'One Eyed Jacks' - will Paramount ever rescue it from public domain hell? (1 Viewer)

[movienut1]

Despite all the negative reactions to "One Eyed Jacks" that have been expressed over the years, I find it one of the most satisfying westerns ever. The fact is that I am a Drama School grad who has forever treasured really potent acting. Unlike most westerns, this one is loaded with such performances. It plays out like an acting duel between Brando and Malden, with many of the supporting players delivering terrific work as well. Not long after it was released, violence in movies began to be staged with a lot more graphic bloodshed, perhaps due to the influence of Sergio Leone. The interesting thing about the violence in "One Eyed Jacks" is the way the burden falls almost entirely on the actors. Those who portray the victims of blows, bullwhips, and bullets make the audience feel the impact by enacting stunning reactions. Unlike most westerns, the excitement is more generated by explosive acting than by physical action. Paying such close attention to this as I tend to do gives these portrayals a great power to amaze and move me. Perhaps the film's detractors were simply inattentive, or perhaps their expectation of more hard riding and fast shooting when viewing westerns left them feeling let down by this show. Ah well, movies, like music, can be very much a matter of personal taste. To my taste, this one is one is one of the most rewarding films in my collection. I share the disappointment that a high quality DVD or Blu Ray has not been released. VistaVision films can make grand home entertainment fare when the transfers are well managed.

 

[Dick]

There's a better chance of this showing up on Blu-ray now than a couple of years ago. Olive could get it, Criterion could get it, or (lesser chance) Paramount would put it out themselves.

 

[ahollis]

I think the answer is how are the film elements and how much money would it take to make it transfer ready for Blu-ray. Olive certainly is not putting money into the transfers it receives from Paramount and Criterion only has a small budget to spruce things up. I don't see Paramount putting any money to it for they do not have complete control of the rights and they only seem to really get behind their classics.

It truly is one of the most interesting western ever made and deserves a great DVD and Blu-ray release. To bad it has been in PD hell for so long.