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  Directed by
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  Specs
  • Widescreen 2.35:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • French: Dolby Digital Mono
  • Italian: Dolby Digital Mono
  Subtitles
    English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, Arabic, Portuguese, English - Hearing Impaired, Italian - Hearing Impaired
  Extras

    Pale Rider

    Warner Bros./Warner Home Video . R4 . COLOR . 111 mins . M15+ . PAL

      Feature
    Contract

    In 1985, veteran gunslinger Clint Eastwood returned to the Western after a nine year absence; his last outing being The Outlaw Josey Wales in the twilight of 1976. The result was Pale Rider and, despite being panned by critics as a derivative and erm pale imitation of the classic western Shane, it remains one of my favourite Westerns to this day. It seems in that, at least, I am not alone. Why it remains so popular with fans is hard to say. For me it may be simply that this, as a wide-eyed young moviegoer, was the first Eastwood film, and the first Western, that I saw on the big screen. Whatever the reason, with its stereotypical story-line, enigmatic hero and downright evil villains, Pale Rider makes for classic gun-toting, tough-talking, tobacco-chewing, spur-clinking, escapist entertainment.

    "Behold, a pale horse - and he who sat on him was death..."

    In the wilds of California's gold-country a large and wealthy mining company, having nearly exhausted its current claims, sets its sights on the land currently occupied by a motley group of independent prospectors; an idyllic little valley by the name of Carbon Canyon. With the incumbents possessing legal claim over the land, the company’s sinister owner LaHood (Richard A. Dysart) begins a program of terror and harassment to drive them out. But just as their will is about to break, as if in answer to their prayers a mysterious rider (Eastwood) descends out of the snow covered mountains and into their lives; routing LaHood’s thugs with the deft application of hickory, sledgehammer and fist.

    Needless to say the women swoon over, and the men are emboldened by, this gruff and enigmatic stranger; a man who wears the collar of a preacher and who is apt to administer the wrath of god. Imploring him to stay, the miners resolve to stay on and fight LaHood to the bitter end. However, duly enraged, LaHood is not one to roll over so easily; enlisting the help of a band of infamous mercenaries and their brutal leader Stockburn (John Russell) to wipe the miners out. Will the Eastwood death-stare be the match of seven highly trained and heavily armed killers?

    There is no doubt that in Pale Rider we have seen it all before – albeit slight variations on a theme. Essentially a retelling of the classic Shane story, Pale Rider represented an attempt by Eastwood to sell the Western to an ’80s audience; a genre that had been effectively relegated to the previous decade. So derivative a story may well stem from this fact alone; Eastwood distilling the essence of the genre-that-was, into a film that was high on entertainment despite being low on critical acclaim. Me? I just love the genre - especially its heroes - like the preacher, that lack of any kind of character arc, any ‘hero’s journey’, they just kick arse at the start of the film, during the middle of the film, and at the end of the film too. They don't get captured, they don't get injured, hell, they don't even get dirty! They just beat the living piss out of everyone and everything that stands in their way. Hell, if more preachers were like Clint, I might think about going to church once or twice before I die.

    That Clint is as deft a director as he is an actor is merely icing on the cake. The film is perfectly paced, and the wonderful scenery of Idaho's Sawtooth National Park is beautifully framed. Clint gives a characteristically polished performance in his signature lone-wolf role; a role that he had long since perfected before Pale Rider came along. But he also extracts fine performances from his supporting cast, including Michael Moriarty as the leader of the downtrodden miners and a younq Chris Penn as LaHood’s cocky son Josh. Even that Jaws guy from Bond makes a memorable and endearing appearance.

    Yes, derivative it may be, but that is the Western genre; a genre that Clint Eastwood has made all his own. Ultimately, Pale Rider is a Western for fans of the Western; Eastwood's Preacher providing an indelible snapshot, an assemblage of some of the 20th century’s most well-loved cinema characters. I suggest all you wannabe gunslingers might want to mosey on out right now and see what the hell I'm yackin' about...

      Video
    Contract

    Sporting a widescreen, anamorphic transfer at its original theatrical aspect ratio (2.35:1), Warner's single-layer DVD release of Pale Rider certainly looks better than the film’s previous home-video incarnations. Displaying an impressive level of foreground detail, Clint’s grizzly unshaven face is thrown into sharp relief, and the film’s stunning vistas expand to fill the frame. Colours are rich and full; varying from the browns of winter-burned grass and the miner’s dig sites, to the rich greens of poplar trees and the clear blue sky. Skin tones too are faithfully reproduced, and black level is perfect. In general, the print is beautiful and clean, with only one or two white specks evident for the duration, and in general the film-to-video process has not introduced undue aliasing or moire. The many instances of smoke, be they campfire or the thick black chuff of steam trains are all handled well without a hint of posterisation.

    It’s not all good news though, with a few inherent problems with the source material manifesting themselves in the transfer. For instance, shadow detail is disappointing - with large areas of black occupying areas between, and even sometimes containing, actors during key scenes. At times the film also displays a noticeable amount of grain; and often in shots that you’d never expect. Never in the foreground but inhabiting the background of both brighter and darker shots alike, at times this film grain reduces the depth of detail considerably; introducing shimmer in shots that contain a large amount of fine background elements such as foliage and gravel. On several occasions, noticeable edge enhancement can also be seen.

    Still, although it has its problems, Pale Rider has scrubbed up remarkably well on DVD. The image is sharp and colourful, foreground detail is impressive and the film contains some truly spectacular 'big country’ scenery. What more could you ask? Fans of the film should be well pleased with Warner’s offering.

      Audio
    Contract

    Despite receiving the digital remastering treatment for its release onto DVD, Pale Rider’s spanking new Dolby Digital 5.1 remix remains a by-product of the film’s mid-'80s pedigree. The soundtrack begins strongly enough, and as the film opens ambient sound, including the singing of birds and the splash of a cascading stream, can clearly be heard in the rear channels as can the jangle of Lennie Neihaus’ derivative Western score. Indeed, as La-Hood’s gang comes a whoopin’ and a hollerin’ down from the mountains to wreak terror on the hapless miners, both front and rear channels ring with the galloping of hooves, the crack of gunfire, and the screams of the womenfolk.

    But even as the first scene comes to a close, so too the surround activity dies away; returning again to whip up some obligatory wind for the final shootout, but adding ambience to precious few scenes in-between. Likewise, the subwoofer has little to do; effectively silent for the duration – and conspicuous by its absence when the preacher starts lobbing sticks of fizzing TNT about the place. Thankfully the dialogue remains clear and distinct throughout and, as such, although Pale Rider isn’t going to garner any awards for its audio, what we get is serviceable enough and rather in keeping with what is fast becoming a genre lost to the ages.

      Extras
    Contract

    Just the sigh of wind and the tumbling tumbleweeds. This barest of bones release doesn't even provide a dusty old trailer...

      Overall  
    Contract

    That Clint Eastwood succeeded with Pale Rider in the '80s and even more spectacularly with Unforgiven in the '90s is a testament to his skill as a director and his mastery of the Western. Whereas Unforgiven tore up the rulebook and deconstructed the genre, Pale Rider represents its definitive example; a distilling and perfecting of the Western into its purest, most entertaining form.

    Whilst Warner's DVD release of Pale Rider is the barest of bones, I would heartily recommend that anyone with even the faintest interest in the genre give it a spin at least once. Eastwood fans will definitely want to own a copy, either on its own or now as part of Warner's Eastwood Collection.


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      And I quote...
    "The definitive genre film, Pale Rider makes for classic gun-toting, tough-talking, tobacco-chewing, spur-clinking fun."
    - Gavin Turner
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Toshiba SD-2108
    • TV:
          Panasonic TC-68P90A TAU (80cm)
    • Receiver:
          Yamaha RX-V795
    • Amplifier:
          Yamaha RX-V795
    • Speakers:
          B&W 602
    • Centre Speaker:
          B&W CC6 S2
    • Surrounds:
          JM Lab Cobalt SR20
    • Subwoofer:
          B&W ASW-500
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard Optical
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
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