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A few words about...™ Westbound

#1
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4/14/09 at 9:25am
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One of the highly requested missing links in the Boetticher pantheon has finally arrived on SD DVD courtesy of Warner's new Archive Collection, and the quality is far greater than I would have imagined. As a part of the problematic 5248 situation, Westbound, a 1958 production in Warnercolor, released in 1959 has its color intact. I'm making an assumption that what we're seeing is the result of the separation masters.

It's so rare that we can get a reasonably accurate glimpse of 1950s color design -- sets, costumes, make-up, etc. -- that Westbound here serves a dual purpose.

As entertainment the film holds up nicely, and as a DVD, the quality is just fine. Color timing could have been a bit more on target for one sequence, in which the ball was dropped when it came to day for night. Sometimes I get a feeling that the folks timing the video masters don't really watch the film. Other than that Westbound is a quality release.

From what I've been seeing the Warner Archive Collection is one of the best concepts to hit the marketplace in ages.

Recommended.

RAH

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did."  T.E. Lawrence

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#2
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4/14/09 at 9:56am
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

"From what I've been seeing the Warner Archive Collection is one of the best concepts to hit the marketplace in ages."

How refreshing to hear something positive on the Archive program after the continuous bashing on that other thread. Especially from someone who knows what he's talking about.

Westbound will now definitely be my next Archive order.
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#3
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4/14/09 at 1:50pm
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Harris
From what I've been seeing the Warner Archive Collection is one of the best concepts to hit the marketplace in ages.

I agree wholeheartedly! I really don't understand the bashing over the concept that's been going on in certain places. It seems as though perhaps certain people are viewing this program as having robbed the titles of legitimate releases. In my opinion, some of those people need to accept that their love of a film or the quality of the film itself doesn't necessarily translate to sales - it's just a sad truth in the ongoing art vs. commerce struggle. I view the Warner Archive as a program that allows titles that simply weren't coming out any other way to see the light of day. If the quality of each and every title isn't state of the art, given the choice between being able to see a movie in decent to good quality or never being able to see it at all, I think it's a no-brainer.

While I'm sure the execution of the program will no doubt be revised, refined and improved over time, the concept is brilliant, and worth supporting.
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#4
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4/14/09 at 2:21pm
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

I was very pleased with the quality of this film and recommend it to any fans of Randolph Scott and Budd Boetticher.
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#5
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4/14/09 at 3:36pm
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Harris

From what I've been seeing the Warner Archive Collection is one of the best concepts to hit the marketplace in ages.
RAH

I wholeheartedly agree and applaud all the efforts put into the Warner Archive Collection. I'm repeating myself but I think it's the best news classic movie lovers have ever had.

I have never seen WESTBOUND, I think I will order it in the next bunch
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#6
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4/14/09 at 4:31pm
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Quote:
Originally Posted by CinéKarine
I wholeheartedly agree and applaud all the efforts put into the Warner Archive Collection. I'm repeating myself but I think it's the best news classic movie lovers have ever had.

I have never seen WESTBOUND, I think I will order it in the next bunch

From the word reaching me, the bugs are being worked out of the systems, and things are going to be getter much, much better!

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did."  T.E. Lawrence

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#7
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4/14/09 at 4:38pm
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

This is an especially interesting release. I have no doubt that the film looks every bit as good as Mr Harris says it does, but given that the print used has no major faults I can't help wondering about one thing. If Sony were confident enough to release a loaded box of their Boetticher/Scott movies at the end of last year, why do Warner believe that this last Boetticher/Scott title is so marginal that it deserves to be dumped onto the Archive programme?
I'll grant it's not the strongest of the director/star's efforts but, when a rival company felt that their titles were worth the prestige treatment, it does seem odd that Westbound should be relegated to the Archives.
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#8
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4/14/09 at 4:41pm
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

I don't think Warner considers the Archive a dumping ground. One tier lower than regular release? Sure. But the indication Mr. Harris has given us is that they do intend to make this a worthy program for releases.
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#9
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4/14/09 at 8:48pm
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Quote:
Originally Posted by CinéKarine

I have never seen WESTBOUND, I think I will order it in the next bunch

It's my first Archives purchase, and I am eagerly awaiting its arrival.

Rich Gallagher

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#10
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4/15/09 at 4:43am
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Quote:
Originally Posted by Livius
This is an especially interesting release. I have no doubt that the film looks every bit as good as Mr Harris says it does, but given that the print used has no major faults I can't help wondering about one thing. If Sony were confident enough to release a loaded box of their Boetticher/Scott movies at the end of last year, why do Warner believe that this last Boetticher/Scott title is so marginal that it deserves to be dumped onto the Archive programme?
I'll grant it's not the strongest of the director/star's efforts but, when a rival company felt that their titles were worth the prestige treatment, it does seem odd that Westbound should be relegated to the Archives.

It has not been "relegated." It has been released. The fact that Columbia had enough titles to create a package was a good hook for the release. WB has but a single western.

RAH

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did."  T.E. Lawrence

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#11
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4/15/09 at 5:14am
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

This would've made for a very nice addition to a future Warner Classic Western DVD set.

The Hanging Tree, Wichita, Westbound, The Devil's Doorway, Across the Wide Missouri all on pressed DVD's, a bonus feature or two, commentaries, CC and or subtitles for the hearing impaired all for under $35, that's a mere $7 a title ...........ahhh.... the good old days.

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#12
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4/15/09 at 9:28am
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

I'm sure Warner would gladly accept your $100,000+ donation to make that happen.
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#13
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4/15/09 at 9:36am
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brandon Conway
I'm sure Warner would gladly accept your $100,000+ donation to make that happen.

To place things in a bit of perspective, you can easily triple that number just for Hanging Tree.

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did."  T.E. Lawrence

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#14
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4/15/09 at 10:58am
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Harris
It has not been "relegated." It has been released. The fact that Columbia had enough titles to create a package was a good hook for the release. WB has but a single western.

RAH

Warner may not have any more Boetticher westerns on their books but they certainly have plenty of other quality westerns which could have made up a nice box set.
And I stand by the relegated comment, burned media at overinflated prices and no international availability doesn't fit my definition of a proper release.
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#15
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4/15/09 at 11:02am
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim_K
This would've made for a very nice addition to a future Warner Classic Western DVD set.

The Hanging Tree, Wichita, Westbound, The Devil's Doorway, Across the Wide Missouri all on pressed DVD's, a bonus feature or two, commentaries, CC and or subtitles for the hearing impaired all for under $35, that's a mere $7 a title ...........ahhh.... the good old days.


At least The Hanging Tree and Across the Wide Missouri have been given releases in Europe. Hanging Tree is a weak full screen transfer, but it is available and it's cheap. Across the Wide Missouri is a very nice looking disc.
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#16
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4/15/09 at 1:28pm
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Harris
To place things in a bit of perspective, you can easily triple that number just for Hanging Tree.
I knew I put the "+" there for a good reason!
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#17
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4/15/09 at 1:47pm
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

I don't actually care what it costs. As a consumer, it's immaterial to me. I don't give a damn that 'x' cost so much/little to restore, or 'y' made so much profit/loss. Two things matter to me; the quality of the finished item, and the price I have to pay to get at it.

To snatch a quote from Alan Sillitoe, all the rest is propaganda...
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#18
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4/16/09 at 5:38am
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Let me put it this way, I'm as concerned with Warners costs and expenditures as much as they are concerned with my personal expenses.

Now I might be willing to fund such a project but only for a large % of the profits. Or do you expect me to just give my money away to a multimillion dollar corporation? But that's neither here nor there so let's not muddy up the waters..........

Just give me a product I'm interested in at what I think is a fair/reasonable price for the end product, factoring in the effort involved (or lack of)/features(or lack of) and they'll earn a sale from me.

customer = happy + large multimillion dollar company = happy.

This isn't rocket science here.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Livius
At least The Hanging Tree and Across the Wide Missouri have been given releases in Europe. Hanging Tree is a weak full screen transfer, but it is available and it's cheap. Across the Wide Missouri is a very nice looking disc.

Thanks, I was interested at one time in picking up the R2 Missouri but read somewhere that the spanish subs weren't removable. If this was incorrect, I'll probably reconsider.
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#19
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4/16/09 at 6:55am
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim_K
Thanks, I was interested at one time in picking up the R2 Missouri but read somewhere that the spanish subs weren't removable. If this was incorrect, I'll probably reconsider.

I don't know about Spanish editions, but the Warner France edition certainly has removable subs via the main menu. A word of warning though, some of the westerns released by Warners in France seem to be going out of print and marketplace prices are rising. The Last Hunt was going for 50 Euro last time I looked. Missouri is now between 20 and 30 Euro new on Amazon. The best price I've currently seen is from Fnac.com for 17 Euro.
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#20
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4/16/09 at 7:07am
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

The French do love their westerns don't they? But those prices, they're almost Archive*.

*[Collins New New English Dictionary; Archive [ahr-kahyv], verb: to hoard then charge a breathtaking amount. Used predominanty in Hollywood during times of recession.]
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#21
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4/16/09 at 8:08am
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Has anyone else gotten the Warner Archive survey?
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#22
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4/16/09 at 8:46am
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Quote:
Originally Posted by BillyFeldman
Has anyone else gotten the Warner Archive survey?
I think anyone can do it by going to this link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?...gh2G3zsQ_3d_3d
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#23
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4/16/09 at 8:47am
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Yes, I received the survey in my Inbox this morning. The 'reward' for completing the survey is a code good for 10%-off on your next order (if I read the message correctly).
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#24
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4/16/09 at 6:16pm
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Back to 'Westbound', please.


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#25
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4/18/09 at 10:33am
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Harris
It has not been "relegated." It has been released. The fact that Columbia had enough titles to create a package was a good hook for the release. WB has but a single western.

RAH
Warners may have only one Budd Boetticher Western but they do have The Rise And Fall Of Legs Diamond, a second Boetticher/Karen Steele movie. This too has a cult following. A double bill DVD set of these two Boetticher movies might have been commercially viable.
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#26
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4/18/09 at 1:26pm
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

I watched the archives release of WESTBOUND last night. I was pleasantly surprised by how good it looks, considering all the bashing that I've seen in the other thread. It certainly is a significant improvement over the version which Encore Westerns aired recently.

Apart from some occasional softness in a few scenes, it looked fine to my eyes. I didn't detect any problem with artifacts, although it is possible that viewers with bigger screens (mine is 42 inches) can see things that I can't. If somebody who has complained of artifacts can point to a specific scene, I'd like to take another look and see if I'm missing something.

The real problem, as many others have pointed out, is the price. $20 plus shipping for a disc with no extras is a bit much, expecially when you consider that you can get the five other Boetticher-Scott westerns for about $9 each in the Sony box set. Still, it was nice to be able to see this in widescreen for the first time. The film boasts some excellent on-location photography which I understand was shot at the old Warner Brothers Ranch in Calabasas, California.

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#27
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4/21/09 at 2:27pm
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Thanks for the review. I am curious about this title but remain on the outside because a) live in Canada and b) find the price still too much for a dvd-r

I'd also like to hear confirmation from a few more experts on the resilience of this product - while not all dvd-r's breakdown after a handful of years, is there a general consensus as to how these will compare to the DVD product they had previously used to sell their classic catalogue.
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#28
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5/16/09 at 12:21pm
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

I just finished watching Westbound. If this is the runt of the Scott/Boetticher litter, I can't wait to see the rest of them.

One question though. I noticed that the movie ran 69 minutes, while IMDb lists the length as 72 minutes. So has IMDb got something wrong again?
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#29
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5/17/09 at 6:28am
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonathan-S
Out of curiosity, I checked the BBFC website for this title. When passed (with no cuts) for UK cinema release in May 1958, it ran 68 minutes 43 seconds, according to them.
AFI has the running time listed at 71-72 minutes.






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#30
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5/18/09 at 12:25am
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Re: A few words about...™ Westbound

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Tucker

I just finished watching Westbound. If this is the runt of the Scott/Boetticher litter, I can't wait to see the rest of them.

One question though. I noticed that the movie ran 69 minutes, while IMDb lists the length as 72 minutes. So has IMDb got something wrong again?

Something's up with that maybe?
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