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

ADDITION: Kino - Region 'A'- Blu-ray - February 2020: Short story: Kino raises the bar another notch with a dual-layered, more technically robust, 1080OP transfer that looks nothing short of spectacular. The substantially boosted bitrate has done wonders here with one of the best image quality HD presentations that I've seen this year.  

NOTE: 14 more high resolution Blu-ray captures (in, lossless, PNG format) are available for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE.

The audio is the same - as good as my ears can detect - a DTS-HD Master still in 16-bit. Advancing the film's western themes is the score by the iconic Dimitri Tiomkin (High Noon,  Angel Face, Strangers on a  Train, The Men, Dial M For Murder, The Thing From Another World etc. etc.) with Follow the River and You Can't Get Far Without a Railroad performed by James Stewart on the accordion (DUB'ed by Carl Fortuna). There are fully optional English subtitles - and the Kino Blu-ray disc is  'Region A'-locked.

Supplements include a new Toby Roan (author of A Million Feet Of Film: The Making Of One-Eyed Jacks) commentary where he discusses how Anthony Mann was supposed to direct, but there was a parting of the waves between Stewart and Mann who never worked together (or spoke) ever again. Roan surmises why. It's filled with his vast knowledge of the cast, crew and details of the production. There is also an SD trailer and other western trailers.

The Kino Blu-ray, easily wins with the superior and very impressive video and commentary (plus the optional English subtitles). Not Anthony Mann - but a pretty darn good western - definitely well above average. Genre fans should buy with confidence! 

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ADDITION: Elephant Films - Region FREE- Blu-ray - March 17': This comparison is a prime example of what we used to accept as a 'good image'. The DVD, beside the new Elephant Films Blu-ray, is green, hazy, dark and cropped on the top and side edges. Wow, this single-layered transfer looks excellent. There are beautiful colors, tight lines and plenty of depth - the 2.35:1 scope looks tremendous.

Only a pittance of extras and only in French but the film presentation has improved dramatically in HD making this very desirable for fans of Stewart and the genre. Strongly recommended!

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ON THE DVD: I don't own the original DVD (still available HERE) that was released in 2003, but I can tell you that this edition, in the James Stewart - The Western Collection which containing Destry Rides Again / Winchester 73 / Bend of the River / The Far Country / Night Passage and The Rare Breed is an exact duplicate. It has the same dated VOB files. So the only difference would be the slim transparent keep case and black/white art.

This DVD looks remarkably strong considering it is single-layered. Colors are a little washed but detail is there and the transfer is very consistent. It looks pretty darn good 'pardner'.

I'm VERY high on this James Stewart - The Western Collection - we've reviewed/compared all titles now (links in paragraph above). For these six western gems the price amounts to $5 a piece which is really a ridiculous deal. Strongly recommended!  

Gary W. Tooze