The Blue Knight (1973)

[Akijama]

The Blue Knight Blu-ray

Bumper Morgan, The "Blu" Knight will be starting his shift...soon!

[stardragon9]

Awesome news! now if they could also release the George Kennedy tv series to go with it.

[Akijama]

THE BLUE KNIGHT (1973)
NEW 2018 1080p HD Master!
Run Time 188:00
Subtitles English SDH
Sound Quality DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English
Aspect Ratio ORIGINAL ASPECT RATIO - 1.33:1, 4 X 3 STANDARD
Product Color COLOR
Disc Configuration BD 50

Oscar®-winner* William Holden made his first major TV appearance in decades with this landmark adaptation of Joseph Wambaugh’s depiction of life on the LAPD beat. Nominated for five Emmys® and winning three (including an acting award for Holden), The Blue Knight pioneered “novels for television” and told the story of LA cop Bumper Morgan (Holden) and his final week before retirement. The years have taken their toll on Bumper, both within and without, but this tarnished chevalier of the streets is still dedicated to protecting the public that he mistrusts from the criminal elements in its midst. There are just a few things Bumper needs to get done before collecting his pension and getting married to college instructor Cassie Walters (Lee Remick), chief among them solving a vicious murder. Holden toplines a terrific ensemble cast that includes Joe Santos, Sam Elliott, Anne Archer and Eileen Brennan.

[Boggle]

My dad is gonna be so stoked. He always asks me if this is on dvd yet. Totally random. I don't think he's seen it since it first aired.

[gates70]

I'll blind buy this

[Mose Harper]

Originally Posted by gates70

I'll blind buy this

Bill Holden, Lee Remick, Anne Archer, and Sam Elliott in an early 70's Joesph Wambaugh cop story?

Yeah, this will be an enthusiastic blind buy here.

Never even aware of it before, but it's immediately near the top of my want list for next year now.

[RCRochester]

Never heard of it before but it looks cool... how does this compare to The New Centurions?

[Deciazulado]

The Blue Knight Blu-ray

[bipbop13]

I've heard of the 95 min version. Did they tear it apart for a VHS release at some point? It says Lorimar at the beginning.

[HonestJohn]

Originally Posted by stardragon9

Awesome news! now if they could also release the George Kennedy tv series to go with it.

Yes, he's the only Bumper Morgan I've ever known. Didn't know there was a theatrical release. Another one for the list ...

[Gacivory]

2016?

[ogodei]

Just got an email from Amazon cancelling my pre-order

Anyone know what's up?

[Deciazulado]

pre-order active again

The Blue Knight Blu-ray

[ogodei]

Ordered, again. That was fun.

[trevanian]

Originally Posted by RCRochester

Never heard of it before but it looks cool... how does this compare to The New Centurions?

I think CENTURIONS is a little shaky as a film, but would still give it 2.75 or 3 stars out of four. I think BLUE KNIGHT's a slightly better book (I love pretty much all early Wambaugh), but this blu-ray is a blind buy for me. A friend in high school raved about Holden in this, saying his nightstick work was phenomenal, so I've had a hankering to see this for over four decades now.

It got delivered last night, and I watched the first hour and was very impressed (though surprised.) L.A. is so smoggy in this you'd think it was SOYLENT GREEN, it almost seems like another planet in the early going. Holden is very very good in the role, even though he isn't physically like Bumper, who has got a lot more weight on him. Robert Butler directed, and even though he has a few amazingly bad turkeys on his credit list like the John Beck TIME MACHINE and STRANGE NEW WORLD, this is the Butler who did the HILL STREET BLUES, REMINGTON STEELE and original STAR TREK and BATMAN pilots, a guy who is totally on top of his game.

In fact, based on this hour, I'd say you can see him going for everything that he was able to bring to the HILL ST pilot, the rough camera and bruising action.

Possibly interesting side-note: around the time he shot HILL ST, Butler was approached about doing WRATH OF KHAN by producer Harve Bennett. He told Bennett up-front that he wanted to do it the way he had wanted to do the original pilot, where he had been overridden by Roddenberry, with a ship that was more patched together and crew wearing uniforms that had coffee stains ... essentially the used-universe look that STAR WARS and ALIEN had adopted successfully. Bennett wasn't about to go that route so it didn't happen, but in some alternate universe (one in which I'm probably a showrunner instead of being a part-time journalist), I like to think Butler got to make his version of STAR TREK II, which probably would have been FIREFLY-esque.

[moviebuff75]

Is this in four parts or two?

[Richard--W]

Two 93 minute (approximately) episodes.
How many episodes did Holden do?
It doesn't so much come to end as taper off.

Robert Butler shoots this like a feature film, gritty and real and authentic, low-key
with minimal artifice. It's essentially a docudrama. Holden inhabits his role with a
tactile sensibility. His performance is a behavioral study of a cop. He IS Bumper.

An outstanding police procedural / crime film on every level. Superb transfer.
THE BLUE KNIGHT has my enthusiastic recommendation.

[the one who knocks]

Interesting quote about the theatrical version here, thought some might be interested:

"The theatrical version will not merely be a trimmed-down version of the four television hours," explained Walter Coblenz, who is producing the film for Lorimar Productions, the company that makes "The Waltons." "Many of the scenes are shot two ways. The theater version is a bit rougher, both in action and in language. There's one sequence where Holden walks into a burlesque house. The theater version will show seminudity on the stage. Naturally that won't appear in the television film."

[erlinmeyer]

No subtitles and Audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 for those looking to buy. Database changes are still pending.

[Jar Jar Stinks]

Looking for a short review. This looks interesting.