The Big Trail (Two-Disc Special Edition) | Ward Bond, El Brendel

The Big Trail (Two-Disc Special Edition) | Ward Bond, El Brendel | THE BIG TRAIL is astounding.

DVDs:

The Big Trail (Two...

	The Big Trail (Two-Disc Special Edition) Ward Bond, El Brendel 20th Century Fox, 2008 average customer review:based on 47 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

the NEW (2008) widescreen edition is finally here!!!

This is an epic movie for so many reasons....not the least of which is that it is the first major starring vehicle for John Wayne and he is very good and startlingly young and handsome to boot. Legendary director Raoul Walsh made an asbsolute spectacular film and THIS edition is the first release of the 70mm WIDESCREEN version!!! I won't go into the story or the history...there are very servicable featurettes on the DISC that give great detail and help the enjoyment of the picture. The second disc contains the lesser 1:33 version. The restoration is pretty darned good for a 1930 movie and I couldn't be MORE pleased to finally have this "important" movie in this format and aspect ratio!

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THE BIG TRAIL is astounding.

The new disc of the widescreen version of THE BIG TRAIL is the surprise of the season.This only applies when one can see it on a big screen. I projected mine on a screen 6 ft. by 12 ft. for the full Grandeur effect. It is remarkable that this film was a box office failure because there is so much to recomend it. See it on a BIG SCREEN and you will know what I mean. John Wayne does very well. But my respect for director Raoul Wlash shot up 40 degrees after viewing this film. He did an amazing job.

WIDE SCREEN VERSION IS STUNNING!

"The Big Trail" was William Fox's attempt to outdo Paramount's 1923 epic "The Covered Wagon". That James Cruze directed film brought Westerns back into popularity and made a fortune for the studio. William Fox now had the addition of sound (his Movietone sound-on-film system would become the standard, beating out Warner Bros. Vitaphone sound-on-disc system) and a newly developed 70mm wide screen system that was dubbed Grandeur. Spending $2 million dollars!-- he let director Raoul Walsh shoot on locations all around the west. Looking at this film today, the sound is thin and the dialouge weak, but the images and staging in the wide screen format are stunning! When 20th Century Fox re-introduced wide screen movies in 1953 with their CinemaScope process, they ushered in a format that changed the shape of movie screens from then on. Many directors were at a loss as to skillful use the wider screen, but when you look at the framing of almost every shot in "The Big Trail", you find compositions that are perfection. You could actually turn off the sound and just watch the images of this film and be well rewarded! If "The Covered Wagon" was famous for gathering large numbers of wagons and people to recreate the westward movement, then "The Big Trail" outdoes it in every respect. While the original 35mm version impresses, it is the Grandeur wide screen edition that overwhelms. The Featurettes on this disc are excellent and Richard Schickel's commentary track is interesting. I would actually say that "The Big Trail" is one of the finest wide screen cinematography achievements of all-time. Thanks Fox for making the Grandeur version available to study.

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Other reviews refer to earlier edition (?)

Please note - I believe that the other reviews refer to an earlier dvd, and that this one includes the widescreen version.

Very Good Movie

When you watch this movie you will be surprised to see how much is done.
Everything was done by hand. No computer models or fill ins. All the equipment & people used are amazing. Watching John Wayne you can see bits of the future John Wayne. The story line is good & it's such a joy to watch. So sit back & watch a 1930 movie.

reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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