The Far Country

[Flapper]

Indeed, it's a real thing, and plagued a lot of Warnercolor opticals from the 50s:

https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?a=2&x=69 ... 1&i=5&go=1

Notice the difference?

Unfortunately, I've seen the same effect get erroneously lumped together with the halos in Criterion's "Days of Heaven" - an obvious deviation from the source, of an old sharpened/edge-enhanced master.

'Geoff D' has done an excellent job at differentiating the two here.

[Rayon Vert]

can’t imagine why anyone would want Universal’s much-loathed 2:1 if you can get the 1.85 instead, but whatevs

Why is the 2:1 loathed?

And which version should I watch? A response in 15 minutes would be appreciated because that's when I'm going to start!

[shaky]

1.85 for sure

[hearthesilence]

I just got this, and the PQ sure fluctuates a lot. The opticals look like ass (or more accurately, like bad dupes), but when it cuts to a clean shot it's a major improvement. If this is the OCN (and I doubt they'd lie about that), I have to say they generally did the best they could with it because the color isn't bad and the grain looks more than fine. I've definitely seen 4K scans of 35mm look better than this, but only if the image capture has the potential to be better. If the physical aspects of the film itself look good (not the image capture, just the texture inherent in the medium), it suggests that we're pretty close to the ceiling. I guess the opticals could look "better" but not in a way that can ever be considered "good" - it does look like edge enhancement in a lot of spots, but I'll take Flapper's word that it's Mackie lines.

More importantly, great film. There's maybe one Stewart/Mann Western that I haven't seen (I have to check), but pretty much every single one I have is more or less a masterpiece. Either The Naked Spur or Winchester '73 (when are they getting a BD???) would probably be the best of them in my book - tough to compare when I saw them years apart, but who cares, I'd love to see them again on something better than a DVD or TV broadcast.

[nitin]

Naked Spur apparently needs an expensive-ish restoration (by Warner). Winchester 73 has been restored by Universal and is with Criterion.

Bend of the River is probably the weakest of the Mann/Stewart western collabs but still has a lot to like IMHO.

[Maltic]

Last time I pondered the question, I reached the conclusion that The Man From Laramie is the weakest, although it has two of the most striking pictorial representations of all that post-war Stewart-suffering:

Spoiler

When he's dragged through the bonfire and shot in the hand, respectively.

Anyway, one is as good as the other, as with the Ranown cycle.

[hearthesilence]

MoMA has a program of Universal Westerns that begins this weekend, and this film was the opener. Most of the program is screening DCP's, as was the case here. I'm guessing it's the same digital master - if it isn't, it looks really close to it. Whether this is an accurate reflection of a film that's always going to look kind of chunky and mushy, I couldn't say - I know it's screened in 35mm around NYC before NBC Universal did this restoration, but I never caught those.

(Regardless, it's a very good film, but I want to say it's the least of the five Westerns that Stewart made with Mann.)

[LastMinit]

I want to say it's the least of the five Westerns that Stewart made with Mann.

I would say it is the richest in atmosphere, and thus my pick of the bunch.

[rapta]

Loved this one more than I'd had expected, but surprised no UK label has yet released Bend of the River here. Would've been catnip for Arrow Academy and MoC, once upon a time.

[Drucker]

It just got a 4k restoration, and perhaps the UK labels were aware it was being worked on. Hopefully Arrow ends up releasing the new edition, given their other Manns.

[nitin]

Arrow has not released a Universal title in years though