Santa Fe Trail (1940)
Western • 1h 50m
Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Raymond Massey, Ronald Reagan, Alan Hale, William Lundigan, Van Heflin, Gene Reynolds, Henry O'Neill, Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams, Alan Baxter, John Litel, Moroni Olsen, Hobart Cavanaugh, Charles D. Brown, Joe Sawyer, Frank Wilcox, Ward Bond, Russell Simpson, Charles Middleton, Erville Alderson, Spencer Charters, Susan Peters, William Marshall, George Haywood, Arthur Aylesworth, Roy Barcroft, Trevor Bardette, Edward Biby, Al Bridge, Jess Lee Brooks, Georgia Caine, Lucia Carroll, Eddy Chandler, Lane Chandler, Bud Cokes, Mildred Coles, Harry Cording, Joseph Crehan, Jack Deery, Jim Farley, Mildred Gover, Mitzi Green, Creighton Hale, Henry Hall, Sam Harris, Theresa Harris, Edward Hearn, Russell Hicks, Selmer Jackson, Payne B. Johnson, Victor Kilian, Richard Kipling, Wilfred Lucas, Eric Mayne, Frank Mayo, Tom McGuire, Lafe McKee, Robert McKenzie, Mira McKinney, John Meyer, Frank Mills, Edmund Mortimer, Jack Mower, Nestor Paiva, Bernice Pilot, Alex Proper, Clinton Rosemond, Napoleon Simpson, Walter Soderling, Grace Stafford, Count Stefenelli, Libby Taylor, Ernestine Wade, Eddy Waller, Blackie Whiteford, Ernest Whitman, Maris Wrixon
Best English-friendly & video release · updated 11 months ago
Overview
As a penalty for fighting fellow classmates days before graduating from West Point, J.E.B. Stuart, George Armstrong Custer and four friends are assigned to the 2nd Cavalry, stationed at Fort Leavenworth. While there they aid in the capture and execution of the abolitionist, John Brown following the Battle of Harper's Ferry.
Director: Michael Curtiz
4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
Director: Michael Curtiz
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
Director: Michael Curtiz
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
(caveat: has a slight error)
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
2008 WB Blu-ray (from a 2003 transfer)
(Still not great)
TV series
4K restoration from Original Camera Negative for all episodes
Director: John Ford
Sources: ibb.co (opens in a new tab)
Warner Archive Blu-ray is 4K restoration from nitrate projection elements
Germany Filmjuwelen Blu-ray is AI upscaled https://ibb.co/album/mCJ7RQ
Director: Norman Taurog
4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
Director: Delbert Mann
4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
Director: Lloyd Bacon
4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
More Western on Blu-ray
Director: Anthony Mann
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
Arrow Video Blu-ray
Arrow's deluxe presentation is a fantastic package with great supplements, art and printed materials. Sadly the master is a heavily processed Paramount affair. It has seemingly been severely grain managed and the mono audio is horribly thin when it shouldn't be. Stereo and 5.1 options are also given but they seem to be more of home video remixes. They do not have the fidelity issue of the compromised mono but also show marked differences as if they were remixed from stem sources. This seems to have suffered lesser degrees of the problems that plagued The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance's 4K master. This is the best version to date but one wishes Paramount could leave scans alone.
Director: Anthony Mann
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
Arrow Video Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
The Arrow Video Blu-ray is the best iteration so far coming from a new restoration complete with great supplements and package. The original limited edition version included a second disc with the alternate 2.0:1 framed version. The primary disc is 1.85:1. Older releases pre-2008 were all in Academy ratio. 1.85 is the best compromise ratio for the visuals. As good as this release is, the master is showing its age and sadly has a number of frozen grain artifacts.
Director: Anthony Mann
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
Kino Lorber Blu-ray reissue (4K restoration)
Massive picture upgrade as the 4K restoration addresses the massive color fringing that has plagued all previous dated masters. Oddly the titles are a different color now.
4K restoration is a gigantic and essential picture upgrade but only available on the Kino Blu-ray reissue. No UHD has been made or announced by anyone.
Director: Anthony Mann
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
Eureka MOC Blu-ray
The film only exists in MGM letterbox masters and the HD version upgrades the DVD presentation. Sadly the film still needs a modern restoration and a better audio source. The master holds up very well today regardless and has a very natural appearance. The Eureka BD is far superior to the Kino in encode and extras making it easily the only version to consider.
Director: Anthony Mann
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
Criterion Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Criterion Blu-ray upgrade removes the pictureboxing of their old DVD transfer. New HD discussion extra added to the DVD supplements package and reprints the rare out of print source novel as a paperback.
Director: James Neilson
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
Kino Lorber Blu-ray
2003 Universal DVD
The Universal HD master is appalling. This is a large format early Technirama film that has been hit with a massive amount of DNR resulting in a smeary appearance throughout with little detail. On one hand it is still a better scan than the old DVD with better color and element issues addressed. On the other it is barely above the DVD upscaled in other moments. The mono audio has been horribly processed to sound thin, canned and lacking in overall fidelity. The DVD clearly uses the same source element for picture and sound and here the sound is left alone. It sounds miles better. The Kino BD is technically the best US release but this master has been released in Europe where it likely has better encoding. The Kino BD adds a basic commentary. This film needs a proper transfer and audio presentation desperately. The HD master is so lackluster that the DVD despite its age is arguably preferable in visuals and certainly far superior in audio.
Director: Anthony Mann
Criterion 4K Blu-ray, Universal 2008 DVD
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
2008 Universal DVD mono
The mono on the Criterion is severely filtered resulting in it sounding incredibly muffled. It is nearly as filtered as the 2003 original Universal DVD which had extreme filtering and sounds horribly thin. The 2008 DVD remaster and original Laserdisc analog mastering are mostly left alone. The original LD master is from a worn element but otherwise sounds very natural. The 2008 DVD is the highest quality version we have without the heavy filtering and the defects of the LD master. It isn't perfect but easily the best of the main four sources by a dramatic margin.
The existing 4K SDR restoration looks excellent, but the Criterion extras are limited and disappointing. The classic Stewart interview commentary from the LD is ported over but given a new mastering. Compared to past releases it has been very slightly noise reduced.
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