|
By
NICK ZEGARAC
"She Wore a Yellow Ribbon"
is one of those glorious John Ford westerns that
make a fable of history so galvanic that it
becomes history by proxy.
The film stars John Wayne as Capt. Nathan Cutting
Brittles -- a widower preparing to retire from
service at an outpost with the United States
cavalry. Into this mix comes the luscious Olivia
Dandridge (Joanne Dru), the contested prize to be
won by a pair of rival dandies in search of a
bride.
Like Ford's best westerns, this one has more
melodrama than action, seemingly incorporating the
western motif as mere background for a series of
breathtakingly beautiful vistas filled with
galloping horses, wide open spaces and the
stunning and romantically stoic towers of Monument
Valley.
My hat off to the good people at Warner Home
Video. This is a truly amazing looking DVD and one
that should definitely be on every film buffs wish
list to own. Colors are fully saturated, well
balanced and incredibly life like. Contrast levels
are on pitch as are black levels. There is a hint
of edge enhancement and pixelization but really --
it's just a hint. Chips, scratches and
imperfections inherent in the original camera
negative are kept to a bare, bare minimum. The
audio is mono, as originally presented, but
extremely well balanced, with low to non-existent
background hiss in most scenes. There are no
extras. |
