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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Henry Fonda's career was
never the same after "The Tin Star." Shedding the
everyman good guy persona that had made him so
likeable on screen for so long, on this occasion
Fonda's cold, aloof and foreboding as lawman
turned bounty hunter, Morg Hickman.
Director Anthony Mann's in-depth character study
of the Old West is made even more compelling by a
startling performance from Anthony Perkins as
Sheriff Ben Owens, the too-gentle-for-gunsmoke
lawman whom Fonda undertakes to shape-up. Betsy
Palmer enters the picture as Nona Mayfield, a
woman of conviction who is rather torn between
Hickman and Owens -- seemingly able to see both
sides of their struggle and the implications and
fall-out.
The Vista Vision b&w picture elements are in
reasonably good shape. The grayscale is adequately
balanced. Ditto for contrast and black levels.
Age-related artifacts are present but do not
distract. Digital anomalies are present, but
again, do not distract. The audio is mono but
nicely balanced. There are no extras.
"The Tin Star" is an above average western from a
time when westerns were a dime a dozen. It's
thoughtful and thought provoking and well worth a
look on DVD! |
