Blu-ray Review A Few Words About A few words about...™ - Wichita -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Mark-P]

I just watched a movie where 28-year-old Keith Carradine married 12-year-old Brooke Shields. They even had a kissing scene. Talk about creepy…

 

[OliverK]

Okay - if we're gonna ignore the male/female lead age gap, can we at least go "what the huh?" over the fact Earp was 26 when the movie's events took place and McCrea was 50?

You are very right about that but I guess it is called artistic license and a movie is a lot more fun when not thinking about outside things like that.

 

[David_B_K]

I watched my BD of this film the other day, and it really wasn’t a satisfying viewing at all. I remember not caring much for it when I initially got it, but wanted to give it another spin. Not sure why it receives the admiration it does. I have a pile of discs going over to Goodwill, and this one just got added into it

That is pretty much my view as well. The first time I saw the film on TV, back in the 80's or 90's, I remember quite liking it. When Warner Archive started releasing their barebones MOD DVDs, I jumped at the chance to get Wichita in widescreen. After watching it, I found it to be a very routine 50's western. Not bad, but not worth a Blu-ray upgrade IMO.

I was not particularly bothered by McCrea's age, but it does stretch credulity a bit. And while he was much older than the real Earp, that does not bother me much. Wyatt Earp the "legendary lawman" is more myth than man anyway.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Because there is more obsession than romance in Vertigo. Even without the ending that we see in the movie it is hard to imagine that the relationship would have worked out in the long run.

Oops - sorry, I misread and thought you meant the creepiness worked for "Wichita"!

 

[Robert Crawford]

That is pretty much my view as well. The first time I saw the film on TV, back in the 80's or 90's, I remember quite liking it. When Warner Archive started releasing their barebones MOD DVDs, I jumped at the chance to get Wichita in widescreen. After watching it, I found it to be a very routine 50's western. Not bad, but not worth a Blu-ray upgrade IMO.

I was not particularly bothered by McCrea's age, but it does stretch credulity a bit. And while he was much older than the real Earp, that does not bother me much. Wyatt Earp the "legendary lawman" is more myth than man anyway.

I thought he was talking about Vertigo?

 

[David_B_K]

I thought he was talking about Vertigo?

I'm really not sure now with all the side-tracking the thread has taken. I cannot imagine throwing Vertigo into a Goodwill pile, but to each his own...

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'm really not sure now with all the side-tracking the thread has taken. I cannot imagine throwing Vertigo into a Goodwill pile, but to each his own...

Exactly which is why I post warnings in other threads to get it back on track. Too many threads are sidetracked.

 

[OliverK]

That is pretty much my view as well. The first time I saw the film on TV, back in the 80's or 90's, I remember quite liking it. When Warner Archive started releasing their barebones MOD DVDs, I jumped at the chance to get Wichita in widescreen. After watching it, I found it to be a very routine 50's western. Not bad, but not worth a Blu-ray upgrade IMO.

The DVD was quite good I think by DVD standards but I am still happy that I will be able to watch Wichita in its original ultrawide aspect ratio and in 1080p.
As for the movie itself I would call it a solid effort and that's about it but it has been some time since my last viewing. I hope I won't like it less next time I watch it on Blu-ray!

 

[haineshisway]

McCrea was three years younger than Jimmy Stewart, who played Miles' love interest/husband in THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, and two years younger than John Wayne, who played Stewart's rival.

And the same age as Henry Fonda who played Vera's husband in The Wrong Man. I find these ageist comments ridiculous, frankly. Jimmy Stewart was 50 and Kim Novak 25 in Vertigo. Who cares? Sorry, hadn't seen the other posts when I posted this. Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn. Who cares?

As to Wichita, I saw it when it came out and loved it. Of course, I was eight. I still like it a lot but then again I love McCrea and I love Jacques Tourneur. Not every movie has to be a masterpiece. This is a low-budges solid little oater.

 

[OliverK]

As to Wichita, I saw it when it came out and loved it. Of course, I was eight. I still like it a lot but then again I love McCrea and I love Jacques Tourneur. Not every movie has to be a masterpiece. This is a low-budges solid little oater.

It helps to not expect every low budget western to be a masterpiece and historically correct.

From what I can gather both Tourneur and McCrea were rather underrated over the course of their career which is a shame as they made some terrific movies.

 

[haineshisway]

It helps to not expect every low budget western to be a masterpiece and historically correct.

From what I can gather both Tourneur and McCrea were rather underrated over the course of their career which is a shame as they made some terrific movies.

I think McCrea was one of the greatest film actors and leading men in the history of movies. Look at his filmography, look at the directors he worked with. An amazing career. While he made some fine movies in the 1950s, either by his own choosing or Hollywood being Hollywood, it's a lean decade, but thankfully we got him back in Ride the High Country and his performance in that film is one for the ages.

 

[RMajidi]

Alas, all the Amazon Horses and King's Men could not put Wichita into my cart. Transcript attached.

 

[OliverK]

I think McCrea was one of the greatest film actors and leading men in the history of movies. Look at his filmography, look at the directors he worked with. An amazing career. While he made some fine movies in the 1950s, either by his own choosing or Hollywood being Hollywood, it's a lean decade, but thankfully we got him back in Ride the High Country and his performance in that film is one for the ages.

Ride The High Country introduced me to Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott - a beautiful movie and not your typical Sam Peckinpah production of his later years. As for McCrea and Scott it took me some time to see some of their other great movies after that but it has been worth the wait.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Today, I received my Blu-ray and immediately watched it. This was the best A/V presentations I've ever seen of this western. It's not among my 100 all-time favorite westerns, however, it's still an entertaining movie. The one thing that always bothered me about this movie is why they used Morgan's name as one of Wyatt's brothers but didn't use Virgil too instead of James? Kind of strange since both Morgan, Virgil and even James were used in "The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" which came out a couple years later.

 

[jim_falconer]

Today, I received my Blu-ray and immediately watched it. This was the best A/V presentations I've ever seen of this western. It's not among my 100 all-time favorite westerns, however, it's still an entertaining movie. The one thing that always bothered me about this movie is why they used Morgan's name as one of Wyatt's brothers but didn't use Virgil too instead of James? Kind of strange since both Morgan, Virgil and even James were used in "The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" which came out a couple years later.

Also in Ford’s “My Darling Clementine”…right?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Also in Ford’s “My Darling Clementine”…right?

Right, the same three brothers names were used in that movie as well as in "Wyatt Earp" with Kevin Costner. It's just strange because James was never really a lawman like Wyatt, Virgil or Morgan.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Today, I received my Blu-ray and immediately watched it. This was the best A/V presentations I've ever seen of this western. It's not among my 100 all-time favorite westerns, however, it's still an entertaining movie. The one thing that always bothered me about this movie is why they used Morgan's name as one of Wyatt's brothers but didn't use Virgil too instead of James? Kind of strange since both Morgan, Virgil and even James were used in "The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" which came out a couple years later.

You accept 97-year-old McCrea as 36-year-old Earp but that bugs you???

 

[Robert Crawford]

You accept 97-year-old McCrea as 36-year-old Earp but that bugs you???

When I first watched this movie back in the mid-1960s. I grew up watching old movies in which there was an older leading man than his leading lady. I just accepted it as is. As to the Earp brothers, it didn't bug me, but when I was in high school, I started reading historical accounts about the Earps and noticed they used James instead of Virgil in this particular movie. I thought it was strange.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

When I first watched this movie back in the mid-1960s. I grew up watching old movies in which there was an older leading man than his leading lady. I just accepted it as is. As to the Earp brothers, it didn't bug me, but when I was in high school, I started reading historical accounts about the Earps and noticed they used James instead of Virgil in this particular movie. I thought it was strange.

And I would agree that is is strange.

But so is the fact the cast a 50-something to play a dude in his 30s. Even if you ignore the leading lady part, McCrea was still waaaay older than Earp.

And since the movie intends to be his "origin story" and implies a fairly youthful Earp, it makes a lot less sense for a 50-something to play the part.

IMO, this is a much more obvious problem because it's obvious to even the historically-ignorant viewer. Ya gotta know history to be aware of the issue you mention, but ya don't to realize that McCrea is far older than the character should be.

Anyway, it's a good movie even with these flaws.

 

[Robert Crawford]

But so is the fact the cast a 50-something to play a dude in his 30s. Even if you ignore the leading lady part, McCrea was still waaaay older than Earp.

Yeah, we heard you the first time then the second, third and now fourth or fifth time.