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| Special Features: |
Full-screen format
Chapter selection
Commentary by Western scholar Dick Eulain and William Wellman Jr.
A&E's Biography: "Henry Fonda: Hollywood's Quiet Hero"
Original trailer
Photo gallery
Restoration comparison |
| Video Format: |
Full Frame (1.33:1)
[SS-DL]
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| Languages: |
English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
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| Subtitles: |
English, Spanish.
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| Captions: |
Yes
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| Casing: |
1-Disc Keep Case
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"The Ox-Bow Incident" is a certifiable classic of the American cinema. The film was a critical success and a box-office failure during WWII. So was "It's a Wonderful Life." The film was rediscovered with the advent of TV, and the film's status as a classic has been proved in the years since its release.
Based on the novel by Walter Van Tilberg Clark, "The Ox-Bow Incident" is a chilling portrait of vigilante injustice. The film was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Henry Fonda and Harry Morgan play a couple of cowboys who ride into a small Nevada town to blow off some steam. While at the local saloon, the pair become embroiled in a life and death drama. A local cowboy comes in and says that a local rancher has been murdered and his herd of cows rustled.
A posse is formed and tracks a trio of men on a mountain trail. Dana Andrews leads the trio. He claims that he bought the stock and that the rancher was alive when he left. What follows is a taut debate between Henry Fonda and a few other rational people and the vengeful mob hell bent on lynching the trio of alleged cattle rustlers. This is a movie that should be seen by everyone. It is as powerful today as it was in 1943. The supporting cast includes Anthony Quinn, Jane Darwell, Marc Lawrence, Margaret Hamilton and Rondo Hatton.
Classic film. Outstanding picture and sound. Great extras.
Picture Quality: 10/10
The DVD includes a "Restoration" comparison. You see the four step process this film underwent. The picture is outstanding. Excellent detail and depth throughout the grayscale. No artifacts. That fact alone is amazing considering the age of the movie. No delineation problems or pixilation. A wonderful picture. The nighttime sequences are just plain great.
Sound Quality: 10/10
The DVD includes the original mono soundtrack and an enhanced stereo track. Both are good, but I prefer the stereo track. Mr. Fonda's wonderful voice comes across rich and full.
Easter Eggs:
None found.
Extra Features: 10/10
In addition to the aforementioned "Restoration Comparison," the DVD includes a still gallery and the original theatrical trailer.
The two big extras are the A&E Biography episode on Henry Fonda's life, and the commentary track. The A&E Biography is great. I enjoyed it even more having recently read Peter Fonda's biography "Don't Tell Dad." The biography episode paints a portrait of a gifted artist with a troubled home life. A man who in the end was able to be the father he wanted to be to his children.
The commentary track is great from both a historical and cinematic viewpoint. William Wellman Jr., the son of the film's director gives insight into his father's quest to get the movie made. Western historian Dick Eulain helps put the film into perspective in view of real events in our nation's past. The commentary track is informative and entertaining.
The Final Word:
FOX scores big again with this, the 13th release in their "Studio Classics Collection." This collection is a great place to start in building an in-depth film library.
Rusty White
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