The Commancheros and the Battle for the American Southwest

Last night, I popped in the Blu-ray of The Comancheros (1961) with John Wayne, Stuart Whitman, Ina Balin and a pre-stardom Lee Marvin.

The movie was enjoyable and the CinemaScope cinematography is beautiful. Director Michael Curtiz became ill during production and had to have much of the movie directed by Wayne.

There are a number of extras in the disc, one was a history of John Wayne at Fox Studios and one that I found most enjoyable:

• The Comancheros and the Battle for the American Southwest (1080p, 24:13): A great, all-new documentary that examines the historical backdrop of the film, specifically the dynamic between the Comancheros, the Comanche tribe, and the Texas Rangers.

If one is a history buff on the old west and Indians, this is a very educational documentary to watch. Some of the areas the documentary covers are not too far from where I live in New Mexico, such a the Texas panhandle.

I recommend it.