Bend of the River
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Canada
Movie Reviews of Bend of the River
Movie Review: NOT "modified to fit your screen." DVD is OAR
Summary: 3 Stars
The movie is a solid 50s western--decent entertainment but not high art like, say, High Noon. It's true star is Mt. Hood, Oregon, shown sparkling in every other shot. Despite the disclaimer at the beginning of the DVD, this film was NOT "modified to fit your screen." It was shot in 1952, when most films were "full frame," and well before widescreen became standard. In fact the Technicolor process used here never made the transition to widescreen, and that's why the full-frame presentation is correct. (The same is true for Shane, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and the Wizard of Oz.) You'd think the studios would not insert the bogus disclaimer, since it's a dumb mistake that can cost them sales, but this error is actually pretty common on DVD packaging.
The DVD transfer is from a clean source that looks and sounds great. Unlike many later color films, the color is vivid and unfaded. Some scenes do show registration problems, but that's hard to avoid with Technicolor materials (fixing it is $$$$$).
Summary: a potboiler western with pretty pictures at a budget price.
Movie Review: The scenery is a drawing card
Summary: 3 Stars
While James Stewart, Julie Adams, and Rock Hudson form an outstanding cast for this movie, what sells the movie is the beautiful, very colorful scenery of Oregon,mainly along the basin of the Columbia River. The story line is basically simple: settlers buy meat and supplies, only for them to be illegally confiscated, and the wagon train leader (played by James Stewart) is, among others, determined to go and take what is theirs. Naturally,during that mission they meet with too many dangerous hurdles: paid outlaws try to kill them, they are betrayed by a "settler" (Arthur Kennedy) who wants to join them but is actually a greedy thief and killer, and they meet trouble through the mountains.
But the beautiful, breath-taking scenery is the drawing element that maintains my attention. Just that is worth the seeing of the movie. The mountains, the Columbia River, and the topography are very eye-catching. See the movie, for the action and, more than this, the colorfful scenery.
Movie Review: Great Movie, Poor DVD!!
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a great film but not a great dvd. I had a password issue at the start (which was fixed by just pressing stop on the player) and then the image quality ranged from really good to really poor throughout the film. For the price I paid I can't really complain but I will. As far as the image ratio goes, according to IMDB it was orginally shot in a 1.37:1 so at this format of 1.33:1 not alot is lost. Stewart didn't film a "widescreen" western until "The Man From Laramie" in 1957 if I am correct.Movie Review: Average James Stewart/Anthony Mann western
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a decent western but it doesn't pack any surprises.
There is lots of nice location scenery spoilt by all-too-obvious studio work - but I guess this was the 50's.
The best Mann/Stewart western by far is The Man from Laramie.
Movie Review: A colorful movie of the determination of a people.
Summary: 3 Stars
A colorful movie of the determination of a determine people to
leave their homes for a new part of the country. THis determination is typical of the move west in this country with
a good storyline to boot.