The restored Rio Bravo, which premiered late last week at the TCM Classic Film Festival, is currently streaming on Max in 4K UHD. I just watched about a half-hour’s worth, and there’s NOTHING extra or bumpy about it. It looks fine, but it doesn’t add any fresh clarity or deeper blacks or anything. Not to my eyes, it doesn’t.
Friendo: “Streaming is storming. It should look fine. The original camera negative, beyond fading, was basically near pristine. Look at the highlights in Dean Martin’s hair. If you see blue, it’s off the faded neg. If not, it’s been corrected. That’s your easiest tell.”
One of my biggest complaints about Rio Bravo is that the ornery cowpokes inside the saloon look like actors who’ve been dressed by a professional costumer. Especially Claude Akins, who plays the evil and arrogant Joe Burdette. Look at what he’s wearing — striped pants, a new black wide-brim hat, a freshly pressed olive green shirt with three buttons on the shirt cuffs, and an expensive cowhide vest. He looks like he bought his western duds at Nudie’s.
The restored Land of the Pharoahs (’55) is also streaming on Max. It includes a nice Martin Scorsese introductory essay at the very beginning. It’s worth noting that costar Joan Collins, whose harem-costume sexuality was a major selling point, doesn’t make her entrance until the 46-minute mark.
Also East of Eden.