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

[Paul Thrussell]

When grain, in a transfer from a B&W print, looks very heavy only in dark places, shadows, it's usually a signal they tried to bring details from very dark areas from the print, while transfering. This recover some details, but it also brings the largest grain particles or grain agglomarations.

Similar to what happens when you try to scan still negs/slides that weren't exposed properly. The areas where you've tried to recover detail out of overly dark/light spots are very noisy and the gradation is poor.

 

[Casey62]

Glad to see this one out in HD, even if the transfer isn't quite pristine. The improvement over previous DVD editions is noticeable enough, with an overall filmic look not lost with DNR scrubbing. A personal favorite, THE OUTLAW is one of the most offbeat movies if not THE most offbeat movie of its era, which works for me in all its melodramatic, glamourized absurdity. Critics can say what they want, I find its so-called 'campy' premise entertaining, with Jane Russell, Jack Buetel (both of their inexperience notwithstanding), Thomas Mitchell and Walter Huston all playing well off each other. I know much is made about a supposed homo-erotic subtext, but I choose to see it more akin to the "buddy" pictures of Howard Hawks, who started off directing THE OUTLAW. Moreover, Buetel and Huston's characters' sexual interests are clearly directed toward Russel, with Huston ultimately letting her go off with Buetel, thus making any gay interpretations rather dubious at best. Howard Hughes' films interest me because there's always something going on in them that's unconventional. The problem people had (and apparently still have) with THE OUTLAW is that they expect it to follow certain genre rules and don't know what to make of it when it takes off in different directions. Yet, that's what I like about it - and that goes for the Tchaikovsky-laden score as well.

 

[Casey62]

I'm hanging on to Legend's colorized/b&w DVD mostly for the accompanying commentary by Jane Russell and Terry Moore. I also think they did a fairly decent job with the color, as far as that process is concerned.

Again, I like THE OUTLAW. It's got some great moments, both highly stylized as well as understated. Love the bit at the end when, just before riding off with Rio, Billy makes sure she filled the canteen with water instead of sand. Like he told Doc, he still can't trust women.