The Blu-ray of the newly-restored The Searchers (1956) with John Wayne, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood, Jeffrey Hunter and Vera Miles arrived two days earlier than expected. John Ford directed.
I have an older DVD version of The Searchers, but the new restored Blu-ray tops it by leaps and bounds. It is absolutely gorgeous!
The Blu-ray source was the original camera negative. Monument Valley, unless you're there, has never looked so good. I was able to see details in scenes I was unable to see before.
Included are featurettes of the making of The Searchers in and around Monument Valley and the premiere in Chicago. There's also more to enjoy.
It was well worth the wait since the restored movie was premiered in Hollywood early last year.
Interestingly, I've met three of the actors of The Searchers: Patrick Wayne, Hank Worden and Henry Brandon.
If you are a fan of John Wayne or westerns in general, do yourself a favor and get this Blu-ray!
My grade: A+.
