NORTHWEST PASSAGE On Blu-ray From Warner Archive

 

Warner Archive once again presents a magnificent restoration of a classic Technicolor Hollywood film with their Blu-ray release of MGM's NORTHWEST PASSAGE (1940). 

NORTHWEST PASSAGE is one of the great historical epics of the pre-World War II sound era, and it is one of the very few films concerning the French & Indian War. Set in 1759, the movie tells the story of an expedition undertaken in northern New England by Roger's Rangers, a group of irregular warriors led by Major Robert Rogers (Spencer Tracy). The group, fighting for the British Crown, ventures North into the wilderness to attack an Abenaki Indian village. 

The obstacles and privations the Rangers deal with are vividly detailed--by the end of this movie, the viewer feels as tired and as hungry as any of the men onscreen. Most of the film was shot on location in Idaho, and director King Vidor went to great lengths to show what the Rangers had to go through. The result is one of the more brutal pictures from the classic Hollywood period--the locations look amazing on this Blu-ray, but there's nothing romantic about the Rangers' experiences. 

Spencer Tracy gets one of his best roles as the determined and no-nonsense Major Rogers, and Robert Young and Walter Brennan play two civilians who join up on the forbidding adventure to escape trouble at home. The real stars of this film are nature and the elements--this is one classic studio film set in the past where it really does feel you are experiencing something that happened long ago, without any modern intrusions. 

NORTHWEST PASSAGE was released on DVD by the Warner Archive Collection a few years ago, but the image was soft, and the colors dull and faded. This Blu-ray is a marvelous improvement--the colors really pop, and there's plenty of fine detail visually. While watching this disc one can understand why this was one of MGM's most expensive productions at the time. The DTS-HD sound is full and distinct. 

The only extras on the Blu-ray are a vintage trailer (which shows how bad the movie looked over time) and a short black & white promotional feature from MGM that is essentially a commercial for the film. The promotion is relevant due to the fact that it shows behind-the-scenes footage of the making of NORTHWEST PASSAGE, with glimpses of King Vidor and Spencer Tracy on the set. 

Warner Archive has put out a number of fantastic looking Technicolor features on Blu-ray recently, and NORTHWEST PASSAGE is a worthy addition to the list. 

ROAR OF THE DRAGON

 

ROAR OF THE DRAGON (1932) is a fast-paced Pre-Code from RKO. It's another of those movies dealing with a random group of English-speaking people who are stranded in a far-flung exotic foreign locale, facing danger at every moment. 

The story is set in Manchuria, where a bandit chief named Voronsky (C. Henry Gordon) vows revenge against a riverboat captain named Carson (Richard Dix). During a battle with the bandits, Carson's boat was damaged, and he managed to rip off Voronsky's left ear. While the boat is being repaired, Carson holes up at a hotel with other foreign travelers. Among the group is Voronsky's kept woman, Natascha (Gwili Andre). Voronsky's motley crew attack the town and lay siege to the hotel, and the cynical Carson must band together with his charges to survive. 

ROAR OF THE DRAGON is so obscure that it isn't even listed in the copy that I own of LEONARD MARTIN'S CLASSIC MOVIE GUIDE. Nonetheless, it keeps things hopping during its 70 minute running time. Director Wesley Ruggles provides plenty of atmosphere--the entire story takes place at night, with the sounds of a howling wind and thunder in the background. The movie doesn't shy away from the horrid aspects of the situation--it begins with Voronsky having a red-hot iron applied to his head in order to close up his ear wound. One of the people under siege is captured and set on fire, and how high someone is listed on the cast list doesn't guarantee that their character will survive. 

Among those playing the besieged in the hotel are Edward Everett Horton, ZaSu Pitts, and Arline Judge (who was married to the director at the time). Richard Dix's Carson is drunk most of the time, but he sobers up at the end to fulfill his tough-guy duties. (I have to say that if I was cooped up with Edward Everett Horton and ZaSu Pitts, I'd probably start drinking too.) Whenever I've seen Richard Dix in a movie, he always comes off as stiff and unlikable to me, and he does here as well. 

Danish actress Gwili Andre made her screen debut as Natascha. Andre is exquisitely photographed, so much so that she looks like a fashion model instead of a put-upon woman in a desperate situation. Natascha and Carson wind up falling for each other, although once again the viewer wonders what the heck she would see in him, other than a chance to get away from a horrible fate. RKO was hoping that Andre would be the studio's answer to Garbo or Dietrich, but she didn't have much of an impact in her short acting career. 

Gwili Andre and C. Henry Gordon in ROAR OF THE DRAGON

C. Henry Gordon gets the best role as the vicious Voronsky. This is a bandit chief who isn't above getting off his horse and fighting all by himself, and he's such an impressive foe one doubts a guy like Carson could best him. 

One notable thing about ROAR OF THE DRAGON is how it uses Edward Everett Horton. At the beginning he's his usual fussy, fluttery self--but he winds up being more of a hero than Carson. At one point Horton mans a machine gun and starts mowing down charging bandits--an event that could only happen in the Pre-Code era. Horton also gets to have a romance with Arline Judge. I certainly didn't think I'd be seeing EEH doing all these things when I sat down to watch this film. 

ROAR OF THE DRAGON was shown on TCM recently, and it was a surprising discovery for me, with its use of Edward Everett Horton and its effective presentation of the "White Folks besieged by a foreign threat" scenario. 

CATLOW

 

CATLOW is a 1971 Western that has a lot in common with SHALAKO--both films were made in Spain, both were based on Louis L'Amour novels, they were produced by Euan Lloyd, and they feature a cast of international actors. 

The title character in CATLOW, played by Yul Brynner, is an easygoing rogue who winds up in one scrape after another. After being accused of rustling a herd of cattle, Catlow heads to Mexico, where he and his raggedy band attempt to steal a fortune's worth of gold. Along the way Catlow is pursued by his old friend Ben (Richard Crenna), a trustworthy Marshal who has a warrant for his arrest. Catlow and Ben wind up facing all sorts of foes and situations. 

CATLOW may have been filmed in Spain (many of the locations used will be familiar to spaghetti western fans), but it has none of the early 70s Euro Western attitude. CATLOW has an almost old-fashioned vibe to it--the movie was originally rated PG, and there's nothing in it that is all that outstanding or original. Yul Brynner's Catlow is a devil-may-care fellow who constantly has a big grin on his face. Catlow doesn't seem very worried about what is going on, no matter how dangerous things get--and if the main character of a movie isn't all that concerned about things, why should the audience? 

There's plenty going on in CATLOW, with subplots involving cattle barons, bounty hunters, Native Americans, Mexican federales--perhaps the movie would have been better if it had focused more on the main character's activities. The solo adventures of Richard Crenna's diligent Marshal give that character as much screen time as Catlow. (Crenna is as solid and dependable as always--his Marshal is a far more interesting person than Catlow is.) Leonard Nimoy all but steals the film as Miller, a cold-blooded relentless bounty hunter who wants to get Catlow no matter what (one also wishes that Nimoy had more scenes). Daliah Lavi plays a spunky senorita and Jeff Corey fills the "crazy old coot" role. Most of the other minor roles are taken by spaghetti western veterans. 

The director of CATLOW was American actor Sam Wanamaker, but the real talents behind the film's pace and action scenes were James Bond veterans John Glen (chief editor and 2nd unit director) and Bob Simmons (stunt coordinator). British composer Roy Budd provides a score that goes out of its way to be reminiscent of classic Western themes. 

CATLOW is a decent 100 minutes of entertainment, but compared to the many more notable Westerns being made around the same time, it feels plain and generic. 

THE WONDERFUL LIES OF NINA PETROVNA

 

I've been fascinated by German actress Brigitte Helm ever since I first saw her memorable screen debut in Fritz Lang's legendary silent epic METROPOLIS (1927). Unfortunately most of Helm's work is unavailable in America, and there isn't even all that much info about her on the internet. 

One of her best roles can be found on YouTube. It is the title character in THE WONDERFUL LIES OF NINA PETROVNA, a 1929 romantic drama made for UFA Studios. It was the last silent feature made by that extraordinary company, but it does have an accompanying music track. 

The story is very simple. In pre-revolutionary St. Petersburg, the enchanting Nina is the mistress of a much older wealthy army colonel (Warwick Ward). Nina catches the eye of a young junior cavalry officer named Michael (Francis Lederer). Nina and Michael truly love one another, and Petrovna gives up her glamorous but empty life to live with the innocent young man. The two of them on their own cannot make ends meet, so Michael tries to win some money by gambling with his fellow army officers. The Colonel catches Michael attempting to cheat, and uses this information to force Nina to give up her young lover. Nina loves Michael so much, she's willing to throw away their happiness together in order to save him from disgrace. 

Brigitte Helm is absolutely stunning as Nina Petrovna, so much so one can easily understand why Michael and the Colonel do what they do to be near her. When one starts out to watch THE WONDERFUL LIES OF NINA PETROVNA, one assumes that this will be another German silent where a desperate man's desire for an alluring woman leads him to ruin, but in this case the alluring woman saves a man from ruin. Director Hanns Schwarz gives Nina plenty of exquisite closeups, and he allows Helm's emotional depth to carry the story. 

Francis Lederer (PANDORA'S BOX) makes a dashing but inexperienced Michael, a young man who hasn't considered the consequences of the situation he helped create, and Warwick Ward (VARIETY) makes the aristocratic, self-assured Colonel an imposing figure without having to act like an out-and-out villain. Helm, Lederer, and Ward are the only three main players in the film--that entire story revolves around their triangle. 

The cinematography of Carl Hoffman and the art direction of Robert Herlth & Walter Rohrig clearly define the splendor of Imperial Russia. Nina's opulent lifestyle as the Colonel's mistress is presented by Hoffman's camera slowly tracking through the rooms of the expensive villa she stays in. Later we are shown how much different Nina's and Michael's lives are as a couple on their own--they live in a common apartment, where Nina wears basic clothes and even peels potatoes (but she still manages to look gorgeous). The ending is particularly moving, and it certainly isn't of the Hollywood type--but it shows that Nina has more courage and determination than the two men who desire her. 

Brigitte Helm gives a magnificent performance in THE WONDERFUL LIES OF NINA PETROVNA, and this is another silent feature that greatly deserves a major restoration and home video release. 

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (2024)

 

This is a film that I hoped would be shown in a theater near my area, but no such luck. (Considering that it's a three hour movie made in France, I'm not surprised it didn't get a major release in America--perhaps the production should have cast a rapper in the lead role??) I became interested in this recent adaptation of Dumas' THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO when I found out that the directors and writers of it, Alexandre de La Patelliere & Matthieu Delaporte, were associate producers and writers on the two-part  THE THREE MUSKETEERS that was made a couple years ago, a version that impressed me a great deal. 

The latest THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO is grand storytelling in the classic tradition, a film that is authentic to the characters and the period in which it is set. In 1815, French sailor Edmund Dantes (Pierre Niney) has his whole future ahead of him. He's recently been promoted to captain, and he's about to marry his true love. In the middle of the wedding ceremony, however, Dantes is arrested and charged with treason. Totally innocent of the charges, Dantes spends 14 years in prison, where he befriends a mysterious fellow inmate who helps him escape. The inmate also reveals to Dantes the location of a fantastic treasure on the island of Monte Cristo--a treasure that will enable the wronged man to instigate a lengthy and complicated plot of revenge against those who took away his future. 

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO is an opulent and sweeping production, with impressive sets and costumes. The cinematography and editing are lively, but they don't overwhelm the narrative (there's no CGI-fueled video-game style sequences here). Thankfully this version doesn't try to be trendy or topical by inserting 21st Century style issues in the storyline or the casting. There's no attempts at modern humor, and, even better, there's no desaturated color schemes. 

Pierre Niney ably shows how Dantes is transformed from an openhearted positive young man to a cunning and calculating larger than life figure. While watching this film I realized how much the character of Edmund Dantes has influenced adventure stories ever since--in a way Dantes is an early 19th Century Bruce Wayne. You could even say that Dantes is one of the first superheroes--but he also could be looked upon as a supervillain as well. This new version doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of Dumas' tale. 

I need to point out once again that this is a French production, with mostly French actors playing the major roles. For me this made the film work even better--not knowing who any of the cast were meant that I was able to better believe them as the characters. I bought this movie on Blu-ray, and the disc does have an English language option, but by all means the French audio track (with English subtitles) is the best way to view the film. 

Some on the internet have quibbled about the changes made from the original Dumas novel, but overall I felt this was an excellent adaptation, featuring a classic epic film-making style that I have a preference for. The 2024 THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO is now out on Blu-ray and streaming, and it's a film that should have gotten more attention in North America. 

STOOGE O-RAMA

 

This came out a couple years ago, but I didn't get it until recently because it was (you guessed it) at a discount. STOOGE O-RAMA is a 3 disc grab bag of odds & ends involving the Funky Trio, available on DVD and Blu-ray. (I bought the DVD version--considering the less-than-pristine quality of the clips featured on this set, I doubt the Blu-ray would be all that much better.) 

The first disc on the set presents an hour-long documentary program on the Stooges entitled "The Men Behind the Mayhem". It's a decent look at the history of the group, sticking to the basics. The other two discs contain trailers for Stooges films, TV appearances, commercials, audio interviews, home movie footage, radio spots, etc. 

As a life-long Three Stooges fan I would say that there's nothing earth-shattering or revelatory about this material--it's the type of stuff that one can find on YouTube or gets shared on social media sites. One does notice in the behind-the-scenes footage how short of stature all the Stooges were, and how much older they looked when they were sporting their "civilian" hairstyles (one must remember that when the Stooges gained their second wind in the late 1950s-early 60s, they were all well past middle-age). 

The audio interviews show that Moe Howard was a very astute, articulate man who definitely was the leader of the group. (One wishes that Moe was around today, mainly because of all the info he could provide for film geeks.) 

There is a certain randomness to this collection, but I believe the folks behind it wanted to get as many things as they could in the set to make it more attractive to fans. It needs to be mentioned that the set features all the Stooges: Moe, Larry, Curly, Shemp, Joe, and Curly Joe. If you are expecting a Curly-fest you're going to be disappointed. Curly quit performing in 1946 due to health issues, and he died in 1952, so there isn't as much behind-the-scenes footage of him available as there is of his Stooge comrades. 

This is a set that is more for hardcore Stooges fanatics than those who watch the boys on MeTV from time to time. The footage is more unique than entertaining, and if you're not aware of Stooges history you may wonder what's going on in these clips. (An audio commentary giving context on some of the footage might have helped.) This is still a nice set overall, especially if you can get it at the discount I did. STOOGE O-RAMA is from Kit Parker Films, a company that has been doing excellent work over the years releasing rare product from the Hal Roach Studios. 

THE DEADLY BEES

 

THE DEADLY BEES (1967) is one of the lesser entries in the Amicus catalog, despite being directed by Freddie Francis. I purchased it on Blu-ray at a discount (what did you expect?). 

Pop music star Vicky Robbins (Suzanna Leigh) suffers a nervous breakdown while performing on a TV show. Her doctor sends her out to a remote farm on Seagull Island for some rest and recuperation. The couple who own the farm, the Hargroves, are not the most welcoming people in the world--Mr. Hargrove (Guy Doleman) is dour and mysterious, while his wife (Catherine Finn) spends her time sitting around smoking cigarettes and looking depressed. Hargrove is a beekeeper, as is the quirky Manfred (Frank Finlay), a neighbor who takes an interest in Vicky. Soon both Hargrove's dog and his wife are killed due to bee attacks, and Vicky fears she may be next. 

All the information one can find about THE DEADLY BEES on the internet and in print points out that the movie had major script problems. Famed horror writer Robert Bloch wrote the original script (based on a novel called A TASTE OF HONEY by H.F. Heard), but it didn't impress Freddie Francis, who had it rewritten by Anthony Marriott. The result is a slow and at times confusing plot that appears to be missing valuable story points. In interviews Amicus producer Milton Subotsky always claimed to have re-edited most of the films he was attached to in order to make them "work". I don't think THE DEADLY BEES works, but I do believe that this time Subotsky did do some major tinkering. A number of sequences in this film end abruptly, and one gets the sense that there are certain scenes that were cut out. At one point it appears that a character has been killed off, but it is later revealed, in an off-hand manner, that the person survived after all, even though they are never shown again. 

The very idea of being inundated by huge swarms of bees is inherently nasty, but the actual bee attacks here are underwhelming. They mainly consist of bees haphazardly superimposed over footage of actors flailing about. The matte work is mediocre, and one never believes that any of the characters are in danger. I certainly don't believe that performers on a movie set should be put at any risk, but if you make a movie titled THE DEADLY BEES, and the result is that one doesn't get a charge out of the bees attacking anybody, there isn't much of a point to it. 

Freddie Francis always stated that he didn't like horror films to begin with, and in THE DEADLY BEES he seemed more interested in the desultory married life of the Hargroves than in any shocking thrills. In some ways the movie tries to be a murder mystery, but there isn't much suspense--there's only two beekeepers on the island, and both of them act suspicious. When the man behind it all is finally revealed, and he goes into a lengthy explanation of how he did it, I immediately started to wonder why the other beekeeper didn't do certain things in the beginning to stop all this from happening. 

Suzanna Leigh handles the attractive damsel in distress role well, but she doesn't have much to work with, and she has to fight off bees at one point while in her underwear. (There's an attempt to try and use Vicky's breakdown as an excuse to belittle her suspicions, but this isn't fully developed.) Guy Doleman is so brooding and disagreeable as Mr. Hargrove that he becomes too much of a suspect, and Frank Finlay is such a milquetoast you just know that he's hiding something. 

The supporting cast is filled with faces known to Hammer/Amicus/English Gothic fans. Michael Ripper plays (of course) the man who runs the island's pub, and his daughter is played by Katy Wild, who was the mute beggar girl in THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN. (There's a hint that Wild's character is having an affair with Mr. Hargrove, but this isn't fully developed either.) Someone else from THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN (also directed by Freddie Francis) shows up here--Caron Gardner, who was the Burgomaster's sexy wife in the earlier film, has a cameo as Vicky's manager's secretary. Michael Gwynn, who was in a number of Hammers, is Vicky's doctor, and Alister Williamson (the man behind the mask in THE OBLONG BOX) is a police official. 

The most notable thing about THE DEADLY BEES is that it predates the Killer Bee craze of the latter part of the 1970s, which spawned a set of other below average "insects on the rampage" flicks. When one thinks about it, has there ever been a decent killer bee movie?? 

IRON MAN (1931)

 

Robert Downey Jr. does not appear in this film. This is a 1931 production from Universal, directed by Tod Browning. I was inspired to seek it out by my recent reading of DARK CARNIVAL, a biography of Browning. IRON MAN was made between DRACULA and FREAKS, and, as one would expect, it doesn't come anywhere near matching the notable aspects of those two features. 

Lew Ayres plays lightweight boxer Kid Mason, who has lost his most recent bout due to his refusal to listen to the advice of his manager/mentor George (Robert Armstrong). After hearing of his latest defeat, Kid's sultry & ambitious wife Rose (Jean Harlow) leaves him. The Kid then goes on a winning streak, and he gets a shot at the world title. Rose pops back into his life, sensing that he's going to make the big time. The Kid wins the title, and he and Rose move into a swanky apartment and start living the high life. George tries to warn Kid that his wife is unreliable and untrustworthy, but the young boxer has to find out things the hard way. 

In DARK CARNIVAL, authors David J. Skal and Elias Savada state that IRON MAN "is the most perfunctory of Browning's talkies" and that is a very apt assessment. The picture was the last in a three-film contract Browning had with Universal, and it appears he was just going through the motions. IRON MAN is ostensibly a story about boxing, but there's very little in-ring action, and what there is of that is mostly made up of stock footage. The movie is very talky, and very static, and there's not much energy to it. 

At this time Universal was building up Lew Ayres to be a big star, due to his leading role in ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, but the studio did him no favors when it came to IRON MAN. Ayres is totally miscast as a supposedly tough boxing champion. His Kid Mason is a very lightweight fighter--he looks as if he couldn't last a round with anyone--and the character acts hesitant and unsure throughout most of the film. It's hard to take Ayres seriously in the role when Jean Harlow looks better built than he does. 

Lew Ayres and Jean Harlow in IRON MAN

Speaking of Harlow, her cleavage is the most standout part of this film. Her Rose is the typical bad girl who is greedy, cynical, and caustic. As soon as she shows up, you just know she's going to cause the Kid trouble. Harlow more than fills the requirements of the part, but you get the feeling she wasn't too happy playing someone who was so cheap and disagreeable. 

Robert Armstrong comes off way better than either Ayres and Harlow. He carries the film, and he has so much charisma one wonders why he isn't doing the boxing instead of Ayres. 

There isn't much of a supporting cast in IRON MAN, but I do need to point out Mike Donlin, who plays a small role. Donlin was a well-known Major League baseball player in the first two decades of the 20th Century, and he got into the entertainment industry after marrying a stage actress. Tod Browning had a major baseball connection of his own--his uncle was Pete Browning, a legendary 19th Century batting champion. 

IRON MAN will be of interest to film geeks due to its combination of Lew Ayres, Jean Harlow, and Tod Browning, but it isn't very entertaining. The print I watched of the film appeared to be edited slightly. According to DARK CARNIVAL, there was a scene which showed Jean Harlow getting punched in the mouth by the man she's having an affair with--but that wasn't in the version I saw. My guess is that IRON MAN was cut after the Production Code was strengthened to allow it to be re-released. Might an uncut version of this movie be released on home video someday?? Maybe, but I have a feeling that Disney/Marvel might have something to say about that. 

SONNY AND JED

 

SONNY AND JED (also known as LA BANDA J. & S., among a number of other alternate titles) is a bizarre 1972 Euro Western directed and co-written by Sergio Corbucci. I would describe the movie as a combination of BONNIE AND CLYDE and the TRINITY films. 

Naive prairie girl Sonny (Susan George) becomes infatuated with the vulgar and brazen bandit Jed Trigado (Tomas Milian). The two maintain a chaotic relationship while committing crimes and avoiding the reach of a vindictive lawman named Franciscus (Telly Savalas). 

Once again Tomas Milian plays a crazy peasant bandito, but this one is on a different level than the actor's other performances. Jed Trigado is as vicious, uncouth, foul, and unappealing as you can get. The man has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, other than protecting and feeding a poor Mexican village from time to time. If it wasn't for Milian's considerable screen presence Jed would be very hard to take, but the wide-eyed Sonny is absolutely smitten with him, even though Jed treats her worse than an disobedient pet. 

Susan George was one of the most put-upon actresses of her generation, when one considers what she went through in movies like FRIGHT, STRAW DOGS, and this one. Sergio Corbucci does not (surprisingly) take advantage of George's enticing looks--as Sonny she spends almost all the film dressed in ragged men's clothes that are far too big for her. (There is one scene in which Sonny is taking a bath, but she's discreetly covered in suds.) Not only is George de-glamorized here, she's also knocked around more than Curly Howard in a typical Three Stooges short. Jed physically (and verbally) assaults Sonny multiple times, and she's also beaten up by Telly Savalas and a group of prostitutes. Despite this level of degradation, Sonny carries on regardless, refusing to back down to anyone almost out of spite. 

Needless to say, 21st Century viewers of SONNY AND JED would find the leading lady's predicament problematic, to say the least. (I can only imagine what those audio commentators who go on about "gender norms" and "agency" would say about this movie.) I assume that Sergio Corbucci thought the audience would be amused by Sonny and Jed's antics, or at least come to understand why they can't get away from each other, but I for one didn't think the couple was very appealing. Instead of being rebellious, the pair come off as lazy reprobates. (Case in point: after Sonny and Jed get married, they rob the priest, and then take off with the collection box.) 

Telly Savalas brings his usual bravado and his own considerable screen presence to the role of Franciscus. This could have been just another quirky spaghetti western villain, but Telly makes the man stand out, and he even makes the viewer understand why he's so determined to catch Jed. (I have to admit I was kind of rooting for Franciscus to succeed.) About halfway through the story Franciscus is blinded, but this actually makes him even more menacing. 

Among the supporting cast are such Euro Cult figures as Herbert Fux (LADY FRANKENSTEIN) and Eduardo Fajardo (DJANGO). Mention must be made of a couple of actors who appear in this film that had connections with Telly Savalas. Gene Collins fought alongside Telly in KELLY'S HEROES, and Victor Israel was the train baggage man who lets loose the creature in HORROR EXPRESS. 

I also need to mention Ennio Morricone's soundtrack for SONNY AND JED. The music is reflective and melancholic, at odds with the goofiness onscreen. Morricone gives more dignity and depth to Sonny and Jed than the actors or the situations do. 

Sergio Corbucci made some of the best Euro Westerns of all time, but SONNY AND JED is one of his lesser efforts. It's hard to appreciate the dopey criminality of the title pair, and the Old West presented here is muddy, cold, and depressing. I had seen SONNY AND JED a couple of times, but the visual quality was terrible for each viewing. The movie is now available on Tubi, and their version is at least much more watchable. SONNY AND JED needs a proper Region A home video release.