Search - Legendary Westerns: Ultimate Collection on DVD

The wild, public-domain West. Here are the 19 films on the s

Douglas S. Vandiver | California | 10/02/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I provide this information in the absence of a listing on Amazon or on the website of the publisher (St. Clair Entertainment).

The rankings are not mine, but are taken from user ratings on the Internet Move Database. I hope this info is helpful for fellow
customers. :)

Disc 1 of 6
- The Grand Duel
1973, color
Director: Giancarlo Santi
Lee Van Cleef, Horst Frank.
A grizzled ex-sheriff helps a man framed for murder.
rated 6.1 of 10 stars
- This Man Can't Die
1968, color
Dir: Gianfranco Baldanello
Guy Madison, Lucienne Bridou
Cowboy seeks revenge against the men who killed his parents.
rated 4.6 of 10
- It Can Be Done, Amigo
1971, color
Dir: Maurizio Lucidi
Jack Palance, Bud Spencer
A drifter with fast fists and a gunfighter- pimp with fast guns help a child to claim his inheritance.
rated 5.2 of 10

Disc 2 of 6
- Minnesota Clay
1965, color
Dir: Sergio Corbucci
Cameron Mitchell, Georges Riviere
Minnesota Clay seeks revenge on the man who withheld evidence at his trial.
rated 5.8 of 10
- Johnny Yuma
1967, color
Dir: Romolo Guerrieri
Mark Damon, Lawrence Dobkin
A widow and her lover try to keep Johnny from getting his inheritance.
rated 6.4 of 10
- Any Gun Can Play
1969, color
Dir: Enzo G. Castellari
Gilbert Roland, Edd Byrnes
Protagonists clash over gold.
rated 5.9 of 10

Disc 3 of 6
- Death Rides a Horse
1984, color
Dir: Giulio Petroni
Lee Van Cleef, John Phillip Law
Gunfighter wants revenge on the robbers who murdered his family years before.
rated 7.0 of 10
- The Hellbenders
1967, color
Dir: Sergio Corbucci
Joseph Cotten, Norma Bengell
A family plans to use stolen money as a way to revive the Confederacy.
rated 6.8 of 10
- White Comanche
1968, color
Dir: José Briz Méndez
Joseph Cotten, William Shatner
Two half-brothers (William Shatner and William Shatner) reunite after leading different lives.
rated 3.9 of 10

Disc 4 of 6
- The Big Trees
1952, B&W
Dir: Felix E. Feist
Kirk Douglas, Eve Miller
A Quaker colony tries to save giant sequoias from a timber baron.
rated 5.7 of 10
- Santa Fe Trail
1940, B&W
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Ronald Reagan, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland
Jeb Stuart's adventures just prior to the Civil War involve General Custer, Kit Carson, and abolitionist John Brown.
rated 6.2 of 10
- Vengeance Valley
1951, B&W
Dir: Richard Thorpe
Burt Lancaster, Robert Walker
A rancher baron's adopted son and biological son clash.
rated 5.7 of 10

Disc 5 of 6
- The Outlaw
1943, B&W
Dir: Howard Hughes
Jane Russell, Walter Huston
Doc Holliday and his girlfriend meet Billy the Kid.
rated 5.6 of 10
- Rage at Dawn
1955, color
Dir: Tim Whelan
Randolph Scott, Forrest Tucker
To catch the outlaw Reno brothers, a Federal Agent goes undercover as a train robber.
rated 5.9 of 10
- Abilene Town
1946, B&W
Dir: Edwin L. Marin
Randolph Scott, Ann Dvorak, Lloyd Bridges
A Sheriff deals with homesteader conflicts in a growing town following the Civil War.
rated 6.5 of 10

Disc 6 of 6
- Blue Steel
1934, B&W
Dir: Robert N. Bradbury
John Wayne, Gabby Hayes
A U.S. Marshal, investigating a robbery, discovers a larger, dastardly scheme.
rated 5.6 of 10
- The Painted Desert
1931, B&W
Dir: Howard Higgin
Clark Gable, Bill Boyd
Friends turn into enemies over a baby boy they find in the desert.
rated 5.5 of 10
- Sing Cowboy Sing
1937, B&W
Dir: Robert N. Bradbury
Tex Ritter, Louise Stanley
A corrupt judge is challenged by two cowboys riding into town.
rated 4.9 of 10
- My Pal Trigger
1946, B&W
Dir: Frank McDonald
Dale Evans, Roy Rogers, Trigger
Trigger's origin story.
rated 6.4 of 10

So, what we have here, as you can tell from a glance at the directors' names and release dates, is a set half of which is Spaghetti Westerns from guys who'll never be as well known and well regarded as Sergio Leone, and half of which comes from Hollywood in the Golden Age of the Western, but is really strictly programmers. The well-known actors that appear on this set once or twice have done better work in other movies. You'll find nothing from John Ford, nothing starring Clint Eastwood. In other words, by no means is this an "ultimate collection" of "legendary westerns."

But that's OK, because I assume everyone knows this sort of public-domain film set will usually have a grandiose-sounding title, and so we don't begrudge St. Clair Entertainment for naming it thus. (Imagine a set titled "Average Westerns, the Adequate Collection"!) These films ARE average. Therefore, consider buying this box set if you feel that average Westerns can have a place on your shelf alongside the truly legendary ones you presumably already have.

Need an added incentive? How about the bonus features St. Clair includes? Yes, each disc has something as a bonus, as follows:
Disc 1: Showdowns
Disc 2: Edd Byrnes Bio
Disc 3: Spaghetti Westerns trailers
Disc 4: Rare radio episode and photo gallery of "The Lone Ranger"
Disc 5: Stories of the Century presents: Billy the Kid
Disc 6: Rare classic Western trailers, including "The Westerner," "The Magnificent Seven," "Shane," and more

Picture and sound quality? Just fine. I say this with the confession that so far, I have seen only "The Outlaw" on disc 5 and the bonus included on that disc (Which is a 26-minute television episode, an action-packed detective/Western drama starring no actors you probably know, but entertaining nonetheless). Picture quality was about comparable to VHS, and scratchy in places as befitting its age. Sound had some hiss. But these minor quibbles did not interfere with enjoyment of the movie. I assume the same (more or less) can be said about the other movies here. I'll also note that there is no watermarking (company logos on screen) during the movie, as some public domain outfits persist in using.

To sum up: Know what you're getting, and if these films seem like they're up your alley, go for it. But steer clear of this product if you cannot imagine yourself sitting down to enjoy 26 hours and 19 minutes of Western cinema from the wonderful average land of the public domain."