By Lee Pfeiffer
Once again, Cinema Retro has spoken- and the studios have listened. Well, at least it's beginning to seem that way. So many of the films we've been calling for them to release on DVD have been made available recently that we sometimes think we must have a magic lamp around here. For years, we've been after Fox to do something with the special features from their 1993 laser disc release of The Comancheros. In fact, in the latest issue of Cinema Retro (#20), writer Nick Anez provides a major analysis of the film- and we point out that it's a pity the laser disc special edition has never been released on DVD. Well, as soon as the article went to press, what shows up in our mailbox? You guessed it- a terrific Blu-ray special edition of the film that not only combines elements from the laser release, but also boasts some wonderful new features as well.
The 1961 film was the last of a three-picture deal John Wayne had inked with Fox in the late 50s. The first effort, The Barbarian and the Geisha, was a major dud, despite teaming the Duke with director John Huston (they hated each other, but that's another story). After Wayne went into hock to produce, direct and star in his 1960 epic The Alamo, he needed cash. Fortunately, the lucrative Fox contract afforded him two major hits: North to Alaska and The Comancheros. With the latter film, Wayne seemed to be comfortable in his middle-aged years and allowed younger co-star Stuart Whitman to have all the love scenes with female lead Ina Blain. The film represents the last movie to be directed by the great Michael Curtiz. When he fell ill during production, Wayne ended up directing about half of the film, though out of respect for Curtiz, he never took a screen credit.
The movie is a rip-snorting, slam-bang Western that boasts a witty script by Clair Huffaker and an excellent supporting cast that includes Lee Marvin, Bruce Cabot, Nehemiah Persoff, Edgar Buchanan, Patrick Wayne, Joan O'Brien, Michael Ansara and Jack Elam. It seems like distant history, indeed, to envision an era in which such casts were considered routine. Set in Texas in the year 1843, Wayne plays Texas Ranger Jake Cutter who arrests charismatic womanizer Paul Regret (Stuart Whitman) for killing another man in a duel. Regret is innocent, but Jake fulfills his duty and is en route to bringing him to trial, when Regret conks him and manages to escape. The two men play a cat and mouse game across Texas with Jake finally arresting him again. However, when Regret courageously assists Jake during an Indian raid, the ranger works out a deal with authorities: if Regret accompanies Jake on a dangerous mission into Comanche territory, he can win a pardon. Their mission is to infiltrate the compound of The Comancheros, a ruthless gang of cutthroats who have been selling guns to the Indians. The harrowing and dangerous mission succeeds, but Jake and Regret face almost certain death at the hands of the Comanchero leader Graile, (Nehemiah Persoff).
The movie alternates between wild action sequences and very funny dialogue. The chemistry between Wayne and Whitman is excellent and one wishes they had co-starred again. (They actually did appear together on screen briefly the following year in The Longest Day.) The movie boasts a thundering score by Elmer Bernstein (one of his best) and some magnificent locations in Arizona and Utah.
The Blu-ray is packed with great extras including an excellent documentary that traces the historical origins of the real Comancheros. The short film features historians who provide a rather chilling narrative about the terrors settlers faced when moving into Comanche country. They also give some fascinating insights into the hardships of life in the Comanche tribe. There is also a multi-part documentary about Wayne's years and films at Fox, with comments from his son Ethan and his wife Pilar. These documentaries examine some of Wayne's other films in detail and include clips from United Artists movies such as The Alamo, for which Fox now controls video rights. Additionally, the commentary track from the laser release featuring Whitman, Ansara, Persoff and Patrick Wayne has been included, as well as a separate audio interview with Whitman. Rounding out the package is a really cool feature: the entire movie -tie in comic book has been digitized and you can read every page. (The comic was written based on an early script and has a dramatically different ending). There is also an original trailer and a Spanish language trailer but for some reason they seem to be relegated to filling up only 1/4 of the TV screen. Finally, there is a Fox Movietone newsreel that features singer Claude King, who recorded a title song for the movie that does not appear in the final cut. Fox has packaged the Blu-ray in with a hardback book that is loaded with rare photos from the film, behind the scenes stories and biographies of the stars. It makes for a great collector's item - and they've also tossed in a couple of nice postcard repros of original movie posters for the film.
In all, this is the definitive version of movie that has never been considered quite a classic, but nonetheless remains top-flight entertainment and is the the type of movie people refer to when they say, "They don't make 'em like that anymore."
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