Red River (1948)

[Akijama]

Red River Blu-ray PRE-ORDER

New 4K digital restoration of the rarely presented original theatrical release version, the preferred cut of director Howard Hawks, with monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
2K restoration of the longer version of Red River
New interview with filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich about Red River and the two versions
New interview with critic Molly Haskell about Hawks and Red River
New interview with western scholar Lee Clark Mitchell about western genre literature
Audio excerpts of a 1972 conversation between Hawks and Bogdanovich
Excerpts from a 1970 audio interview with novelist and screenwriter Borden Chase
More!
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien and a 1991 interview with Hawks’s longtime editor Christian Nyby; a new paperback edition of Chase’s original novel, previously out of print

No matter what genre he worked in, Howard Hawks played by his own rules, and never was this more evident than in his first western, the rowdy and whip-smart Red River. In it, John Wayne found one of his greatest roles as an embittered, tyrannical Texas rancher whose tensions with his independent-minded adopted son, played by Montgomery Clift in a breakout performance, reach epic proportions during a cattle drive to Missouri, which is based on a real-life late nineteenth-century expedition. Yet Hawks is less interested in historical accuracy than in tweaking the codes of masculinity that propel the myths of the American West. The unerringly macho Wayne and the neurotic, boyish Clift make for an improbably perfect pair, held aloft by a quick-witted, multilayered screenplay and Hawks’s formidable direction.

[Show spoiler]It seems that Criterion May lineup has leaked on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Red-River-Blu-...ion+collection

Other May releases include:

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Like Someone in Love
Overlord
Ace in the Hole

[JackTwist]

Pre-ordered! Finally. I hope Peter Bogdanovich is on this. He would talk with me relentlessly about this film... and he also featured it in Last Picture Show.

[Duke_45]

to quote the famous yell that begins the drive....Yee-ha!!!!!!

[Chrysagon]

Red River! Yaaahoo!


'There are only two things more beautiful than a good gun: a Swiss watch or a woman from anywhere. Ever had a good... Swiss watch?"

"Plantin' and readin', plantin' and readin'. Fill a man full o' lead, stick him in the ground an' then read words on him. Why, when you've killed a man, why try to read the Lord in as a partner on the job?"

[#Darren]

Great! Next question... how will it hold up against the UK and French editions?

[rickah88]

Perhaps my favorite John Wayne film. I didn't even know this was on Criterion's radar.
I couldn't preorder this fast enough. I hope the order sticks, and Amazon doesn't go creating another order page, down the road.

[MikeyHitchFan]

Originally Posted by #Darren

Great! Next question... how will it hold up against the UK and French editions?

I have the French which has both cuts, the one with narration (Hawks's preferred cut) and the one with the story told by titles. The U.K. only has the latter. Since the Criterion is listed as having 4 discs, I'm guessing each cut will have it's own BD and DVD. The French BD looks very good to me, but I'll get the Criterion as it will have some good features, is Region A, and might look better.

[NoirFan]

Sigh...four discs, so another digipak that won't fit with the other titles on the shelf and will get tattered and battered over time, all because Criterion decided to introduce combo packs five years (!) after originally going Blu. Every Blu-ray with a second disc of material will be a digipak from here on out, I guess.

[EddieLarkin]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

Sigh...four discs, so another digipak that won't fit with the other titles on the shelf and will get tattered and battered over time, all because Criterion decided to introduce combo packs five years (!) after originally going Blu. Every Blu-ray with a second disc of material will be a digipak from here on out, I guess.

Second disc? Many of the single Blu-ray titles are digipaks now:

http://criterionforum.org/DVD-packag...ollection/1249
http://criterionforum.org/DVD-packag...ollection/1248
http://criterionforum.org/DVD-packag...ollection/1247
http://criterionforum.org/DVD-packag...ollection/1246
http://criterionforum.org/DVD-packag...ollection/1251

[NoirFan]

Wow. Why are they suddenly doing this with so many titles? Does it save them money or something? Other than scenarios where the booklet is too big to fit into a regular case, I just don't understand it.

[EddieLarkin]

Evidently, they don't like putting 3 discs in an Amaray. If the contents of the single Blu-ray require 2 DVDs rather than just 1, it'll be a digipak.

I personally quite like them, so I've no issue.

[RiFiFi1955]

Originally Posted by EddieLarkin

Second disc? Many of the single Blu-ray titles are digipaks now:

http://criterionforum.org/DVD-packag...ollection/1249
http://criterionforum.org/DVD-packag...ollection/1248
http://criterionforum.org/DVD-packag...ollection/1247
http://criterionforum.org/DVD-packag...ollection/1246
http://criterionforum.org/DVD-packag...ollection/1251

They look awesome. Yeah I love the digipacks too!

[oildude]

I am with NoirFan on this. When the digipacks were issued once in a while, it was fine. But since going dual format in November it has become the norm. I have grown to not care for them and much prefer the scanovo cases. MOC and BFI regularly put out dual formats in scanovo cases. I wonder if Criterion is getting much email on this? They seem to be hell bent on digipacks.

I pre-ordered Red River. Never seen it but I have read good things about it over the years. Howard Hawks is a top tier director who deserves more recognition from today's audiences.

[bluknight1]

FINALLY!!

[jw007]

Originally Posted by oildude

I am with NoirFan on this. When the digipacks were issued once in a while, it was fine. But since going dual format in November it has become the norm. I have grown to not care for them and much prefer the scanovo cases. MOC and BFI regularly put out dual formats in scanovo cases. I wonder if Criterion is getting much email on this? They seem to be hell bent on digipacks.

I pre-ordered Red River. Never seen it but I have read good things about it over the years. Howard Hawks is a top tier director who deserves more recognition from today's audiences.

The other thing to keep in mind is that these new digipacks will be prone to far more damage in shipping and handling, esp. when ordering online from Barnes & Noble. Customers will be receiving quite a lot of damaged digipacks thanks to B&N's horrendous shipping methods, so this means that to avoid receiving bent, frayed, pinched, corner-dented digipacks, going to the store to buy it in person will become more preferable.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

Wow. Why are they suddenly doing this with so many titles? Does it save them money or something? Other than scenarios where the booklet is too big to fit into a regular case, I just don't understand it.

http://www.criterion.com/current/pos...hy-dual-format

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

http://www.criterion.com/current/pos...hy-dual-format

Interesting article! 60/40 BD/dvd, I found quite interesting. How about that, Criterion likes packaging too! Arguably one of the top labels in the industry, prides itself on nice packaging. I'll have to remember that they next time "package haters" feel the need to vent.
Personally I much prefer the digipak over the plastic amaray case. So I'm quite happy about the change.

[BluPat]

Yay! Can't wait to get this! Montgomery Clift on Blu....

[BrianS]

Originally Posted by MikeyHitchFan

I have the French which has both cuts, the one with narration (Hawks's preferred cut) and the one with the story told by titles. The U.K. only has the latter. Since the Criterion is listed as having 4 discs, I'm guessing each cut will have it's own BD and DVD. The French BD looks very good to me, but I'll get the Criterion as it will have some good features, is Region A, and might look better.

Great!

[NoirFan]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

http://www.criterion.com/current/pos...hy-dual-format

Yeah, I know why they went dual-format, I'm just wondering why/if there wouldn't have been a way to fit four discs in their normal (wider to begin with!) BD cases?

“Will it take up more space on my shelf?” (Not if we can help it.)

But ultimately, yes, it will take up more space on my shelf, and will slowly deteriorate over and time, and, more pressingly and importantly, will likely arrive crushed to death from B & N and their horrible packaging during the sales in which people (at least on here) buy the majority of their Criterions. I'll drop it now though.