Ride the High Country Blu-ray

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka 'Guns in the Afternoon ')

Directed by Sam Peckinpah
USA 1962

A much-loved revisionist Western, director Peckinpah's second feature film proved to be a bittersweet swan song for the Old West and a classy farewell to the screen for actors Scott and--for some years--McCrea. Set at the turn of the century, the film opens in the town of Hornitos, which is in the midst of a celebration. Down the crowded main street rides Steve Judd (McCrea), an aging former lawman who has seen better days. He mistakenly thinks the cheers of the crowd are for him, but is abruptly reminded of the changing times when a car nearly runs him over. Steve has been hired to escort a gold shipment from the mining town of Coarse Gold back to a bank in Hornitos, but the banker is taken aback by his age. (An especially good scene has Steve reading over his contract in the bathroom so the banker can't see that he needs spectacles.) The old lawman is finally given the job, and he sets out to hire help for the trip. He runs into Gil Westrum (Scott), a fellow former lawman who has survived by dressing up as the dandified "Oregon Kid," selling out his former heroic image. Steve hires Gil and his young sidekick Heck Longtree (Starr), but Gil plans to steal the gold at the first opportunity.

In RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY, director Peckinpah began what was to be an obsession with men who have lived past their era in history and find it difficult to adapt to changing times (THE WILD BUNCH; THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE; and PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID all share this theme). His two protagonists, in some ways mirror images of each other, are wracked with guilt for sometimes failing to live up to the standards they have set for themselves. What separates them, though, from the scoundrels they invariably encounter is a personal code of honor they both try to uphold.

Excerpt from TV Guide located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: June 20th, 1962

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Comparison:

Warner - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Warner Archive - Region FREE - Blu-ray

1) Warner - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT

2) Warner Archive - Region FREE - Blu-ray - RIGHT

Box Cover

Included with Sam Peckinpah's Legendary Westerns Collection (The Wild Bunch / Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid / Ride the High Country / The Ballad of Cable Hogue)

Distribution	Warner Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC	Warner Archive Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:33:36	1:33:48.664
Video	2.31:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 8.61 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	2.40:1 Disc Size: 32,930,490,255 bytes Feature Size: 29,180,147,712 bytes Total Bitrate: 34.97 Mbps Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Bitrate: Blu-ray
Audio	English (Mono), DUB: French (Mono)	DTS-HD Master Audio English 2060 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2060 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: DTS-HD Master Audio English 2058 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2058 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles	English, Spanish, French, None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Warner Home Video Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 2.31:1 Edition Details: • Commentary by Peckinpah documentarians Nick Redman, Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons and David Weddle • New documentary: A Justified Life: Sam Peckinpah and the Hogue Country • Peckinpah trailer gallery DVD Release Date: January 10th, 2006 Keep Case Chapters: 23	Release Information: Studio: Warner Archive 2.40:1 Disc Size: 32,930,490,255 bytes Feature Size: 29,180,147,712 bytes Total Bitrate: 34.97 Mbps Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC Edition Details: • Commentary by Peckinpah documentarians Nick Redman, Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons and David Weddle • New documentary: A Justified Life: Sam Peckinpah and the Hogue Country (23:06) • Trailer (2:43) Blu-ray Release Date: April 4th, 2017 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters: 23

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Warner Archive - Region FREE - Blu-ray April 17': One of my favorite of the western genre - and the new 1080P, on dual-layered disc with max'ed out bitrate - looks fabulous. The drab greens of the hazier SD are replaced by a blue-leaning image that is brighter, richer and remarkably crisper. Mariette Hartley's character Elsa Knudsen is now visible in the low level lighting and her blue eyes sparkle. There is depth and the Inyo National Forest and Malibu Creek State Park scenery is beautiful in HD. The 2:40:1 aspect ratio visuals lose a shade of information on the bottom of the frame, gaining a tinge on the left edge. Overall I am very pleased - it looks far better than I anticipated.

The score by George Bassman, and the gun and horse effects benefit greatly from Warner's DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel at 2060 kbps (24-bit) audio transfer. It really breatehs life into the film's sound. There are only optional English subtitles (capitalized, large font) and the Blu-ray disc is region FREE, playable worldwide.

No new extras but Warner include the excellent commentary by Peckinpah documentarians Nick Redman, Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons and David Weddle, plus they have the A Justified Life: Sam Peckinpah and the Hogue Country documentary although they keep at at SD, not bumping it to full 1.78 screen. A silly choice. There is also a trailer.

Must own entry in the genre and even more so that the Blu-ray looks and sounds this good. A very strong recommendation!

***

ON THE DVD: Firstly this is an important western - the directors first notable one and a no-brainer addition to the Sam Peckinpah's Legendary Westerns Collection package. The image quality is good but not perfect. A slim black border edges the frame but being progressive and anamorphic the detail is a vast improvement over old VHS and laserdiscs that I have seen in the past. Colors look very good and sharpness is present.

The mono audio sounded fine to me. I wasn't over-the-moon about the commentary - it seemed a little lifeless. The featurette features Fern Lea Peter, Peckinpah's younger sister and it is enjoyable and interesting especially for fans of the director. I am very high on this whole Legendary Westerns package and strongly recommend you buy the entire boxset (for savings) as opposed to only this title individually.

Gary W. Tooze

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Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray