ADDITION: Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray June 17': The new Kino 1080P of The Indian Fighter looks in advance of the modest SD visuals. It still has a tendency to look dull and greenish - especially in weakly lit outdoor sequences which dominate the film, but I suppose we can presume it is the best existing source. The transfer has a supportive bitrate but seems to do the job - and probably will never look crisp, glossy or exceptionally tight. It seems a function of the original production and this Blu-ray presentation is superior to SD - notably towering above the poor 'Western Legends Collection' DVD from 2003.

Kino use their standard DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel at 1554 kbps (16-bit) which supports the films effects, horses, hooting Sioux and the Franz Waxman (Dark Passage, Rebecca, Bride of Frankenstein, Rear Window, Sunset Boulevard) score that adds further to this adventurous western. There are optional English subtitles on their region 'A'-locked Blu-ray disc.

Kino add an excellent audio commentary by historian Toby Roan who runs the 50 Westerns From the 50's blog. His comments are informative and run deep into the minutia of the production, Douglas - his wife Diana, André De Toth and more. He appropriately pauses when we first see Italian model Elsa Martinelli as her character of Onahti (hubba, hubba) disrobes to go swimming. I think the commentary adds significant value - an appreciated addition. There is also an original theatrical trailer and 4 other trailers.

Not a perfect western but a good one - I especially enjoyed revisiting it in such an improved Blu-ray presentation. Fans of the genre, Kirk Douglas and 50's films should certainly consider owning it. The commentary adds value and the price seems another encouragement.

***

ON the DVDs: MGM in NTSC continue to present limited quality releases. One can only imagine the ridiculous excuse why their own PAL release is so much better, in every area that counts, over the sloppy NTSC edition that they have released less than 2 years prior. Probably the most telling capture comparison is the very last where sharpness, color detail, brightness and contrast go to the PAL release, and the NTSC offers bleeding colors as one of many distinguishing factors of its sloppiness. With abundant space left on their DVD (with the PAL filling in with the usual subtitles and DUBs) MGM have added a trailer in their NTSC edition. The PAL edition is by no means perfect - skin tones look a little red but overall there is a BIG image differences between these editions. Yeah, 'Western Legends Collection' my ass...

- Gary Tooze