Big Trail [Blu-ray]

Years Ahead Of Its Time: An Iconic Epic That Expounds "Manifest Destiny" And Other Template Themes Of Post Silent Westerns
This review is for "The Big Trail" (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
PLEASE NOTE THAT ONCE AGAIN AMAZON HAS LUMPED REVIEWS FOR ALL VERSIONS OF "THE BIG TRAIL," THUS DENIGRATING THIS DVD VERSION!!!

I am baffled as to why reviewers have given the restored 70mm (wide screen) version of "The Big Trail" anything but five stars. As other reviews have indicated, the film was made on the cusp of "talkie" movies and the innovation of William Fox's 70mm The Grandeur Process that would eventually lead to modern day wide screen format films in 1953--twenty-three years after "The Big Trail." As such, viewers need to keep in mind that the script, filming, and editing were all based, in various degrees, upon the silent film format of filming. Furthermore, this is not really what I would call a "western" by today's standards, although it clearly is the template for the genre. Nor is is it an action or drama film. Rather, "The Big Trail" is a silent movie "lag" that has seldom...

STUNNING 1930 70MM WIDESCREEN EPIC TRANSFORMS 22 YEAR OLD DUKE MORRISON INTO "JOHN WAYNE"
Finally a DVD transfer of the "Holy Grail" of early widescreen epics.

This 1930 film directed by Raoul Walsh was intended to make 22 year old Duke Morrison a star.

And indeed it did.

While John Wayne became a star, this striking ahead-of-its-time 70mm widescreen film was dismissed, forgotten and virtually lost. In the 1980s it was rediscovered and restored but previous DVD releases were only the alternate 4x3 format since most theaters at that time (early 30s) were unable to show a widescreen format properly. And most TVs were "square" as well.

Fox publicity says it accurately and simply: "In this sweeping pioneer adventure, a courageous young scout (Wayne) leads hundreds of settlers across treacherous cliffs, through brutal snowstorms, Indian attacks and buffalo stampedes to their destiny out West. Along the way, he loses his heart to a beautiful pioneer woman (Marguerite Churchill) and never stops trying to win her love. Tyrone Power...

the NEW (2008) widescreen edition is finally here!!!
This is an epic movie for so many reasons....not the least of which is that it is the first major starring vehicle for John Wayne and he is very good and startlingly young and handsome to boot. Legendary director Raoul Walsh made an asbsolute spectacular film and THIS edition is the first release of the 70mm WIDESCREEN version!!! I won't go into the story or the history...there are very servicable featurettes on the DISC that give great detail and help the enjoyment of the picture. The second disc contains the lesser 1:33 version. The restoration is pretty darned good for a 1930 movie and I couldn't be MORE pleased to finally have this "important" movie in this format and aspect ratio!

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Barbarian & The Geisha [Blu-ray]

There is more here, than meets the eye
I first saw this movie in 1958 just before going to Japan with the US Army. It made quite an impact on me and my expectations of the Japanese. The movie does successfully capture some of the Japanese spirit as I know it. John Wayne, though he has been panned in this role, I think, embodies what may have been an accurate portrayal of the typical well meaning American in a culture he could never understand. Years later, when I happened to be in Shimoda, where the film is set, I found a small Japanese Museum, that commorated the self-sacrifice of the Japanese woman, the lovely Okichi, to her community. It depicts the 'facts' of the movie in a totally differnt light.
This movie really deserves to be put on DVD !!

Japanese culture taught by The Duke
I teach secondary Culture and Japanese Language to about 160 students. This is one of the best researched and fun to watch stories about 19th century Japan. The Duke is Smooth in his role and the differences of Late Japanese Culture and Early American Culture are well described. My students were engrossed the whole movie, with well thought questions during the film and at the end. Definitely worth your time.

East and West Meet
John's Wayne's depiction of Townsend Harris is typical John Wayne. The greatness of this movie is the authenticty of Japanese and American cultural differences in the 1850's when Commador Perry opened Japan to the West. Japan's fear of invasion from the West stemmed from the 1600 Jesuit Missionaries and Western economic exploitation, most evident in the West's occupation of China. Japan was the first country to refuse the technological invention of the rifle, believing there was no honor in killing except in hand to hand combat. When the cannons on Perry's black ships necessitated opening of Japan's shores, internal opposition to trade with the West errupted. Townsend Harris, by exemplifying such virtues as self-sacrifice, courage and honesty, was successful in negotiating a treaty. The Japanese concept of "On" or obligation to family or lord is the backbone of this movie. Because the good of the nation is placed above the individual - the love Okichi...

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John Wayne Film Collection

YES!! Finally!!!!
The 10 films available in the collection are THE BIG TRAIL, RED RIVER, LEGEND OF THE LOST, THE BARBARIAN AND THE GEISHA (first time on DVD), THE HORSE SOLDIERS, THE ALAMO, NORTH TO ALASKA, THE COMANCHEROS, THE LONGEST DAY, and THE UNDEFEATED.I'm happy I own the Barbarian and the Geisha. I've been waiting for it to come to region 1 for a long time. Beware the box sets packaging may scratch the DVDs. I put mine in paper sleeves and all the DVDs still fit in the set.

Bad marketing and package design.
I am not going to review the films in this set, it has been done by many others (better than I could have done) under each film's title. This review is for the package design. Once again I bought a new set of dvds that had all the discs jammed into cardboard pockets that are not lined with anything to protect the data side and all discs had some sort of scratches or scuff marks. When will the STUDIO HEADS that control package design listen to their customers? Bought this set to get the Barbarian and the Geisha and it had more scratches than any of the others. Also there is no information on the box or inner sleeves to let the buyer know which films are widescreen or which films have any extra features. The only good thing with the package design is the 7 nice pictures on the cardboard pages of the disc sleeves. Amazon should have posted an image of what the inside packaging looks like, showing the discs in their pockets, to inform potential buyers. At present I am watching the...

The Films
The 10 films are: The Big Trail / Red River / Legend Of The Lost/ The Barbarian and the Geisha / The Horse Soldiers / The Alamo / North To Alaska / The Comancheros / The Longest Day / The Undefeated. Hopefully most are letterbox.

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