Westward The Women and The Life Of Emile Zola Blu-ray Reviews
2 classics from Warner Archive.
From a story penned by the legendary Frank Capra, 1951’s western film “Westward The Women” begins in 1851 in Whitman’s Valley in California where Roy Whitman has carved out a nice life for himself and his men. The only thing missing in their lives is women. Wanting to keep the men happy, Roy and the gruff Buck decide to venture to Chicago to find 150 women to bring back to the Valley. After finding 140 women, Buck leads a wagon train back to California, but the long trip is fraught with peril that includes men quitting, deaths, wagon issues, weather, and so forth.
Written by Charles Schnee and directed by William A. Wellman (who is best known for helming “Wings”), “Westward The Women” is a different kind of western. Yes, there were a fair number of wagon train movies back in the heyday of the westerns, but this one has a lot more going on. It may follow a similar pattern to other films of its kind, but this was an ahead of its time film that dealt with gender roles and dynamics, the harsh realities of wagon train life, smashing stereotypes (a Japanese cowboy named Yoshisuke gets a major role here), survival, and showcasing a wide variety of female characters of different backgrounds, personalities, and skill sets. On top of that, the movie has a very heartfelt story about women seeking new lives, new opportunities, and change. This really hits home in the heartwarming ending (which feels earned).
Story aside, ‘Westward’ impresses as a big and ambitious spectacle. This is a sprawling film with numerous shooting locations, moving pieces, wagons, horses, a giant ensemble cast, and even some action set pieces. Wellman handles it all with ease. The scale of the production is astonishing. This is the type of movie that would never be made now without CGI.
There are several wonderful performances throughout. Robert Taylor shines as the grouchy Buck who gives everyone some tough love in order to make the journey. Veteran John McIntire gives a moving performance as Roy. Hope Emerson steals the movie as Patience (a tough and personable woman of a certain age). Henry Nakamura gives a lot of depth to the character of Yoshisuke outside of the comedic elements. French-American actress Denise Darcel gives a spirited performance as Fifi (who ends up falling for Buck).
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 1.37:1 1080p. How does it look? The B&W gets a beautiful new remastered print.
Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? Expect a clean 2.0 track all-around.
Extras:
* Original theatrical trailer
* Lux Theater Broadcast radio drama
* Commentary by Scott Eyman.
* 2 cartoons titled “The Duck Doctor” and ”Texas Tom.”
* “Challenge The Wilderness”- A 10 minute promo for “Westward The Women”
1937’s “The Life Of Emile Zola” is a biopic on the titular French author. The William Dieterle directed story begins in the early stages of his writing career when Emile and his friend Paul (a painter) are the definition of starving artists in Paris. Luckily, Zola’s life and career soon turn around as he marries Alexandrine and becomes a successful albeit controversial author. You see, Zola writes about injustices and hard truths which doesn’t always sit well with French authorities. The movie races through decades of his life quickly before stopping at the Dreyfus Affair which involved the discovery of a French spy. The Army leaders suspect Captain Dreyfus but he is entirely innocent. They eventually discover the real culprit but cover up the truth to save face. After learning about this shocking story from Mrs. Dreyfus, Zola decides to take a stand against this grave injustice to hopefully free Captain Dreyfus from prison.
The title is a little misleading as it’s not really a biopic about Emile Zola. It’s partially about him. The subject takes a bit of a backseat in his own movie to the Dreyfus Affair. Yes, Zola is present throughout the entire film, but the primary focus of Norman Reilly Raine, Heinz Harold and Geza Herczeg‘s script is the notorious scandal (which occurred in the final years of Zola’s life). That’s not necessarily a negative thing, but it does hamper the story by shortchanging who Zola was and what he wrote about (which isn’t touched upon nearly enough). You’re left wanting to know about the man and his work.
In terms of the Dreyfus Affair story, it remains a sadly relevant tale about corruption, truth, dangerous nationalism, mob rule, and injustice. It’s an unsettling reminder that some things never change even after all this time.
“The Life Of Emile Zola” garnered 10 Oscar nominations (a record at the time), but somehow Paul Muni did not win Best Actor (the film did win Best Picture though). Muni’s energetic, passionate, and transformational performance is nothing short of sensational and is the real reason this movie has stood the test of time. He was truly an underrated and versatile actor that was rather ahead of his time.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 1.37:1 1080p.How does it look? For the most part, this B&W film contains crisp imagery. At some points though (mainly in the beginning) the image quality is subpar with wavy lines.
Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? Sadly, the audio is quite flawed here. The audio (especially the opening scene) tends to be muffled, muted, and sometimes faint.
Extras:
* Original theatrical trailer
* Lux Radio Theater radio drama adaptation
* 2 short films titled “Taking The Count” and “Mal Hallett And His Orchestra.”
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