The Shootist appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The movie came with a positive transfer.
Sharpness appeared clear and concise. On occasion some shots looked slightly soft or hazy, but these instances did not occur frequently, and I suspect they reflected the source photography. Instead, the majority of the film was crisp and detailed.
No issues with jagged edges or shimmering materialized, and edge enhancement was minimal at worst. Source flaws stayed absent. This was a clean image without any noticeable print defects.
Shootist featured a fairly sandy palette to suit the Western setting, though it included a blue-green vibe as well. The tones seemed accurate and full.
Black levels appeared deep and dense, and shadow detail also was usually clear and without excessive darkness. Across the board, this became a fine presentation.
The LPCM monaural audio of Shootist held up fairly well over the last 48 years. Speech came across as warm and natural, with no issues of edginess or intelligibility along the way.
Effects appeared fairly full and dynamic, and they didn’t suffer from any distortion or other problems. Music also was reasonably bright and rich, with pretty nice range. For a monaural soundtrack from 1976, Shootist seemed satisfying.
When we shift to extras, we open with an audio commentary from film historian Howard S. Berger. He provides a running, screen-specific view of the source and its adaptation, story/characters, cast and crew, genre domains and some production notes.
The commentary loses some points due to a surprising amount of dead air, as Berger goes silent more than expected given the movie’s fairly brief length. Nonetheless, he covers the movie pretty well and makes this a reasonably solid chat.
Five featurettes follow, and The Last Day goes for 28 minutes, 26 seconds. It provides a visual essay from filmmaker/critic David Cairns.
During “Day”, Cairns looks at the career and style of director Don Siegel as well as thoughts about actor John Wayne and production areas. Some of this repeats from the commentary but “Day” nonetheless gives us a useful summary.
A Man-Making Moment runs 40 minutes, 27 seconds. This one features Western author/film historian C. Courtney Joyner.
We get notes about the source novel and its author as well as elements of the film version and the careers of those involved. Joyner brings an informative discussion.
Next comes Laments of the West, which spans 26 minutes, 30 seconds. Here we locate info from film historian/broadcaster Neil Brand.
“West” focuses on composer Elmer Bernstein as well as his music for Shootist. Brand provides good analysis.
Contemplating John Wayne adds another visual essay. It spans 22 minutes, 32 seconds and offers remarks from filmmaker/critic Scout Tafoya.
This visual essay examines the legacy of Wayne, with a contrast between the Hollywood icon and the real man – well, in theory, as much of the program instead acts for an appreciation of Wayne the actor. Some decent notes emerge but don’t expect a lot of depth.
Finally, The Legend Lives On provides an archival program. It fills 18 minutes, 26 seconds and features details from screenwriter Miles Hood Swarthout, producer’s son/entertainment executive Peter Frankovich, producer William Self, and actor Hugh O’Brian.
“Legend” covers the novel and its path to the screen, cast and production notes
In addition to the film’s trailer, an Image Gallery gives us 48 examples of promo shots and ads. It becomes an appealing compilation.
The trailer for The Shootist bills it as “perhaps the greatest Western of them all”. While it doesn’t live up to that status, it nonetheless gives us something well above average, buoyed by a surprisingly strong lead turn from John Wayne. The Blu-ray boasts very good picture, appropriate audio and an appealing array of bonus materials. The film delivers a satisfying effort.