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The John Wayne Film Collection (Blu-ray) Available for Preorder (1 Viewer)

Ronald Epstein

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wayne.jpeg

 

The Big Trail * The Barbarian and the Geisha * The Horse Soldiers * North To Alaska * The Comancheros * The Longest Day * The Undefeated

 

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Ronald Epstein

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Vaguely interested in this set as I have been really getting into John Wayne
as of late (Hatari and El Dorado).

Something tells me I might be better off waiting for the next Fox Flash Sale
and scoring this set for about $30.
 

Robert Crawford

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Ronald Epstein said:
Vaguely interested in this set as I have been really getting into John Wayne
as of late (Hatari and El Dorado).

Something tells me I might be better off waiting for the next Fox Flash Sale
and scoring this set for about $30.
I would Ron. I already own these titles with their individual releases. The Horse Soldiers is one of my personal favorites.
 

Ronald Epstein

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Thanks, Robert. You are the person I go to for John Wayne advice.

So, all these films are pretty good buys?
 

Robert Crawford

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Ronald Epstein said:
Thanks, Robert. You are the person I go to for John Wayne advice.

So, all these films are pretty good buys?
On the assumption you don't own any of them, I think you'll enjoy North to Alaska, Comancheros, The Horse Soldiers, The Undefeated and The Longest Day. The latter film is an all-star cast so he has only a few scenes in it. I'm not sure if you'll enjoy The Big Trail and The Barbarian and the Geisha is one of my least favorite Wayne films. However, if you buy this set during a Fox Connect sale, I think you'll get a good valued purchase with the other titles.
 

Matt Hough

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The Big Trail is interesting because of the use of Grandeur (precursor to Cinemascope in 1930). There's a 4:3 version in that Blu-ray set, too, but it's the widescreen that I enjoy watching. Wayne, in his first really important role, does the best he can with his lack of experience showing itself off and on throughout the film.
 

John Hermes

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Matt Hough said:
The Big Trail is interesting because of the use of Grandeur (precursor to Cinemascope in 1930). There's a 4:3 version in that Blu-ray set, too, but it's the widescreen that I enjoy watching. Wayne, in his first really important role, does the best he can with his lack of experience showing itself off and on throughout the film.
I think it also gives a realistic feel of a wagon train in the old West. Amazing location work.
 

Robert Crawford

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Matt Hough said:
The Big Trail is interesting because of the use of Grandeur (precursor to Cinemascope in 1930). There's a 4:3 version in that Blu-ray set, too, but it's the widescreen that I enjoy watching. Wayne, in his first really important role, does the best he can with his lack of experience showing itself off and on throughout the film.
Knowing Ron like I do, I'm still not sure he'll enjoy watching it. In the end, he'll have to give it a try to know for sure.
 

JoHud

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What's the likelihood, The Longest Day has a new transfer? If it's the same old one DNR'd to oblivion, that's enough to un-recommend that particular feature until Fox gets it right.

I'd be wary of mondo-cheap packaging. Any Fox/MGM packaging of late that is in a slim cardboard case that houses more than 3 discs should be suspect by now.

Looking at this set makes me wondering what's holding up MGM from releasing Legend of the Lost? While not Wayne's best, I found it to be a rather good feature with its modest budget handled very well.

I personally find The Barbarian and the Geisha quite underrated, though not a lost gem. Its an entertaining historical "good neighbor" feature with great cinematography and just that. Not deserving of the sorts of panning it seems to get (usually at Wayne's expense).

I find to The Comancheros to be a pretty oddball feature. It sets itself up to be a serious feature about 3/4 in and then goes completely off the rails, like it suddenly decided to be one of Howard Hawks' Wayne vehicles. While in an of itself that last quarter was entertaining with a fun and laid back Duke, it seemed aimless and undercooked as a climax and didn't gel with the rest of the picture. Similar shifts in tone were handled better in many other Wayne features.
John Hermes said:
I think it also gives a realistic feel of a wagon train in the old West. Amazing location work.
All true, but best of all El Brendel is in it.
 

cb1

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dang, I wish Sands of Iwo Jima came out. my mother swears she sees her father during the landing footage at the end on Iwo Jima.
 

bujaki

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So El Brendel is not forgotten?
I saw so many early sound films (mostly Fox) with him that he became sort of an old friend. I'm glad someone else appreciates him.
 

Robert Crawford

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cb1 said:
dang, I wish Sands of Iwo Jima came out. my mother swears she sees her father during the landing footage at the end on Iwo Jima.
That title will be released later this year by Olive.
 
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bruceames

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I only have The Big Trail (which although I enjoyed primarily for its historical interest and in watching a young Mr. Wayne, it was a pretty good movie too), so like other Fox titles I am wanting, I'll pick this up during their next flash sale.
 

Bob Cashill

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Scott Eyman's new bio of Wayne, John Wayne: The Life and Legend, is a must-read for fans. A fascinating figure, on and off camera.
 

Jari K

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"What's the likelihood, The Longest Day has a new transfer?"Yes and I believe the original BD disc only included audio commentaries. So all the extras from "disc 2" are missing.
 

Robert Crawford

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Bob Cashill said:
Scott Eyman's new bio of Wayne, John Wayne: The Life and Legend, is a must-read for fans. A fascinating figure, on and off camera.
He's my all-time favorite actor and Barbara Stanwyck is my all-time favorite actress.
 

Alan Tully

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Out of that lot,The Comancheros for me. A really enjoyable Wayne western, with one of Elmer Bernstein's best music scores, & it's a lovely colourful rich looking Blu-ray, with a lot of good extras, & some nice stories about John Wayne from Stuart Whitman on the commentary track.
 

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I like The Comancheros too. I don't find that it "goes off the rails", it seems pretty consistent in its mix of humor and danger right from the start, particularly the "I'm not your friend" running gag that's set up right from the beginning. I'm also partial to North to Alaska, even though it's quite silly, because again, it seems pretty consistent in its silliness throughout. Out of the movies in this set, the one that I really warm to is The Horse Soldiers, quite a solid John Wayne western, with a pretty serious tone and the Duke looking and acting the way you'd expect. I already have all three of these movies, so the set is a no-buy for me regardless.

Interestingly, there's a John Wayne Collection on Blu in Australia that has a completely different set of movies in it: True Grit, Hondo, Rio Lobo, Big Jake and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Might be a tempting buy for anyone who wants a companion piece to this US set.
 

Bob Cashill

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Let me know what you think. For whatever reason one thing that stands out is that Wayne, who commanded big salaries, was lousy with money--bad business managers and deals, and his own sloppy habits, kept him working much more than many of his contemporaries. He envied more financially settled friends like Bob Hope and Randolph Scott. And he disliked horses.
 

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