What’s most disappointing is that it doesn’t appear much if any restoration work has been done: damage is heavy, the film littered with tram lines, scratches and marks.
Unfortunately to fit all of the content on the disc Criterion has heavily compressed this version of the film onto the disc (though longer the file actually is about half the size of the main feature’s) and I suspect this feeds into some of the problems that pop up: some noise is present and banding gets particularly bad in some of the night sequences. This version was scanned at 2K, and not 4K like the theatrical cut, but that’s actually not too much of an issue as detail levels are still very good. The first 19-minutes are the same (more than likely because the first reel of the pre-release version is gone, so the theatrical cut is used in its place) but after this there are some subtle alterations and some completely new sequences, along with the removal of some music cues (which McBride says was more than likely Ford’s intent.) It’s noticeably different in tone, a bit darker and slower than the theatrical cut, and retains the “handshake” at the end that even Zanuck apparently preferred (it was changed to a kiss after test audiences reacted in an unwanted manner: they laughed), offering an excellent alternate cut of the film.Īs to the presentation I am sad to say the same amount of work that went into the theatrical cut did not go into this one.
It should be stressed (as McBride notes in his commentary) that this does not represent the director’s cut of the film but is rather a sort of stop-gap between Ford’s original cut and the final theatrical release that Zanuck put together. Like the previous Fox DVD Criterion next includes the 103-minute pre-release version of the film. He can drone on a bit here and there, but McBride, though prepared, at least doesn’t feel like he’s reading from a script making it at least feel a little more spontaneous. He mentions the influence of the war on the film (this was the first film for most of those involved since the Second World War) and of course comments on Ford’s compositions and striking vista shots. Zanuck and the falling out that occurred after Zanuck cut My Darling Clementine down, and he also talks about the working relationship between Ford and star Henry Fonda, with the two also experiencing a falling out later on. He talks about the relationship between Ford and studio head Daryl F. He of course talks about the historical accuracies of the film (which are very few) and then the various versions of the film, offering a fairly concise history, and comparing the theatrical version to the pre-release version at certain moments, the only alternate cut that still exists. Mixed with the filmic transfer this release easily presents the best looking presentation of the film yet.Ĭriterion’s edition of My Darling Clementine first features a new audio commentary by Ford biographer Joseph McBride, who covers a variety of subjects around the film. It’s certainly the cleanest I’ve ever seen the film. The print is in stunning shape, with only a few minor scratches and marks remaining. Contrast levels looks decent enough, maybe a little dark in some interiors, but whites and blacks are nicely balanced and gray level shifts are clean and natural. Close-ups present a wonderful amount of detail in faces and costumes, as do the gorgeous vista shots that appear throughout. Looking very filmic the image delivers sharp details with crisp, cleanly defined edges, and renders the film’s very fine film grain perfectly. The new restoration and transfer is certainly impressive, improving drastically over Fox’s own previous DVD edition. The dual-layer disc presents the film in its original aspect ratio of about 1.33:1 in 1080p/24hz. The theatrical version of John Ford’s My Darling Clementine receives a new transfer (taken from a new 4K restoration), and is being released by The Criterion Collection on Blu-ray.
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