criterionforum.org

I'll be getting the Ford/Wayne box set today. I really only need Searchers and Stagecoach but since I was also wavering on 3 Godfathers, I decided I may as well just get the box.

The other Ford box out today has films I'm not as familiar with. I'll have to sample them on TCM and such first I think.

Of the unreleased in R1, I'm hoping for Iron Horse one of these days, which IMO is a must-see.

mrn wrote:I'll be getting the Ford/Wayne box set today. I really only need Searchers and Stagecoach but since I was also wavering on 3 Godfathers, I decided I may as well just get the box.

The other Ford box out today has films I'm not as familiar with. I'll have to sample them on TCM and such first I think.

I think you've made the right decision to go for the Ford/Wayne boxset. As I've mentioned before, The Long Voyage Home is a fantastic movie -- even though it's not a typical role for Wayne. The cinematography is gorgeous, and the script is very intelligent and restrained for a war-time film.

I'll end up getting the other Ford box, too -- though I can understand why some people might hesitate. In my opinion, The Informer is the gem of that boxset -- more gorgeous cinematography, a story laced with Irish, Catholic, and generic Christian symbolism, and a fine set of performances. I also find The Lost Patrol to be an extremely enjoyable actioner, but I also find that later films that rip off the basic story (like the Bogie war film Sahara) are superior in terms of acting. TCM show most of those films pretty regularly, so you'll certainly get a chance to see them sooner or later.

HerrSchreck wrote:is the superior version of THE IRON HORSE available anywhere on DVD?

Haven't been able to find this and now the BFI region 2 seems unavailable - its no longer listed on their website at any rate. Don't know if they will release a better quality version. The BFI restored version was prepared by Photoplay productions for Channel Four Silents - with the demise of Film Four I can't see this being re-issued.

What price Glory still available tho' check out review here.

HerrSchreck wrote:is the superior version of THE IRON HORSE available anywhere on DVD?

Haven't been able to find this and now the BFI region 2 seems unavailable.

Stock here

NABOB OF NOWHERE wrote:Stock here

Get it while you can, as Amazon.co.uk price is up to £27.95! Despite not being the "definitive" version (missing footage and other problems), this remains an excellent edition with very crisp image. Recommended

NABOB OF NOWHERE wrote:

HerrSchreck wrote:is the superior version of THE IRON HORSE available anywhere on DVD?

Haven't been able to find this and now the BFI region 2 seems unavailable.

Stock here

You somehow mixed my question in with the beginning line of Kay Hoogs post. I can grab the bfi IRON HORSE when I want in fact I had it in my hand last wk. My inquiry was regarding any potential dvd editions in any region the uncompromised version with the superior takes, etc. Anyone?

Narshty wrote:That's what I wondered too. But what possible late Ford could they actually get hold of that's worth releasing? Perhaps they only decided it was only worthwhile covering his earlier career with this release?

Ford's The Fugitive hasn't been released on DVD format yet, and its lack of appearance on DVD leads me to believe it may be public domain (please correct me if I'm wrong)...I know reactions to that film are mixed, but there are those who believe it to be one of Ford's masterpieces.

It is a later Ford, in any case.

The Fugitive is an RKO title and is currently owned by Warners.

Derek Estes wrote:The Fugitive is an RKO title and is currently owned by Warners.

Whoops! I wonder why Warner didn't include this in their Ford collection. Disheartening.

What A Disgrace wrote:I wonder why Warner didn't include this in their Ford collection. Disheartening.

Perhaps they're saving it for an eventual Henry Fonda collection.

There is a French dvd of The Fugitive. Apparently the image quality is above Editions Montparnasse's usual standard.

matt wrote:

What A Disgrace wrote:I wonder why Warner didn't include this in their Ford collection. Disheartening.

Perhaps they're saving it for an eventual Henry Fonda collection.

That may be a possibility. Warner are reissuingMister Roberts in an Amray in September. But if they plan on putting together a Fonda collection by then (other than the existingSignature set, which repackaged already released titles), they'd have to announce it pretty soon.

BTW, Warner could easily release a second volume of John Ford films. They hold the rights to the following unreleased (in R1) titles:

Flesh (MGM, 1932)
The Plow and the Stars (RKO, 1936)
The Fugitive (RKO, 1947)
Wagon Master (RKO, 1950)
The Rising of the Moon (Warner, 1957)
Young Cassidy (MGM, 1965) -- finished by Jack Cardiff
7 Women (MGM, 1966)

Wagon Master and 7 Women were sadly missed in the recent Ford set, both films are Ford classics, and are nearly forgotten.

And I seriously love Flesh.

...One would think, due to Barton Fink, that a Wallace Beery wrestling picture would be dull. Far from it; Ford's film is a gripping, if simple melodrama.

I would love to see FLESH, same goes for PILGRIMAGE, along with many of Ford's earlier films that are hard to find. I'm debating as to getting the Will Rogers set just for STEAMBOAT. I wish FOX would have gathered all of the Ford/Rogers films in a box.

Derek Estes wrote:Wagon Master and 7 Women were sadly missed in the recent Ford set, both films are Ford classics, and are nearly forgotten.

I agree. Now that I've had a chance to go through the Ford collection, I have to say that I think Warner missed the boat here. I like the movies, but there's no overarching coherency to this collection. I think that two boxsets ought to have been in order: an "Early" John Ford Collection (made up of Flesh, Lost Patrol, Informer, Mary of Scotland, and Plow and the Stars) and a Late John Ford Collection (made up of Wagon Master, Sergeant Rutledge, Cheyenne Autumn, Young Cassidy, and 7 Women). I imagine that they already have other plans for The Fugitive, and The Rising of the Moon sounds like a problematic film to market (though I've never seen it). Doing it this way might have been riskier, but it would have made a lot more sense. And it would have provided outlets for films that might be difficult to package otherwise. (I mean, I love Wagon Master, and it deserves a release, but it doesn't have much name-recognition except for Ford himself.)

BTW, as I was putting together the list of Ford films controlled by Warner, I also learned which of his films are controlled by Columbia/Sony. There are exactly five, which means a Ford Boxset (like their Cary Grant Boxset) would be a manageable project. Perhaps if Warner's Ford Collection does well, we'll see something like that from Sony.... Anyway the five Columbia Ford films are:

The Whole Town's Talking (1935)
The Long Gray Line (1955) -- already released barebones
The Last Hurrah (1958) -- already released barebones
Gideon's Day (1958)
Two Rode Together (1961)

tryavna wrote:

Derek Estes wrote:Wagon Master and 7 Women were sadly missed in the recent Ford set, both films are Ford classics, and are nearly forgotten.

And it would have provided outlets for films that might be difficult to package otherwise. (I mean, I love Wagon Master, and it deserves a release, but it doesn't have much name-recognition except for Ford himself.)

Nevertheless, there are plenty of great Ford regulars in the cast, and as one might expect, magnificent locations. I had hoped that this terrific, underrated Ford would have turned up on DVD this side of the pond by now, but my patience is wearing down.

"That Wagon Master, one of Ford's major masterpieces, grossed about a third of the cavalry pictures surely came as no surprise. It was a personal project, with no stars, little story, deflated drama, almost nothing to attract box office or trendy critics. The story, resembling the Carey-Fords of the teens more than a fifties western, was written by Ford himself, the only such instance after 1930, and he was ruthless with the script. Said Frank Nugent: "We did not work at all closely ... His script cutting--especially of dialogue--was rather harsh." Of all his pictures, said Ford, "Wagon Master came closest to what I had hoped to achieve." It is "the purest and simplest western I have made."

The magic that places Wagon Master among Ford's most enduringly rewarding movies tends, alas, to elude many viewers, particularly upon first viewing and particularly because purity and simplicity define that magic, for such qualities are far from those usually associated in the public mind with Great Motion Pictures. But Wagon Master is more poetry than drama, weaving together the West's purest myths with the simplest, most natural characters." -- Tag Gallagher, John Ford, The Man and His Films

I'm not at all surprised that The Fugitive hasn't turned up yet since it was the least successful of the Ford-Fonda films, but it nevertheless deserves to be seen, said Ford: "I just enjoy looking at it ... To me, it was perfect." And Gideon's Day must rank as Ford's most obscure film from the 50s, though I've read nothing but positive things about the film.

Drums along the Mohawk at Beaver

I was compiling a list of John Ford's films on DVD for my own purposes, and thought that it might also be useful here. In the list below, I have marked those titles presently available in blue. This only includes official releases; I have not embedded links to reviews, but there is a page at DVD-Basen that gives a comprehensive overview of which which regions these films are available in with links to various reviews and comparisons. My list is based on the filmography in Lindsay Anderson's book "About John Ford."

If anything else is available, I would appreciate information on this.

On a more personal note, I am looking to upgrade my laserdiscs of Rio Grande and The Quiet Man, and would be thankful for comments from anyone who owns any of the several DVD releases that are out there.

The Hurricane is listed at DVD-Basen as available, but with no links to reviews. I have seen or heard about this film being available before. If anyone owns this, please comment.

The Tornado (1917)
The Scrapper (1917)
The Soul Herder (1917)
Cheyenne's Pal (1917)
Straight Shooting (1917)
The Secret Man (1917)
A Marked Man (1917)
Bucking Broadway (1917)
The Phantom Riders (1918)
Wild Women (1918)
Thieves' Gold (1918)
The Scarlet Drop (1918)
Hell Bent (1918)
A Woman's Fool (1918)
Three Mounted Men (1918)
Roped (1919)
The Fighting Brothers (1919)
A Fight for Love (1919)
By Indian Post (1919)
The Rustlers (1919)
Bare Fists (1919)
Gun Law (1919)
The Gun Packer (1919)
Riders of Vengeance (1919)
The Last Outlaw (1919)
The Outcasts of Poker Flat (1919)
The Ace of the Saddle (1919)
The Rider of the Law (1919)
A Gun Fightin' Gentleman (1919)
Marked Men (1919)
The Prince of Avenue A (1920)
The Girl in No. 29 (1920)
Hitchin' Posts (1920)
Just Pals (1920)
The Big Punch (1921)
Jackie (1921)
The Freeze Out (1921)
The Wallop (1921)
Desperate Trails (1921)
Action (1921)
Sure Fire (1921)
Little Miss Smiles (1922)
The Village Blacksmith (1922)
The Face on the Bar-Room Floor (1923)
Three Jumps Ahead (1923)
Cameo Kirby (1923)
North of Hudson Bay (1923)
Hoodman Blind (1923)
The Iron Horse (1924)
Hearts of Oak (1924)
Lightnin' (1925)
Kentucky Pride (1925)
The Fighting Heart (1925)
Thank You (1925)
The Shamrock Handicap (1926)
The Blue Eagle (1926)
Three Bad Men (1926)
Upstream (1927)
Mother Machree (1928)
Four Sons (1928)
Hangman's House (1928)
Napoleon's Barber (1928)
Riley the Cop (1928)
Strong Boy (1929)
The Black Watch (1929)
Salute (1929)
Men Without Women (1930)
Born Reckless (1930)
Up the River (1930)
Seas Beneath (1931)
The Brat (1931)
Arrowsmith (1931)
Air Mail (1931)
Flesh (1932)
Pilgrimage (1933)
Dr. Bull (1933)
The Lost Patrol (1934)
The World Moves On (1934)
Judge Priest (1934)
The Whole Town's Talking (1935)
The Informer (1935)
Steamboat Round the Bend (1935)
The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936)
Mary of Scotland (1936)
The Plough and The Stars (1936)
Wee Willie Winkie (1937)
The Hurricane (1937)
Four Men and a Prayer (1938)
Submarine Patrol (1938)
Stagecoach (1939)
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
Drums Along The Mohawk (1939)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
The Long Voyage Home (1940)
Tobacco Road (1941)
How Green Was My Valley (1941)
The Battle of Midway (US Navy doc., 1942)
December 7th (US Navy doc., 1943)
They Were Expendable (1945)
My Darling Clementine (1946)
The Fugitive (1947)
Fort Apache (1948)
Three Godfathers (1948)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950)
Wagon Master (1950)
Rio Grande (1950)
This Is Korea! (US Navy doc., 1951)
What Price Glory (1952)
The Quiet Man (1952)
The Sun Shines Bright (1953)
Mogambo (1953)
The Long Gray Line (1955)
Mister Roberts (1955)
Rookie of the Year (TV episode, 1955)
The Bamboo Cross (TV episode, 1955)
The Searchers (1956)
The Wings of Eagles (1957)
The Rising of the Moon (1957)
The Last Hurrah (1958)
Gideon's Day (1959)
Korea (US Dept. of Defense doc., 1959)
The Horse Soldiers (1959)
The Colter Craven Story (TV episode, 1960)
Sergeant Rutledge (1960)
Two Rode Together (1961)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Flashing Spikes (TV episode, 1962)
How the West Was Won (Episode, 1962)
Donovan's Reef (1963)
Cheyenne Autumn (1964)
Seven Women (1966)

Thanks for the list, you did a great job! As far as I know most of the THE QUIET MAN DVDs out there are based on the same transfer, which looks horrible. I own the German DVD from Kinowelt and it is the worst looking Ford in my collection, which is particularly sad as the film itself is one of his most gorgeous looking.

I really hope that someone will finally release DVD versions of WAGON MASTER and 7 WOMEN. I dream of Tag Gallagher video essays and Joseph McBride/Peter Bogdanovich audio commentaries...

I have the following somewhere stored mostly on poor quality off air VHS, but can't help with DVDs...

The Iron Horse (1924)
Arrowsmith (1931)
The Lost Patrol (1934)
Judge Priest (1934)
The Whole Town's Talking (1935)
The Informer (1935)
The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936)
Mary of Scotland (1936)
The Plough and The Stars (1936)
Wee Willie Winkie (1937)
The Hurricane (1937)
Four Men and a Prayer (1938)
Submarine Patrol (1938)
Stagecoach (1939)
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
Drums Along The Mohawk (1939)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
The Long Voyage Home (1940)
Tobacco Road (1941)
How Green Was My Valley (1941)
The Battle of Midway (US Navy doc., 1942)
They Were Expendable (1945)
My Darling Clementine (1946)
The Fugitive (1947)
Fort Apache (1948)
Three Godfathers (1948)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
When Willie Comes Marching Home (1950)
Wagon Master (1950)
Rio Grande (1950)
What Price Glory (1952)
The Quiet Man (1952)
The Sun Shines Bright (1953)
Mogambo (1953)
The Long Gray Line (1955)
Mister Roberts (1955)
The Searchers (1956)
The Wings of Eagles (1957)
The Rising of the Moon (1957)
The Last Hurrah (1958)
The Horse Soldiers (1959)
Sergeant Rutledge (1960)
Two Rode Together (1961)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
How the West Was Won (Episode, 1962)
Donovan's Reef (1963)
Cheyenne Autumn (1964)
Seven Women (1966)

Bucking Broadway is available on an excellent DVD, included in issue 08 of the now defunct French magazine Cinema (copies are still available on amazon.fr). As for The Hurricane, it was released by Image about 5 years ago. The DVD is perfectly acceptable, but long out of print.

I'm particularly looking forward to a new edition of The Quiet Man. The so-called R1 "Collector's edition" (produced by Republic Pictures) is simply horrible, as is their transfer of Johnny Guitar.

From Wikipedia:

As of 2006, Republic Pictures' holdings consist of a catalog of 3,000 films and TV series [...]

Lions Gate Home Entertainment's home video rights initially expired in late 2005.

Our only hope now is that some major studio buys the right to release some of the titles Republic holds.

Hmm... so I guess no adequate release of The Quiet Man anywhere...? How about Rio Grande? Does anyone own any version of this film on DVD that is acceptable?

Scharphedin2 wrote:Does anyone own any version of this film on DVD that is acceptable?

The R2 Editions Montparnasse is by far the best quality release of Rio Grande. I used to own the R1 Republic Pictures edition, and although its transfer is way better than most Republic titles, the R2 DVD is simply stunning.

Btw, I want to buy the Paramount dvd of The man who shot liberty valance, does anyone know what's the quality of this edition? Is it the same transfer as this Beaver review? (although no the same cover)