Far Country

Anthony Mann's The Far Country (1955) was one of the last westerns of its scope and budget to be shot in the old, pre-widescreen aspect ratio (i.e., 1.33-to-1), and for that reason it has always translated very well to the small screen. It's also shot in Technicolor, but in contrast to the DVD of Mann's Bend Of The River, released the same day as this, the color composition on The Far Country is much more naturalistic. The disc represents the sprawling Pacific Northwest outdoor adventure tale in fine form, the muted color tones captured in the transfer giving the movie an intensely realistic feel -- the source print is also in very good shape, apart from some apparent frame damage at just over 16 minutes in. The 20 chapters cover the plot well and, where possible, land on dissolves to black. The movie comes with a somewhat overheated trailer that doesn't dwell on the characterizations or portrayals, accessible through a two-layer menu that opens automatically on start-up. There are also French, Spanish, and English subtitles and captions, for those who need them.