Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: Warner

Video: Warner Home Video

 

Disc:

Region: FREE! (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 2:15:51.184

Disc Size: 35,538,137,230 bytes

Feature Size: 29,246,097,408 bytes

Video Bitrate: 21.96 Mbps

Chapters: 35

Case: Standard Blu-ray case

Release date: June 7th, 2011

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 3590 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3590 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio French 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio German 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio Italian 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB
* Dolby Digital Audio Japanese 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB

 

Subtitles:

English (SDH), Danish, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish, none

 

Extras:

• Commentary by Richard Schickel

• Clint Eastwood's West (29:02 in 1080P)

• Hell Hath No Fury: The Making of The Outlaw Josey Wales (30:29 in 480i)

• Eastwood in Action (7:55 in 480i)

• Theatrical Trailer (2:16 in 480i)

 

Bitrate:

 

 

Description: As The Outlaw Josey Wales, five-time Academy Award winner* Clint Eastwood is ideally cast as a hard-hitting, fast-drawing loner, recalling his “Man with No Name” from his European Westerns. But unlike that other mythic outlaw, Josey Wales has a name – and a heart. After avenging his family’s brutal murder, Wales is on the lam, pursued by a pack of killers. He travels alone, but a ragtag group of outcasts (including Sondra Locke and Chief Dan George) is drawn to him – and Wales can’t leave his motley surrogate family unprotected. Eastwood’s skills behind and in front of the camera connected with audiences for its humor and tenderness as well as its hair-trigger action.

 

 

The Film:

A remarkable film which sets out as a revenge Western: Eastwood sees his family massacred and joins the Confederate guerillas; after the Civil War, he is hunted by Union soldiers while he pursues his family's slayer and a friend apparently turned traitor. But slowly the film changes direction, until through a series of comic interludes it becomes the story of a man who (re)discovers his role as family man, as he befriends Indians and various strays and leads them to a paradise of sorts where they can forget their individual pasts. If that seems like a rewrite of Hawks' Red River, visually The Outlaw Josey Wales is closest to Anthony Mann in its breathtaking survey of American landscapes (and seasons). Most importantly, after a period of directorial uncertainty, the film demonstrated Eastwood's ability to recreate his first starring role, as the mythic Man with No Name of the Italian Westerns, and to subtly undercut it through comedy and mockery.

Excerpt from TimeOut London located HERE

Clint Eastwood's fifth directorial effort, The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), appeared in the bicentennial year of 1976 when a heavy rotation of Westerns made a return to the movie theaters. Breakheart Pass, The Missouri Breaks, Buffalo Bill and the Indians and The Shootist were a few of the other Westerns that appeared alongside Eastwood's film, his second Western as director, after High Plains Drifter in 1973. What makes The Outlaw Josey Wales different from those other fine films is the distinction of bridging two distinct eras, that of the classic Western - pictures by John Ford, Howard Hawks, Anthony Mann, et al - and those of the New Hollywood that tolerated personal visions shot outside the structure of the studio system. While Eastwood wasn't the first of the new generation of filmmakers to make quality Westerns, he was among the first to use classically-held motifs of the Western - the lone hero who must stand apart from the civilization that he protects - and turn them on their head, but without entirely subverting them (such as Robert Altman does in 1971's McCabe & Mrs. Miller). Nor did he inject a new tone or approach that did not feel authentic for a Western milieu, such as the contemporary humor in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). In his book Directed by Clint Eastwood: Eighteen Films Analyzed, author Lawrence Knapp writes of Eastwood's style of Western: "Like (John) Ford's melancholy and wistful Westerns, Eastwood's films question the codes that constitute American cinema and society without degenerating into impassioned, dogmatic critiques of the system or human nature."

Excerpt from TCM located HERE

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

The Outlaw Josey Wales appears impressively vibrant and thick on Blu-ray from Warner. The outdoor cinematography gives some pause with its overwhelming scope impact. The image shows even grain and loses a notch in terms of detail showing a bit of softness. However, I doubt this is the fault of the dual-layered transfer with a bitrate over 20 Mbps.  At times I considered labeling the appearance of some characters as 'waxy' - indicating digital manipulation - but I don't believe that this is the case. It look more like the production style. Colors are the standout with blues, greens and yellows making themselves prominent in the 2.39:1 frame. Daylight scenes are dominant and the natural lighting is impressive for the contrast. There is some darkness but noise was not an issue in my viewing.  I'd have to say that this Blu-ray does its job extremely well - replicating the epic feel of a theatrical presentation.

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

Warner supply a powerful DTS-HD Master 5.1 track at 3590 kbps. The range is not as big an issue as the depth which comes through with notable bass. The score is by journeyman composer Jerry Fielding (Straw Dogs). When utilized it sounds impressive but never ventures to overtake the onscreen activity where effect noises and aggression punch through your speakers. There are many optional subtitle choices as well as foreign language stereo and mono DUBs and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

 

Extras :

The supplements have some new features beyond the last DVD with an excellent Richard Schickel commentary referencing Clint's iconic body of westerns and many keen production details - plus there is a new 1/2 documentary entitled Clint Eastwood’s West, featuring Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Oliver Stone, and James Mangold. More supplements include, from the past DVD, the 1/2 hour Hell Hath No Fury: The Making of The Outlaw Josey Wales, 8-minute featurette 'Eastwood in Action' and a theatrical trailer - the latter 3 in 480i. The commentary is golden and shouldn't be missed by Eastwood's fan-base.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Saying this is one of Clint's best westerns pushes it into iconic territory - but, I think, it is deserved of that placement. This is filled with so many great lines like "I guess we all died a little in that damn war..." and "Dyin' ain't much of a livin', boy.". This is infinitely superior to its SD counterpart and a must-have for western fans to own on Blu-ray. The Schickel commentary alone if worth the price. Strongly recommended! 

Gary Tooze

June 2nd, 2011

 

Coming to 4K UHD in May 2025: