The Comancheros (50th Anniversary Edition)

First thing I usually say in my movie reviews is this- please review the DISC, FEATURES, or QUALITY, not the movie itself. That's not what the review section is for.So, for my review of this BLU-RAY...First, you simply cannot beat the price of this movie on Blu-Ray. It's unheard of. On top of paying just $7, you also get the disc in it's hard, cardboard-cover book case that is complete with Blu-Ray disc, booklet of interesting information about the movie and it's actors, and separate mini movie posters/art work from its release. I put the axe on several other John Wayne movies that I wanted to add to my collection, all because this was a deal not to miss. I urge all of you John Wayne fans to either by this for yourself and your collection, or by it as a gift for someone who is at least a Westerns fan.I'd also like to add what exactly Blu-Ray does for this and other older movies.Some people may think to themselves that it may be ridiculous to by such an old, black and white movie on a blu-Ray disc, or that anything more than a DVD is unnessessary. Well I can tell you that what it does is make your favorite classic (whether black and white OR color), into true High Definition clarity and sound! It truly does make a great deal of difference. When you watch this movie on TMC, you watch it with all the lines, unfocused picture, popping, and warped sound. The Blu-Ray disc simply removes all of that. I just purchased Sands of Iwo Jima on Blu-Ray, and was blown away with the picture. Of course it also helps to have a good quality flatscreen TV to enhance that.So for the same, if not less, price of a DVD, get yourself the Blu-Ray of this film.Enjoy!Thanks for reading! If you liked this review, you may like my other ones on various products helpful as well. Just click on my name, CodeRed, and give me a follow. Thanks again!

BluRay Stars in Widescreen Adventure Comedy . I should have written this when I first got the Bluray a year back, but watching it again the other night reminds me of how great it is to have the BluRay format. This film delivers Westerns scenery in spades and it is dazzling in its clarity. HiDef transfers for BluRay can be made two ways: quick and dirty it just gets the HiDef transfer through the film chain. Really great BluRay picture comes when they stop each frame in the telecine gate and individually scan it for hi definition, which is how it appears they did this disc. Just awesome quality. Love the movie, no question there, and really enjoy this disc time and again.

Wayne. Curtiz. Cinemascope. Stereophonic sound. What's not to like?The movie: This is a surprisingly good movie! An excellent example of a buddy film with warmth, humor and drama. All the actors are quite good and the direction assured. The story moves along a good pace with some good character development along the way. High production values. Some really beautiful cinematography (fabulous scenery) by William Clothier and a rousing Elmer Bernstein score (in between "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Great Escape") add to the enjoyment.The disc: Fox has handled this one with care and it shows. You wouldn't know this is a 50 year old film -- it simply looks great. The image is clean and sharp. The color looks great. The audio is spot on -- bear in mind the original was a four channel across the front release.The extras: Some really good extras including a couple made specifically for this release -- "The Duke at Fox" is exemplary and "The Comancheros and the Battle for the American Southwest" documentary is quite informative. Makes me want to read up on Southwest history. And the digibook presentation, with a couple poster repros, is a bonus!An outstanding presentation of a very enjoyable film! Fox is to be congratulated on this release. I hope they do a companion digibook release of "North to Alaska"! This is a keeper.

The Comancheros may not be a classic Western, but it's certainly one of John Wayne's most entertaining star vehicles and hides the scars of its troubled production well. Director Michael Curtiz was dying during the shoot, with the Duke standing in for him behind the camera uncredited on the days he was too ill to work, and for the most part the joins never show. It's impressively staged with the kind of lavish production values that the dying studio system could still bring to the screen, boasting the kind of old-school professionalism that pleased producers and cinemagoers alike and plays well to its stars' strengths. The Duke's straight-talking Texas Ranger who lives by his word makes a surprisingly good double-act with Stuart Whitman's cultured riverboat gambler on the run from a murder charge - and, for much of the first half of the film, Wayne - after killing a judge's son in a duel. Naturally the mismatched pair end up on the same side tracking down the Comancheros who are raiding and indiscriminately killing their way through the countryside, but thanks to some witty writing, good plotting and some especially good action sequences courtesy of Cliff Lyons there's a lot of fun to be had en route to its foregone conclusion happy ending.While the Western was already falling from favor when it came out in 1961, it's a surprisingly forward-looking style of action picture with its mixture of action, wit (be it the Duke mispronouncing French or the villain extolling his ugliness as a sign of character) and sadism for all the family. The buddy movie template may already have been in place but in many ways the plot is almost a blueprint for the subsequent Bond films, pre-title sequence and all, with our heroes going through a series of colourful adventures before infiltrating their way into the villain's fortress, uncovering his dastardly plot and then fighting their way out. Indeed, Nehemiah Persoff's wheelchair-bound mastermind could almost be Ernst Stavro Blofeld as he deals with lackeys who have transgressed the rules of his criminal society as if he were at a S.P.E.C.T.R.E. board meeting, with Ina Balin's sexually liberated femme fatale - introduced in a casino scene - the obligatory Bond villainess who changes sides after a roll in the hay (thankfully with Whitman, not Wayne). It even uses music in much the same way as the early Bond films, trotting out the exciting and expansive main theme not so much for the action scenes but to pep up some of the slower travelling sequences just as the Bond theme used to be used for checking in at airports or hotels. And what a score it is, one of Elmer Bernstein's very best for a Western, and one he obviously had great affection for too: when I saw the film on the big screen in a revival house, he was in the audience as a paying customer.There's a good supporting cast too - Lee Marvin as a half-scalped gunrunner with an attitude problem, Michael Ansara as the obligatory villain's henchman, Joan O'Brien as romantic interest for Wayne, Bruce Cabot and Patrick Wayne among the Texas Rangers and assorted thugs with ugly mugs like Jack Elam and Guinn `Big Boy' Williams (getting a good sendoff in his final film with a juicy cameo as the `real' Ed McBain) as well as finding room for the likes of Edgar Buchanan and Henry Daniell. It's an audience picture writ large, and half a century on it still works.While the old DVD release was extras-lite with an acceptable but not outstanding widescreen transfer, Fox's region-free Bluray is for the most part an excellent transfer, but there are some scenes where it's a shame they didn't use less noise reduction: while it never falls into the waxworks trap of too many over DNRed vintage titles, there's clearly been some work done to reduce the typical grain you'd get in lap dissolves and establishing matte shots every now and then that stick out like a sore thumb compared to the more natural detail elsewhere in the transfer. The 5.1 soundtrack option isn't quite as rich as it could be, particularly lacking bite in the main title sequence, but the alternate Dolby 4.0 track seems a much truer, clearer rendition and there's a surprisingly good selection of extras: a non-scene specific audio commentary by Whitman (who also provides a separate audio interview), Persoff, Michael Ansara and Patrick Wayne, an excellent featuette on the real Comancheros and the fall of the Comanche nation, a surprisingly good 40-minute documentary on the Duke's Fox films that doesn't skirt around some of the films' troubled productions or the star's falling out with studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck, original trailer, an onscreen recreation of the tie-in comicbook adaptation (which has a slightly different ending) and, for the initial copies at least, a very attractive hardcover book presentation (though someone hasn't been too careful with the picture selection, with a still of North to Alaska creeping in there!). About the only thing missing is the thankfully unused alternate title song released as a single that's to be found on FSM's limited edition CD even though the disc does include newsreel footage of Claude King and Tillman Franks receiving an award for it.

The Comancheros blu-ray is simply outstanding,the picture quality is truly excellent,audio too,and this digibook packaging is very classy.I seen this western when it first came to our local Cinema,it was my first viewing of John Wayne on the big screen,1960 or 61,I cant remember,and it has always been a sentimental favourite,I have the dvd,but nothing prepared me for the quality of this blu-ray transfer.The Comancheros Blu-ray is very,very nearly up alongside The Searchers for picture quality,and that,s high praise,it also has a couple of excellent documentary,s too,all in all The Comancheros Blu-ray is a MUST BUY for all Wayne/western fans,Highly HIGHLY Recommended.Davy Cairns,Scotland.ps,It is definitely region free,so will play on all UK players!!!!!

I first saw this movie back in the 70s on TV. It's a hugely enjoyable actioner carried along by John Wayne's star power and a rambunctious Elmer Bernstein score. But it's Lee Marvin who steals the show, as he often did.

Being of the generation that can actually remember going to the cinema to see this film, it is a pure joy to see it again in such stunning detail. The rendering is tack sharp and the colour is vibrant. Great film and wonderful to re-see a good old film!

Excellent western from John Wayne,if your a John Wayne you will know all about it ,if not why not ?This movie is a great example of what you get from him ,he rarely disappoints.

Great film

I won't review this excellent film as there are already good reviews here already I'll just reiterate to anyonewho is thinking of buying it, the blu-ray is excellent quality and all the extra's are on the disc just like the book edition, all that is missing is the book itself and the 2 posters. I've uploaded the cover as it is missing from this edition, I hope it helps anyone undecided.

This dvd is fine it isn't for me, it was a gift to my dad.

GRT WESTERN

Great John Wayne Film

John Wayne at his best, really, what more can I say. Good story ,good action film delivered on time ,fair price tells it all

very good

I am very happy with this item.

A classic to watch in the winter afternoon with popcorn

Blue-Ray is fine and a great price it works ok on my region 2 player. I just wish the UK would get more of the dukes films in blue-ray region 2.had a bit of trouble with delivery, hence only three stars.

great dvd.