic symphony grinds. The two featurette are Travels of a Gunslinger - The Making of Garden of Evil and a better one on the director - Henry Hathaway: When the Going Gets Tough. To be honest none of the extra features are fabulous but their addition is appreciated and some valuable information is eventually imparted as you wade through them. Overall impression: What's not to enjoy and is this price for real? It amounts to less than $5 a DVD-film and they look solid - have decent relevant extras and are wonderful westerns - The Gunfighter being one of my all-time favorites. No one can be disappointed at this price point -For genre fans it's a no-brainer. Buy Buy BUY! |
DVD Menus
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Extras:
| Featurettes - Painting with Light, The Western Grows Up, Susan Hayward: Hollywood's Straight Shooter, Shoot it in Lone Pine, Travels of a Gunslinger - The Making of Garden of Evil and Henry Hathaway: When the Going Gets Tough, plus restoration comparisons, galleries etc. |
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Individual Keep Case Cover
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Screen Captures
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(20th Century Fox - Region 2,4 - PAL TOP vs. Fox - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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Individual Keep Case Cover
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Screen Captures
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(Optimum Classics (Western Classics) - Region 2 - PAL TOP vs. Fox - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Optimum Classics (Western Classics) - Region 2 - PAL TOP vs. Fox - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Optimum Classics (Western Classics) - Region 2 - PAL TOP vs. Fox - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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| DVD Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from:
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| Distribution | 20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC | |
Recommended Reading for Western Genre Fans (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
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The Crowded Prairie: American National Identity in
the Hollywood Western (Cinema and Society) by Michael Coyne |
The Invention of the Western Film : A Cultural
History of the Genre's First Half Century (Genres in American Cinema S.) by Scott Simmon |
The Searchers (Bfi Film Classics) by Edward Buscombe |
The Western Genre by John Saunders |
Westerns: Films through History (AFI
Film Readers) by Janet Walker |
The Encyclopedia of Westerns (The Facts on File
Film Reference Library) by Herb Fagen, Tom Selleck |
Gunfighter Nation: The Myth of the Frontier in
Twentieth-Century America by Richard Slotkin |
The Western (Inside Film) by David Lusted |
Red River (Bfi Film Classics) by Suzanne Liandrat-Guigues |
Check out more in "The Library"
CLICK PayPal logo to donate!
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Gary Tooze
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Thank You!
