The Rare Breed - James Stewart

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

(aka "Rancho Bravo" or "Rancho River")

directed by Andrew V. McLaglen
USA 1965

From Andrew V. McLaglen, the acclaimed director of Shenandoah, The Way West, The Devil’s Brigade, Chisum, Ffolkes and The Wild Geese, comes this epic western based on America’s acquisition of English Hereford cattle (which would phase out Texas longhorns). In the 1880s, Englishwoman Martha Price (Maureen O’Hara, The Quiet Man, Lisbon) and her daughter Hilary (Juliet Mills, Avanti!) come to America to sell their prize Hereford bull at an auction. When he is purchased by Bowen, a wild Scotsman (Brian Keith, Something Big), the women hire a footloose cowhand named Burnett (James Stewart, Bend of the River, Night Passage) to help them transport the animal to its new owner. So begins an adventure that tests the mettle of all involved as they battle killers, stampedes and each other. But when they reach Bowen’s ranch, even greater obstacles force them to summon up extraordinary courage, if they, and the prize bull, are to survive. This wonderful frontier comedy co-stars western legends Ben Johnson (The Wild Bunch), Jack Elam (Support Your Local Gunfighter) and Harry Carey Jr. (Man of the East).

***

Born into the Ford/Wayne axis as the son of Victor, McLaglen was steeped in Western lore from an early age, and graduated through teleseries like Gunsmoke and Have Gun - Will Travel to a string of features hymning the old generic simplicities in their twilight. His features with Wayne tended to be as reactionary as the Duke himself (a predilection subsequently confirmed in work like The Wild Geese), but this effort about O'Hara's attempts to cross a Hereford bull with Texas longhorn stock is innocuously banal. And the human supporting cast just about make it worthwhile.

Excerpt from TimeOut Film Guide located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: February 2nd, 1966 (Fort Worth, Texas)

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

Comparison:

Universal (Westerns Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Universal (James Stewart - The Western Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover			Bonus Captures: coming to Blu-ray in the UK from Signal One Entertainment in March 2021:
Distribution	Universal (Westerns Collection) Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC	Universal (Stewart Western Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:36:39	1:36:39	1:37:03.817
Video	2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.56 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.56 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 32,665,362,990 bytes Feature: 30,415,724,544 bytes Video Bitrate: 37.92 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Original:
Bitrate: Stewart Boxset
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0)	English (Dolby Digital 2.0)	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1554 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1554 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles	English (CC), Spanish, French, None	English (CC), Spanish, French, None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Universal (Westerns Collection) Home Video Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Edition Details: • Theatrical trailer (2:11) DVD Release Date: May 6th, 2003 Keep Case Chapters: 20	Release Information: Studio: Universal (Westerns Collection) Home Video Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Edition Details: • Theatrical trailer - 2:11 set contains - Destry Rides Again / Winchester 73 / Bend of the River / The Far Country / Night Passage / The Rare Breed DVD Release Date: May 20th, 2008 Slim transparent Case (6 inside box) Chapters: 20	Release Information: Studio: Kino 2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 32,665,362,990 bytes Feature: 30,415,724,544 bytes Video Bitrate: 37.92 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Critic and Author Simon Abrams • Theatrical Trailer (2:12 - SD) Blu-ray Release Date: March 10th, 2020 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 9

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (February 2020): Kino have transferred the Jimmy Stewart western The Rare Breed to Blu-ray. It looks very impressive with vibrant colors (warmer skin tones - like the DVD there is a touch of green hue), frequent depth and crisp detail. There are also some fine film textures. It is notably brighter than the DVDs. The 1080P video image is fabulous in-motion on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate.

NOTE: 42 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in, lossless, PNG format) are available for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE.

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track (16-bit) in the original English language. It is another advancement in the film's western audio effects (horses, a train and gunfire) and score by John Williams (The Missouri Breaks, War Horse, The Fury, Images, Sleepers, The Cowboys, Conrack, 1979's Dracula) sounding deeper heightening emotion. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray has a new commentary by Simon Abrams who talks about The Rare Breed's off screen baggage, tension between O'Hara and Stewart. he reads from O'Hara's biography referencing Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, the score by composer John Williams (credit as Johnny Williams) and Stewart's public image, historical aspects of Hereford and Longhorn cattle etc. It's excellent with some very interesting details - not so much on this specific production although he does quote a lot from books - occasionally awkwardly. There is also an SD trailer and trailers for other films.

The Rare Breed has some positives but is by no means a masterpiece as you would find of the Mann/Stewart variety. Strong performances and gorgeous landscapes - the story has some weak moments and is certainly not of the macho-western variety with a less than engaging storyline. Still very much worth a viewing for both Stewart fans and western aficionados. It's a very impressive Blu-ray a/v with an informative commentary. Recommendation to those keen on the genre.

Gary Tooze

ON THE DVDs: ADDITION: James Stewart - The Western Collection contains Destry Rides Again / Winchester 73 / Bend of the River / The Far Country / Night Passage and The Rare Breed. These two Rare Breed editions are exactly the same - same 2003-dated VOB files. The only difference is that the cover is now a transparent slimcase with black and white art.

I'd 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!

ON THE ORIGINAL RELEASE:

Magnificent, clean image - un-manipulated with original colors. Possibly the best of the Universal Western Collection. Progressive, anamorphic, original 2.35 aspect ratio - original audio and excellent subtitles. What we are missing are some extras. The original trailer has become common place for an addition here, but more is always hoped for. Again, the price is right and the image is worth every penny. out of

Gary W. Tooze

Universal - Region 1 - NTSC

Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray