ADDITION: Signal One - Region 'B' - Blu-ray March 17'': There is a pattern forming in that the Kino is a shade brighter than the Signal One which has a higher bitrate and seems to export the grain much better. While I find it both noticeable and, most likely, more theatrically accurate - both images - framing etc. are the same and look pretty sweet in 1080P. Both are single-layered but I give a nudge ahead to the Signal One visuals although many may not 'rate' the difference as a significant factor in watching the film in HD.

Like the Kino - Signal One go uncompressed with a linear PCM track but theirs is 24-bit as opposed to the US transfer's 16-bit. It makes a differences in depth - marginally notable in the gunfire effects. The original score by Sol Kaplan (1953's Titanic, Niagara, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold) rises to the occasion sounding very strong with its military-esque theme. Signal One add optional English (SDH) subtitles on their region 'B'-locked Blu-ray disc.

Signal One add both the featurettes found on the other both the Fox DVD and Kino Blu-ray: the 7-minute Susan Hayward: Hollywood's Straight Shooter and the piece on Shoot it in the Lone Pine! - they add a poster & stills gallery plus a trailer. But Signal One continue to vault further ahead in another category with the inclusion of an excellent audio commentary with Western writer and cinema expert and Henry Hathaway enthusiast C. Courtney Joyner.

Signal One are superior in every way - video, audio and supplements. I rate the commentary as a significant improvement but it's satisfying to know this excellent western is getting the premium treatment in terms of audio/video presentation. Fabulous film and Signal One are the best, definitive, Blu-ray package available. Must-own!

***

ADDITION: Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray July 16': We had already reviewed the excellent Fox Western Classics DVD Boxset from 2008 HERE with Rawhide (1951) The Gunfighter (1950), Garden of Evil (1954) This new Kino Lorber 1080P has almost 4 X the bitrate of the DVD transfer, is single-layered but the visuals benefit in the usual areas - a shade more information in the frame, superior contrast, visible textures etc.. There is some minor depth to the black and white image.

Audio goes lossless with a linear PCM track. Gunfire effects don't seem to have a ton of punch. There are no subtitle options offered on Kino's region 'A'-locked Blu-ray disc.

Supplements include the same 7-minute Featurette - Susan Hayward: Hollywood's Straight Shooter and 13-minute one entitled Shoot it in Lone Pine plus the same 2007 Restoration Comparison and Kino include trailers for Rawhide, Yellow Sky, The Ox-Bow Incident, and Man of the West.

Rawhide has become one of my favorite westerns - I loved every minute of it. Hathaway really knew how to export a tale - this has grim, start moments of death and excellent performances from Hayward, Power, Hugh Marlowe and the supporting cast. This Blu-ray absolutely recommended to fans of the stars and the genre.

***

ON THE DVD: 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).

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!    

Gary W. Tooze