Best of John Wayne Collection, Vol. 2 [3 Discs]

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 3
• Audio: Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: English
• Features:
  • • [None specified]

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Art Direction - 1976 (Robert F. Boyle, Arthur Jeph Parker)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pictu - 1976 (Ron Howard)

• National Board of Review

•     Nominated Best Picture - 1976

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  George Sherman, Don Siegel, Henry Hathaway

• Producer:

  Michael Wayne, Bill Self, Mike J. Frankovich, Hal B. Wallis, Paul Nathan

• Screenwriter:

  Harry Julian Fink, R.M. Fink, Rita M. Fink, Scott Hale, Miles Hood Swarthout

• Book Author:

  Glendon Swarthout

• Screenwriter:

  Harry J. Essex

• Screen Story:

  Talbot Jennings

• Screenwriter:

  William H. Wright, Allan Weiss

• Cinematographer:

  William H. Clothier, Bruce Surtees, Lucien Ballard

• Composer (Music Score):

  Elmer Bernstein

• Editor:

  Harry Gerstad, Douglas Stewart, Warren Low

• Production Designer:

  Robert F. Boyle

• Art Director:

  Carl Anderson, Richard J. Lawrence, Hal Pereira, Walter Tyler

• Executive Producer:

  Dino de Laurentiis

• Set Designer:

  Ray Moyer, Arthur Jeph Parker, Sam Comer

• Costume Designer:

  Moss Mabry, Luster Bayless, Edna Taylor, Edith Head

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  John Ferguson, Les Fresholtz, Michael Minkler, Arthur Piantadosi

• Makeup:

  David Grayson

• Special Effects:

  Howard Jensen, Augie Lohman, Bob Peterson

• First Assistant Director:

  Newt Arnold, Joe Cavalier

REVIEWS:

• John Wayne's last feature film appropriately revolved around the death of an iconic gunfighter and the end of the Old West itself. Like The Searchers (1956) before it, The Shootist explores the burdens of being a legend, a topic undoubtedly close to the actor. Director Don Siegel gives the film a gentle, sentimental touch -- somewhat surprising, given that he made his reputation on such violent, subversive films as Dirty Harry (1971) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). Siegel downplays the film's potentially maudlin scenario, instead focusing on the strengths of the stellar cast, including Lauren Bacall, James Stewart, and Ron Howard. Despite Wayne's strong work in The Shootist, he and Siegel reportedly did not get along during the production. ~ Brendon Hanley, Rovi
• The style and content of Hollywood films changed considerably during the early 1970's and this had a trickle-down effect to the veteran stars of previous eras. Even John Wayne, who mostly stuck to his classic style during these times, had to bend his formula to fit the times. Big Jake is an interesting example of how Wayne rolled with the changes of 1970's Hollywood. It mirrors the influence that Sam Peckinpah and other revisionist filmmakers were having on the Western genre by including a theme of old ways (and heroes) being left behind by a changing generation. It's also much more violent than old school westerns, with an opening assault on a ranch and a dramatic standoff finale getting surprisingly bloody for a John Wayne vehicle. However, Big Jake retains a Hollywood feel via its classic ransom/rescue plot and a familiar macho mindset (a theme of sons learning to obey their father - and thus learning how to be men - is key to the story). George Sherman directs with an appropriately stately style and Elmer Bernstein supplies a rousing score that harkens back to his classic work on The Magnificent Seven. Wayne delivers a typically convincing performance, using his formidable persona to sell the script's reverence for tradition. There is also solid support work from Patrick Wayne as a resentful but brave son and a creepy turn from Richard Boone as the quietly psychopathic villain. In short, Big Jake offers a unique mix of the old and the new that makes it worth viewing for all kinds of Western fans. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi
• Though a relatively standard western, 1965's popular The Sons of Katie Elder was one of the most entertaining films of John Wayne's late career. His first movie since returning from highly-publicized cancer surgery, Sons is something of a throwback; the film is free of the revisionism that was beginning to seep into the genre in the mid-to-late 1960s. Director Henry Hathaway helmed a number of successful Wayne vehicles, he plays to the actor's strengths while emphasizing the surprising chemistry between The Duke and Dean Martin. This was the second time Wayne and Martin had worked together, the first being Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo (1959). ~ Brendon Hanley, Rovi