John Wayne on Blu-ray

[glennstl]

Watched Fort Apache last night and enjoyed it quite a lot. I thought it made it kind of interesting casting Shirley Temple... I still think of her as a little kid even all these decades later. I also always enjoy Henry Fonda, so that was a bonus having him co-star with Wayne. I don’t think Fort Apache is a classic, but it was a solid film.

I’m watching The Searchers right now. Wow! Now I know why this is considered one of the greatest films of all time. The story is epic and Wayne’s character is hardcore. I’m also a huge fan of extras on Blu’s and The Searchers is loaded with extras that I need to dig into. The picture quality and colors are also beautiful. John Ford really was a genius shooting his Westerns.

I got The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance today. I love Jimmy Stewart, so this is probably going to be my next Wayne movie coming up. That and The Quiet Man.

[ltb2.0]

Originally Posted by glennstl

Watched Fort Apache last night and enjoyed it quite a lot. I thought it made it kind of interesting casting Shirley Temple... I still think of her as a little kid even all these decades later. I also always enjoy Henry Fonda, so that was a bonus having him co-star with Wayne. I don’t think Fort Apache is a classic, but it was a solid film.

I’m watching The Searchers right now. Wow! Now I know why this is considered one of the greatest films of all time. The story is epic and Wayne’s character is hardcore. I’m also a huge fan of extras on Blu’s and The Searchers is loaded with extras that I need to dig into. The picture quality and colors are also beautiful. John Ford really was a genius shooting his Westerns.

I got The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance today. I love Jimmy Stewart, so this is probably going to be my next Wayne movie coming up. That and The Quiet Man.

Fort Apache was an interesting film that dealt with myth and legend in terms of history and it effected everything from that moment forward. I think you'll find Liberty Valance to be an interesting companion piece dealing with facts and legends from a slightly different angle.

Fort Apache is not one of my favorite Ford/Wayne cavalry pictures, that honor goes to She Wore a Yellow Ribbon which looks stunning on Blu-Ray.

The Searchers is a fantastic movie that showed John Wayne was capable of being more than the straight forward hero that everyone thought of him as. He could play a darkly heroic figure just as well as he could an all-American good guy,

[glennstl]

Watched The Quiet Man tonight. I watched the Olive Signature Edition. I enjoyed it quite a lot. It’s deifnitely a different role from Wayne’s traditional western roles. So, that alone made it great to watch. The Olive Blu Edition looks really great and has some nice extras. I also enjoy the chemistry between Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. Overall, a very good film.

On next to The Man Who Killed Liberty Valance!

[glennstl]

I think I may need some help Up until a week and a half ago I didn’t enjoy most Westerns and also had never really seen a John Wayne film.

In the past week I have now bought or received for Christmas presents the following Wayne movies:

The Longest Day
The Searchers
Fort Apache
The Comancheros
Rio Bravo
Stagecoach
Red River
Hondo
McLintock
The Cowboys
El Dorado
True Grit
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
The Quiet Man
The Man Who Killed Liberty Valance
Rio Lobo / Big Jake ( Double Feature)

So, 17 in about a week and a half. Not too shabby if I do say so. It’s definitely a little more money than I initially intended on spending, but I’m glad I have because it’s introduced me to mostly outstanding movies and a new genre.

I might get Rio Grande.

Am I missing any Wayne on Blu that would also be really recommended? In particular I’m wondering about any of the many Wayne Olive Blu releases. Thanks!

[stardragon9]

I would also recommend looking into these two movies:
The War Wagon
North to Alaska

Both were made in the 1960s when Wayne decided to poke fun at his serious cowboy image. I would highly recommend getting Rio Grande to finish off the trilogy of Civil War movies he and John Ford made together. It is a good movie in its own right.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by glennstl

I think I may need some help Up until a week and a half ago I didn’t enjoy most Westerns and also had never really seen a John Wayne film.

In the past week I have now bought or received for Christmas presents the following Wayne movies:

The Longest Day
The Searchers
Fort Apache
The Comancheros
Rio Bravo
Stagecoach
Red River
Hondo
McLintock
The Cowboys
El Dorado
True Grit
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
The Quiet Man
The Man Who Killed Liberty Valance
Rio Lobo / Big Jake ( Double Feature)

So, 17 in about a week and a half. Not too shabby if I do say so. It’s definitely a little more money than I initially intended on spending, but I’m glad I have because it’s introduced me to mostly outstanding movies and a new genre.

I might get Rio Grande.

Am I missing any Wayne on Blu that would also be really recommended? In particular I’m wondering about any of the many Wayne Olive Blu releases. Thanks!

Most of the Olive westerns are poverty row quickies. I’ve seen a couple and honestly can’t remember which ones they were because they were so generic and unmemorable. I would suggest you watch Sands of Iwo Jima though, which is a war film for which he earned his first Oscar nomination.

There’s also a Fox box set which includes Longest Day and Comancheros, which you already have, but also five other titles which present a good range of films including the Horse Soldiers, the historically significant Big Trail, and Barbarian and the Geisha which is directed by John Huston and is a good dramatic change of pace for Wayne.

And I mentioned it earlier in the thread but the Train Robbers is a personal favourite of mine, directed by Burt Kennedy who is known for his smart comedic approach, which you might find to be a fun watch.

[Clambake]

North To Alaska and Hatari! are my two favorites so Id recommend those.

If you like 70s Cop movies, Brannigan and McQ are awesome.

Out of the ones you have
Red River is one of the best Westerns ever, IMHO. Same with Rio Bravo.
The Comancheros is great, Lee Marvin shows up and gives a memorable performance.
McLintock is entertaining.

Others you might check out- The Undefeated, Hellfighters, and The Fighting Kentuckian.

[Rzzzz]

I will throw in with the others about Hatari ! Most people I know who have seen it, love it. It's a real shame that Donavan's Reef and The Sons of Katie Elder aren't on blu yet. I think you would love them. They are "fun" John Wayne movies in the vein of McLintock and The Quiet Man. If you are interested in early film, you should definitely check out The Big Trail like the other poster suggested. The scale of the production alone will blow you away. It is also cool seeing a very young John Wayne carry a big budget (for the day) epic on his shoulders and doing a great job of it, IMO.

Welcome to the world of the John Wayne fan ! Its a fun place to be.....

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by stardragon9

I would also recommend looking into these two movies:
The War Wagon
North to Alaska

Another huge shout-out to The War Wagon, which is a deliriously fun heist/western hybrid boasting combined electrifying star wattage from Wayne and Kirk. Love the Ed Ames/Dimitri Tiomkin opening theme.

[rocknblues81]

Originally Posted by glennstl

I think I may need some help Up until a week and a half ago I didn’t enjoy most Westerns and also had never really seen a John Wayne film.

In the past week I have now bought or received for Christmas presents the following Wayne movies:

The Longest Day
The Searchers
Fort Apache
The Comancheros
Rio Bravo
Stagecoach
Red River
Hondo
McLintock
The Cowboys
El Dorado
True Grit
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
The Quiet Man
The Man Who Killed Liberty Valance
Rio Lobo / Big Jake ( Double Feature)

So, 17 in about a week and a half. Not too shabby if I do say so. It’s definitely a little more money than I initially intended on spending, but I’m glad I have because it’s introduced me to mostly outstanding movies and a new genre.

I might get Rio Grande.

Am I missing any Wayne on Blu that would also be really recommended? In



particular I’m wondering about any of the many Wayne Olive Blu releases. Thanks!

Is this how you rank the movies at this time? I don’t think I could rank Valance that low

[Michael24]

Hatari! is my favorite John Wayne movie, due to being the first one I ever saw. My grandparents had it on VHS back in the '80s (it had to be spread over two tapes due to the length). We watched it one time when I was spending the night, and I absolutely loved it. Great cast, incredible wildlife footage and just a whole lot of fun. Unfortunately, the Blu-ray is really bad. I've had to hang onto my DVD. The film definitely needs a remastering but being a Paramount title I'm not expecting one anytime soon, if ever.

[october27]

The Big Trail is a favorite of mine, it's his first starring role and easily in my top 5 John Wayne movies.

[Michael24]

I hadn't heard of The Big Trail until recently when I happened to read that it was one of the earliest films to experiment with widescreen. And it's interesting how they did it, too, shooting takes first in widescreen and then again in full screen, resulting in subtle differences throughout both versions of the film. I'm really curious to check it out now.

[RCRochester]

Actually one movie I really love that I neglected to mention earlier is How The West Was Won. Wayne only has a small part but the all-star cast is amazing and the film itself is truly epic. Watch it in the smilebox setting which does a fantastic job of recreating the wraparound effect of the three camera Cinerama format.

[ltb2.0]

Originally Posted by glennstl

I think I may need some help Up until a week and a half ago I didn’t enjoy most Westerns and also had never really seen a John Wayne film.

In the past week I have now bought or received for Christmas presents the following Wayne movies:

The Longest Day
The Searchers
Fort Apache
The Comancheros
Rio Bravo
Stagecoach
Red River
Hondo
McLintock
The Cowboys
El Dorado
True Grit
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
The Quiet Man
The Man Who Killed Liberty Valance
Rio Lobo / Big Jake ( Double Feature)

So, 17 in about a week and a half. Not too shabby if I do say so. It’s definitely a little more money than I initially intended on spending, but I’m glad I have because it’s introduced me to mostly outstanding movies and a new genre.

I might get Rio Grande.

Am I missing any Wayne on Blu that would also be really recommended? In particular I’m wondering about any of the many Wayne Olive Blu releases. Thanks!

Big Trail is a fascinating movie that features an early widescreen process and you get see Duke in his most formative stage. Due to it also being an early talkie the studio required Duke to be trained by a stage actor on how to properly enunciate words. He mostly rejected it, but there are a few scenes were he's trying to do what he was taught.

Most of the Olive ones are quickie oaters and show Duke in training. So unless you are wanting to see absolutely everything, I would avoid most of those.

But the 8 did as part of the Three Mesquiteers series are fun.

Pals of the Saddle
Overland Stage Raiders
Santa Fe Stampede
Red River Range
Night Riders
Three Texas Steers
Wyoming Outlaw
New Frontier/Frontier Horizon.

Dark Command is notable as the 3rd teaming of John Wayne and his leading lady from Stagecoach, Claire Trevor. And is the only teaming between John Wayne and Roy Rogers.

Flying Tigers is a good one to check out if you enjoy war movies. It's a pretty graphic movie for its time.

I also enjoyed War of the Wildcats which features John Wayne as an oilman trying to do right by the people whose land he's drilling on, which puts him at odds with his boss. It has the always delightful Gabby Hayes as the sidekick and always entertaining Albert Dekker as the bad guy, with frequent Duke costar, Paul Fix as his lackey.

Angel and the Badman while slower at times is the first time John Wayne was in control of one of his pictures. The result is a memorable movie that features the hauntingly beautiful Gail Russell. And features Duke's personal screen hero Harry Carey in a supporting role.

Sands of Iwo Jima is a WWII picture that netted John Wayne his first Academy Award nomination and is a solid picture as well.

Rio Grande is the third picture in what is called Ford's Cavalry Trilogy and features the first teaming between John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. Has music by Sons of the Pioneers. Has great interplay between John Wayne, Claude Jarman as his son and Maureen O'Hara.

Horse Soldiers is the final Cavalry movie teaming between John Ford and John Wayne. And while a lesser effort that is, perhaps, rightfully forgotten is worth a a viewing if you enjoyed the previous Cavalry pics

The War Wagon is another of John Wayne's 60's bundles of fun that doesn't let up from the moment it begins till the second it ends. Has Kirk Douglas as the Co-lead and features fun performances all around. Especially from Keenan Wynn as a mean old man.

Below are some personal favorites, but necessarily his greatest movies.

[Show spoiler]Train Robbers is fun too, not essential but it's a fun movie with a nice twist.

Cahill US. Marshal is another all time fave with a fantastically villainous George Kennedy.

And I can't let any list go without mentioning Brannigan which is basically Duke in Jolly olde Engalnd chasing down John Vernon who's on the lam.

Despite all the flack it gets, The Green Berets is a another favorite of mine that has a lot of replay factor. It's notable for being pro Vietnam war and heavily supporting the troops in an era when that wasn't cool. Mike Henry has an awesome, far too brief, fight sequence in the movie that is an early forshadowing of the soon to come martial arts superstars. Chuck Norris supposedly had a hand in the choreography.

A personal favorite of mine is Legend of the Lost which is movie that has John Wayne as a guide leading a naive Rossano Brazzi across the desert so he can restore his father's honor. Sophia Loren goes along for the ride and the movie essentially becomes a 3 character study.

[Rzzzz]

Originally Posted by ltb2.0

Horse Soldiers is the final Cavalry movie teaming between John Ford and John Wayne. And while a lesser effort that is, perhaps, rightfully forgotten is worth a a viewing if you enjoyed the previous Cavalry pics

Horse Soldiers is a sad story. It could have been one of the greats. Wayne was preoccupied with The Alamo to begin with and then a friend and frequent collaborator of Wayne and Fords, stuntman Fred Kennedy, broke his neck in a "wire pull" horse fall and died during a scene. Ford was devastated and completely lost interest in the film and just wanted it to be over. The big budget, epic battle scene that was supposed to happen at the end was reduced to John Wayne riding across a bridge, saying goodbye to the girl and blowing up the bridge. It's really sad because the true story it's based on is pretty incredible and the film really doesn't do them justice.....

http://dukefanclub.weebly.com/stunt-men--women

[glennstl]

Originally Posted by rocknblues81

Is this how you rank the movies at this time? I don’t think I could rank Valance that low

No, sorry I didn’t make that clearer. I literally just had my stack of Wayne movies on my shelf in no particular order, and I was just typing the titles as I saw them

[ltb2.0]

Originally Posted by Rzzzz

Horse Soldiers is a sad story. It could have been one of the greats. Wayne was preoccupied with The Alamo to begin with and then a friend and frequent collaborator of Wayne and Fords, stuntman Fred Kennedy, broke his neck in a "wire pull" horse fall and died during a scene. Ford was devastated and completely lost interest in the film and just wanted it to be over. The big budget, epic battle scene that was supposed to happen at the end was reduced to John Wayne riding across a bridge, saying goodbye to the girl and blowing up the bridge. It's really sad because the true story it's based on is pretty incredible and the film really doesn't do them justice.....

http://dukefanclub.weebly.com/stunt-men--women

Yeah, it has a tragic story... made even worse by the fact that Fred Kennedy was hard up for money at the time and asked Ford for the chance to do the stunt to make some extra cash.

It's a movie of much potential but sadly real life intruded.

[glennstl]

Just watched The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. It was a great film! I loved seeing Wayne and Jimmy Stewart together. Lee Marvin was also terrific as Valance. He portrayed him perfectly as the villain you love to hate. The picture quality to me looked amazing. The only bummer was no extras whatsoever. I wonder why they didn’t put a Making Of doc on this one? Or at least an audio commentary.

[glennstl]

BTW: I just want to thank everyone who has been suggesting various Wayne movies to give a try. I really appreciate the personal stories and descriptions that many have added. I mean, I can read the Blu reviews on this site... but it’s also great to have members here giving their opinions and recommendations. So, thanks very much!