The Big Trail (1930)
Drama, Western • 2h 2m
Overview
Young scout Breck Coleman leads a wagon train along the dangerous trail to Oregon as he tries to get the affection of the beautiful pioneer Ruth Cameron and plans his revenge on the harsh scoundrels who murdered a friend of his in the past.
Director: Raoul Walsh
Cast: John Wayne, Marguerite Churchill, El Brendel, Tully Marshall, Tyrone Power Sr., David Rollins, Frederick Burton, Ian Keith, Charles Stevens, Louise Carver, Victor Adamson, Phyllis Bainbridge, Chief John Big Tree, Ward Bond, Nora Bush, Martin Cichy, Don Coleman, Curley Dresden, Adabelle Driver, Emslie Emerson, Alphonse Ethier, Theresa Garon, William Gillis, Dannie Mac Grant, Virginia Griffith, Marcia Harris, Marilyn Harris, Al Haskell, DeWitt Jennings, Jack Kenny, Bert Keys, John Lawrence Kneedy, Ann Kunde, Marjorie Leet, Marion Lessing, Frances Martinson, Frank McGrath, William V. Mong, Pete Morrison, Beth Nagel, Dodo Newton, Artie Ortego, Jack Padjan, Helen Parrish, Harvey Parry, Jack Peabody, Russ Powell, Frank Rainboth, Apache Bill Russell, Lucile Sewall, Andy Shuford, Tom Smith, Jean Stoddard, Gertrude Van Lent, Lucille Van Lent, Sherwood Bailey, Jay Berger, George Ernest, Jackie Lowe, Billy Naylor, Buster Phelps, Buster Slaven, Whitehorse, Bill Wilson
Director: Robert Wise
Disney 4K Blu-ray, see caps https://slow.pics/c/hE3HUCdj
Disney 4K Atmos is great, a reference quality track. It's a very slight remix (music seems to be from a better source), but it's completely seamless and faithful to the original, better fidelity than anything since the 1994 30th Anniversary Edition LaserDisc.
All DVDs (and 2010 Blu-ray) sound far worse than the 4K Blu-ray/LaserDisc and have various missing sound cues.
Director: Robert Wise
Disney 4K Blu-ray, see caps https://slow.pics/c/hE3HUCdj
Disney 4K Atmos is great, a reference quality track. It's a very slight remix (music seems to be from a better source), but it's completely seamless and faithful to the original, better fidelity than anything since the 1994 30th Anniversary Edition LaserDisc.
All DVDs (and 2010 Blu-ray) sound far worse than the 4K Blu-ray/LaserDisc and have various missing sound cues.
Director: André de Toth
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: André de Toth
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: Sidney Lumet
2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray
2011 Criterion Blu-ray is the best. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has heavily filtered audio
Director: Sidney Lumet
2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray
2011 Criterion Blu-ray is the best. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has heavily filtered audio
Director: John McTiernan
Director: John McTiernan
Director: John Ford
Director: John Ford
1991 Warner Bros LaserDisc (for original mono track)
1996 Warner Bros 25th Anniversary LaserDisc has isolated music and effects track (incorrectly labeled "music minus vocals") not present on any other release
1991 Warner Bros LaserDisc (for original mono track)
1996 Warner Bros 25th Anniversary LaserDisc has isolated music and effects track (incorrectly labeled "music minus vocals") not present on any other release
Director: Alfred E. Green
Director: Alfred E. Green
Director: John Waters
Director: John Waters
Director: Nicholas Ray
Director: Nicholas Ray
Director: Raoul Walsh
Warner Archive Blu-ray 4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
Director: Raoul Walsh
Warner Archive Blu-ray 4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
Director: Raoul Walsh
Director: Raoul Walsh
Director: Raoul Walsh
Director: Raoul Walsh
Director: Raoul Walsh
Kino Lorber Cary Grant Collection Blu-ray
Kino Lorber Cary Grant Collection Blu-ray
Director: Raoul Walsh
Kino Lorber Cary Grant Collection Blu-ray
Kino Lorber Cary Grant Collection Blu-ray
Director: Raoul Walsh
Director: Raoul Walsh
Director: Raoul Walsh
Director: Raoul Walsh
Director: Raoul Walsh
Director: Raoul Walsh
Director: Raoul Walsh
Director: Raoul Walsh
Director: Raoul Walsh
Director: Raoul Walsh
Director: Robert Altman
Director: Robert Altman
Director: Harold D. Schuster
Director: Harold D. Schuster
Director: Tay Garnett
Director: Tay Garnett
Director: Otto Preminger
Director: Otto Preminger
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Director: Martin Scorsese
Director: Martin Scorsese
Director: David Fincher
Disney 4K Blu-ray or Fox 2009 Blu-ray or Kinowelt Entertainment 2008 Germany Blu-ray for a purist version
Disney 4K Blu-ray or Fox 2009 Blu-ray for a purist version or Kinowelt Entertainment 2008 Germany Blu-ray from the original 1999 telecine transfer
Disney 4K Blu-ray, while a good release by itself, is very revisionist albeit made by Fincher. It has a huge amount of tinkering, a different grade, and at times uncanny with the sharpening. Caps of just how revisionist the new master is.
Cinema DTS - all Blu-ray tracks have significant limiting.
Disney 4K Blu-ray has some alterations, otherwise similar to the Fox Blu-ray
A blog article going over the home video history of Fight Club: https://notonbluray.com/blog/fight-club-compared-blu-ray-vs-itunes-vs-d-vhs-vs-dvd-vs-laserdisc/
Director: David Fincher
Disney 4K Blu-ray or Fox 2009 Blu-ray or Kinowelt Entertainment 2008 Germany Blu-ray for a purist version
Disney 4K Blu-ray or Fox 2009 Blu-ray for a purist version or Kinowelt Entertainment 2008 Germany Blu-ray from the original 1999 telecine transfer
Disney 4K Blu-ray, while a good release by itself, is very revisionist albeit made by Fincher. It has a huge amount of tinkering, a different grade, and at times uncanny with the sharpening. Caps of just how revisionist the new master is.
Cinema DTS - all Blu-ray tracks have significant limiting.
Disney 4K Blu-ray has some alterations, otherwise similar to the Fox Blu-ray
A blog article going over the home video history of Fight Club: https://notonbluray.com/blog/fight-club-compared-blu-ray-vs-itunes-vs-d-vhs-vs-dvd-vs-laserdisc/
Edit History
11/12/2025
Format
Added
1080p Blu-ray
Added
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly Release
Added
Fox BD
Added
Fox BD
Best Video Release
Added
US Fox BD > FR BD see DVDBeaver review, no comparison available with DE Koch BD
Added
US Fox BD > FR BD see DVDBeaver review, no comparison available with DE Koch BD
Blu-ray.com
Added
https://www.blu-ray.com/The-Big-Trail/105655/#Releases
Added
https://www.blu-ray.com/The-Big-Trail/105655/#Releases
