Hang 'em High

PHOTOS 1 & 2: Bob Steele in ‘Hang ‘em High’ and in the 1930sPHOTOS 3 & 4: Charles McGraw in ‘Hang ‘em High’ and in 1949In 2011 MGM Home Video issued Clint Eastwood’s first American western on Blu-Ray:  Hang 'Em High [Blu-ray ]I haven’t seen it, but some Amazon reviewers complained that the picture was not restored for Blu-Ray release, and was basically just a reissue of the old DVD master.The new 50th Anniversary Blu-Ray of ‘Hang ‘em High’ from Shout does not claim to be newly restored, but I have seen it and can confirm that the picture looks quite good on my 40 inch screen.There are a few differences: the MGM blu-ray had English SDH and Spanish subtitles,the Shout 50th Anniversary blu-ray only has English SDH subtitles.The MGM blu-ray had audio in 5.1 DTS-HD surround or in the original mono.The new 50th Anniversary blu-ray has audio in 5.1 DTS-HD surround or in 2.0-HD stereo (excellent stereo sound - though released in mono in 1968, I am guessing that unused music and sound effect tracks tracks survive and were used for the blu-ray).The MGM blu-ray had NO bonus features.The Shout 50th Anniversary Edition has two separate full-length audio commentaries + the original 1968 Warner Brothers’ preview of coming attractions.WARNING: DO NOT VIEW THE PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE VIEWED THE MOVIE.It has a HORRIBLE spoiler that will completely ruin the big surprise that comes in chapter 11 of the blu-ray.What was Warner Brothers thinking?DON’T WATCH IT!Both 50th Anniversary audio commentaries are well-done, though screenwriter Lem Dobbs can’t tell the difference between a lamb and a cow.The 50th Anniversary blu-ray comes with a reversible cover (photos 5 & 6).In baseball, the Minor Leagues are the training ground for the Major LeaguesBack in the 1950’s and ‘60s, Warner Brothers had their own Minor League: Television.Television was viewed as a training ground for Movie stardom.Most actors never made the transition, but there were exceptions.Clint Eastwood, star of “Rawhide”, was the most spectacular exception. Can you name the others? – see the footnote at the end of this review.*‘Hang ‘em High’ was actually Clint Eastwood’s fourth starring film.While his TV show was on hiatus, Sergio Leone invited Eastwood to star in his Italian “man with no name” trilogy:‘A Fistful of Dollars’-1964, ‘For a Few Dollars More’-1965, ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’-1966.These films were not released in America until after “Rawhide”s cancellation.Their popularity with American audiences took Warner Brothers completely by surprise.The studio reacted quickly by signing Eastwood to his first starring role in an American film.To save time, Warner hired TV director Ted Post, director of 24 episodes of “Rawhide”, and someone Eastwood was comfortable working with, to direct ‘Hang ‘em High’.The picture was a hit, and led to Eastwood co-starring with Richard Burton in ‘Where Eagles Dare’ later that year (his first prestige film).‘Hang ‘em High’ was filmed in Hollywood on MGM’s Western set - the film looks like an American Western.The only nod to Leone’s Italian trilogy is the music by Dominic Frontierre which imitates (or is an homage to) Ennio Morricone, plus the tiny cigars that Eastwood smokes (he also wears the same gun belt he wore in the Italian films).‘Hang ‘em High’ looks good and has the greatest supporting cast of any Eastwood western:--- Ed Begley--- Ben Johnson (one year before ‘The Wild Bunch’)--- Bruce Dern at his weaseliest--- Dennis Hopper at his squirreliest (one year before ‘Easy Rider’)--- Pat Hingle--- Alan Hale Jr. (his first film after “Gilligan’s Island’ was cancelled)--- L.Q. Jones+ two Legends of Hollywood, neither of whom had aged well:--- Bob Steele: the B-Movie western star appeared in 242 films between 1920 and 1974 (photos 1 & 2)--- Charles McGraw: the Film Noir leading man played both detectives and crooks in 139 films between 1942 and 1977 (photos 3 & 4)--- Inger Stevens is officially listed as the leading lady, but she doesn’t have much to do except look enigmatic.Clint Eastwood’s “Angel of Death” trilogy:‘Hang ‘em High’ (1968), ‘High Plains Drifter’ (1973), ‘Pale Rider’ (1985) - in each film the Clint Eastwood character is believed to be dead, but comes back to life to seek justice/vengeance.* Stars of TV Westerns who became Movie Stars:--- Clint Eastwood as Rowdy Yates in “Rawhide” (1959-1965)--- Steve McQueen as Josh Randall in “Wanted Dead or Alive” (1958-1961)--- James Garner as Bret Maverick in “Maverick” (1957-1960)--- Roger Moore as Beau Maverick in “Maverick” (1960-1962) - James Garner quit the show after three seasons and was replaced by cousin Beau from England (I was eleven years old and was devastated).Stars of TV Westerns who did not become Movie Stars:--- Eric Fleming, Clint Eastwood’s co-star on “Rawhide” (the poor guy drowned while filming a TV show the year after “Rawhide” was cancelled).--- James Arness in “Gunsmoke” (1955-1975)--- Clint Walker in “Cheyenne” (1955-1963) - R.I.P 2018 - this town ain’t big enough for two Clints.--- Ty Hardin in “Bronco” (1958-1962)--- Chuck Connors in the “Rifleman” (1958-1963)--- Nick Adams in “The Rebel” (1959-1961) - the least P.C. show on television - his death in 1968 was ruled a suicide (or was it?)--- Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon in “Bonanza” (1959-73)

I first saw "Hang 'Em High" in the theater when I was 19. Well, I'm 67 now and I got on DVD and I appreciate it even more. It was released in the summer of 1968, just months after Clint Eastwood's first big hit "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." He plays Jed Cooper, a former Deputy U.S. Marshal in the Oklahoma territory in 1889. In the the opening of the film, he's hung by a bunch of vigilantes for cattle rustling. He's soon found by a deputy and cut down from the tree. He's an innocent man. He soon recovers , gets his old job back as a deputy U. S. Marshal and goes after the men who lynched him. Directed by Ted Post ,who directed some episodes of Eastwood's CBS western series "Rawhide." He does a fine job here. It features the lovely Inger Stevens as his leading lady in one of her final roles. And a good score by Dominic Frontiere. A hit at the box-office and got good ratings when it was first broadcast on the ABC network. The tagline for the movie poster read..... " The hanging was the best show in town. They made two mistakes. They hung the wrong man. And they didn't finish the job."

Justice served

Of course with Clint Eastwood, it’s good movie. But it is not one of his best. But, unlike a lot of his movies people are all dressed. Besides the hanging thing and hanging things I don’t recall too much violence, besides gun fights. I would watch it first before letting your kids watch it so you can decide if it’s good enough for kids 16 or above.

I watched this on Amazon Prime which was not ultra-wide screen. I don't know if the last Blu-Ray is the same aspect so I'l limit my comments to what I watched. The print on Amazon is very good. It isn't extremely crisp, but reveals adequate resolution with good color while being a bit soft thus having film grain. I like that look when it is reproduced well and here it's good enough.After his Sergio Leone trilogy success Clint gets his first American Malpaso production with "Hang 'Em High". It worked well as he assumes his character of avenging man back from death's doorstep. It paved a path of this kind of western hero for the next two films similar, but each unique, stories. That is to say there is ample good in the premise which the strong supporting casts supports well. Set before statehood, and uniform law, it uses the struggle of achieving order in a time of vigilante justice. Clint's character Cooper straddles the bridge between the burgeoning justice one territory judge is implementing and the general lawlessness of the time. In the first scene all of ugly of vigilante justice reins down on Cooper (Eastwood) with all that follows being the path his character takes for revenge while attempting to do so within the law. Of course it's an uneasy combination which Cooper struggles with. This gives the story it's oomph along with the screen power of Eastwood and the fine casting. Everything that makes Clint Eastwood a great western actor is here. Polar different than The Duke he has already found his core character that will be successfully recycled throughout his career. So, Clint proves his American westerns will take up where his previous spaghetti ones plowed so well. Yes, this is a must see for all western and Clint fans, and it's good enough for all.

Husband loved it (rented it while I was at work, sneaky guy). I hated it. We watched it continuously until it expired. But it was worth the $3.99 to make him happy.

Good movie

This is a review of the 2013 All Region Blu-ray from Warner Home Video. The film plays in Widescreen and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Though the film dates from 1968, it looks beautifully sharp and clear.Clint Eastwood is now one of the greatest stars that Hollywood has ever produced, a master of film, who has moved effortlessly from acting, to direction and production. And he is still busily creating, into his 90s. But in 1968, he was back working in the US again, fresh from starring in a raft of ground-breaking, mould-breaking films, largely Westerns, mostly made by Italians in Spain ~ the now-famous ‘Spaghetti’ Westerns beginning with ‘A Fistful of Dollars’(1964). Before that, from 1959, he had won a considerable reputation in the TV Western series, ‘Rawhide’. Westerns had, it is fair to say, cemented his reputation.The Spaghetti westerns, released in the US in succession during 1967, were very successful with audiences, but panned, even reviled, by the critics. However, the money from them allowed Eastwood to launch his own production company, Malpaso Productions, named after the creek on his California property. This film, appropriately enough a Revisionist Western not a million miles away in flavour from Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti variety, was Malpaso’s first venture. It was made jointly with United Artists, and very successful it proved to be, for both companies.The film was made in DeLuxe Color, with an excellent ‘Spaghetti Western’-style score by Dominic Frontiere. It was filmed around Las Cruces, New Mexico, a brutally stark, arid, setting, standing in for Oklahoma Territory in 1889. The story was by Mel Goldberg, a writer of innumerable TV series episodes including for Westerns like ‘Bonanza’ ,’The Virginian’ and the original ‘Hawaii Five-O’; and Leonard Freeman, ‘Five-O’s creator. There was a bid to interest Eastwood in the (as it turned out) excruciatingly bad star-vehicle Western ‘Mackenna's Gold’; Eastwood far preferred this script. He offered a few amendments, and it was a done deal.The story is fiction, but it draws on real historical events and people, in Western Arkansas. There really was a ‘Hanging Judge’, Isaac Parker, a man with very liberal views about slavery (anti), women (pro enfranchisement) and Indian affairs (pro fair and supportive treatment), but strongly in favour of hanging to enforce order. He used US Marshals extensively, in dangerous but essential work.The resulting film fully deserves its ’18’ Certificate. It is unapologetically violent and uncompromising, painting a merciless picture of the brutal men and harsh life ~ and death ~ that stalked the Territory. It also highlights the hypocrisy. Regular Western stars like Ben Johnson, LQ Jones, Bruce Dern and Ed Begley provide tough, unyielding portrayals on both sides of the law. Character actor Pat Hingle is excellent as the Judge. And Clint gives us a quintessential Eastwood performance, a man of few words save occasional wry comments, and decisive, lethal action.This is by no means Eastwood’s finest Western, but it is exciting, relentless and dark. 4 uncompromising Stars.

Firstly, I got the MGM vanilla disc. The transfer is very good quality with some very crisp close ups. Some 2nd unit wide shots were very poor to begin with so not much can be done to improve those. So for anyone who likes the movie, this is a good version to get.Secondly, the movie itself is very uneven in tone but worth seeing if you are a Clint fan. There is some interesting sub text about how just the law is, but it is notfully explored. Stella Stevens is ineffective in an unecessary sub-plot which is made cringe-worthy because of some awful 70's romantic music. The action sequences are poorly staged and the film only gets by on Clint's charisma and some good supporting actors, including Ben Johnson, Bruce Dern and Ed Begley

Bought this Blu Ray to replace my old DVD version. The transfer to Blu Ray is disappointing and inconsistent. Some scenes are clean and sharp but long shots were poor. The soundtrack was stereo which is an improvement from the DVD version.

The film itself is as good as ever, but not worth the upgrade from DVD to Blu Ray. Very little to no restoration has been done to justify the film’s release on Blu Ray. Mainly just as grainy as the original...

Fantastic cast of the best supporting actors of the day and brilliant music throughout by the great Dominic Frontiere.