We have a double dose of new DVDs for you this week, mostly thanks to the John Wayne Centennial celebration!
The John Wayne Film Collection - Six-disc set includes several formerly out-of-print titles: Allegheny Uprising (1939), Reunion in France (1942), Without Reservations (1946), Tycoon (1947), Big Jim McLain (1952), and Trouble Along the Way (1946).
Rio Bravo (Ultimate Collector's Edition) (1959) - Howard Hawks' western epic stars John Wayne as a sheriff whose town is under siege by the army of gunmen brought in by crooked cattle baron John Russell to free his brother, trigger-happy Claude Akins, from Wayne's jail. The Duke's only allies are elderly sidekick Walter Brennan, drunken ex-deputy Dean Martin, and fiery young gunslinger Ricky Nelson. Angie Dickinson, Ward Bond also star. 141 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Korean, Portuguese, French; audio commentary; featurettes; theatrical trailers. Collector's edition includes reproductions of a comic book, a press book and lobby cards. Two-disc set.
True Grit (Special Collector's Edition) (1969) - In one of his best-loved movies, John Wayne took home his only Oscar for his portrayal of boozing, one-eyed former U.S. marshal Rooster Cogburn. Hired by a young girl (Kim Darby) to find her father's killer, the Duke finds himself saddled with unwanted help when she insists on coming along and a would-be bounty hunter (Glen Campbell) joins them in their search. Jeremy Slate, Robert Duvall, Strother Martin, Dennis Hopper also star in this touching, thrill-packed western. 127 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; theatrical trailer.
Unconquered (1947) - On the American frontier of the mid-1700s, Virginia militia leader Gary Cooper has his hands full defending Fort Pitt from marauding Indians (led by chief Boris Karloff and supplied with guns by villainous trader Howard da Silva) while also romancing pretty colonist Paulette Goddard in this thrilling costume saga from Cecil B. DeMille. 146 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French.
So Proudly We Hail! (1943) - A trio of Army nurses (Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard, Veronica Lake) is followed from Pearl Harbor to Bataan and the Pacific Front in this unusual, moving WWII flagwaver that mixes action and pathos with comedy and romance. George Reeves, Walter Abel and Sonny Tufts (in his film debut) also star. 126 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French; theatrical trailer.
Ball Of Fire (1941) - "Snow White" meets the Jazz Age when bookish professor Gary Cooper, part of a team of encyclopedia researchers, hires brassy showgirl Barbara Stanwyck to assist in an article on slang, only to find romance and a jealous gangster waiting in the wings. Madcap romp from director Howard Hawks and co-scripter Billy Wilder also stars Dana Andrews, Richard Haydn, S.Z. Sakall. 111 min.
Broken Arrow (1950) - Director Delmer Daves ("3:10 to Yuma") deftly handles this sprawling western drama that takes a sympathetic stance towards the plight of the Indians. Peace-seeking frontiersman James Stewart enlists the aid of Cochise (Jeff Chandler) in striking an accord between the Apache and settlers. 93 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital stereo, Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono, Spanish Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish; newsreel footage; theatrical trailer; photo gallery.
Hell And High Water (1954) - A shadowy cabal hires a former sub commander (Richard Widmark) to investigate a reputed Communist scheme to trigger World War III. Widmark recruits a crack team of associates to travel with him to islands north of Japan, where he's been told a Red Chinese base is being constructed. Samuel Fuller ("Pickup on South Street") directs this muscular blend of spectacle and Cold War intrigue; Gene Evans, David Wayne also star. 103 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 4.0, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish; featurette; photo gallery; theatrical trailer.
All previous new DVD reviews
