Look at what’s coming out from Down Under — Blu-rays of two excellent Westerns that have never received the attention they deserve.
Gunfight At Dodge City (1959) is a very good 50s Western, quite underrated I think, with a lack of pretense that wins you over immediately. As it represents the world’s only Joel McCrea Blu-ray, I consider this disc something of a must.
Colin tipped me off to this, and I’m not sure if it’s on the way or already available. But since the standard DVD boasts a nice transfer that handles the CinemaScope and Deluxe color quite well, I have high hopes for it in high-definition.
But wait, there’s more! Hour Of The Gun (1967) has to be one of the most ignored great films ever. While John Sturges’ reputation is growing among film buffs — it’s way overdue — this picture remains sadly overlooked.
As Wyatt Earp, James Garner delivers what has to be his finest work in a feature film. You’ll never look at him the same way again. Jason Robards is excellent as Doc Holliday, and Robert Ryan is terrific as Ike Clanton. A bitter, cynical film, Hour Of The Gun provides a stark contrast to Sturges’ own Gunfight At The O.K. Corral (1957). This gets my vote as one of the best Westerns of the 60s.
I can confirm Colin’s advice that both “The Gunfight at Dodge City” and “Hour of the Gun” were released on blu-ray in Australia on November 30, 2011 – Region B only. The current price of the discs are between AUD 20 to AUD 25 plus p &p. Unfortunately I cannot comment on the quality of the picture or sound as I have not seen either disc.
Regards
Rod Croft
BTW, The King and Four Queens also seems to be available.
http://www.ezydvd.com.au/blu-ray/king-and-four-queens-the-blu-ray/dp/821279
Things of beauty, assuming they didn’t DNR them to death.
Went looking for these during my lunch break (in the middle of Sydney) and couldn’t find them in stock anywhere. Be interesting to see how they look, although I wouldn’t be getting my hopes too high. Shock (the distributor) aren’t known for their commitment to quality.
If you track these down, please let us know how they look.
Will do. They’ve also released a couple of Euro-Westerns on Blu-ray: “Barquero” (Lee Van Cleef and Warren Oates), “The Hills Run Red” (Henry Silva and Dan Duryea, directed by a man by the name of Lee W. Beaver), “Man of the East” (Terence “Yes, I was in ‘The Leopard’”, Hill) and “Navajo Joe” (Burt Reynolds – this one’s also coming out in Germany).
Not long after I buy the UK DVD of BARQUERO, of course.
You can order all three of them here:
http://www.ezydvd.com.au/blu-ray/gunfight-at-dodge-city-blu-ray/dp/6107564
11 $ Shipping for two Blu Rays.