Plenty of sparks fly in (this) nifty potboiler.
It makes no sense to criticize the film´s more implausible plot twists because implausibility is part and parcel of the melodrama. It is fair, however, to question the silly ending tacked onto a third act that already steered unwisely into revenge-film territory. Screenwriter Charles Schnee was certainly no slouch with films like "Red River" and "They Live By Night" on his résumé, and I wonder if the ending comes from the Niven Busch novel the film was adapted from (more on this below.)
Still, plenty of sparks fly in Schnee and Mann´s nifty potboiler, a Western with a surprisingly restrictive feel to it. The open range is merely backdrop to the claustrophobic family house where the tension mounts until it threatens to blow the roof clean across the Mexican border. "The Furies" is a roller coaster with the requisite high points and low points and a disappointing ending, but it´s pretty thrilling all the same.
Video
The film is presented in its original 1.33:1 full-screen aspect ratio. Like many recent Criterion full-screen releases, the image is pictureboxed which means some viewers will see black bars on the left and right of the screen. The Criterion scale of transfers goes from excellent to really excellent, and this falls on the middle of that range. It´s not utterly flawless, but the bits of debris still visible after restoration are so minor they don´t diminish the viewing experience in the slightest. Sharp contrast as usual.
Audio
The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital Mono. Optional English subtitles support the English audio.
Extras
The DVD comes in a cardboard slip case which also contains the Niven Busch novel on which the film is based. It´s a nice addition, but I have to wonder just how many of the film´s fans will be interested enough to read it. For the money, I´d rather have more DVD features, but maybe I´m in the minority.
The film is accompanied by a commentary track by author Jim Kitses who wrote perhaps by favorite book on Westerns, "Horizons West." I haven´t had a chance to listen to the commentary yet, but I´m looking forward to it.
"Action Speaks Louder Than Words" (17 min.) is an excerpt from a 1967 interview with Anthony Mann for the British television show "The Movies." Mann discusses his career, though if I recall correctly he makes no mention of "The Furies." The interview was conducted.
Also included is a very amusing star interview of Walter Huston (8 min. Huston is at his tongue-in-cheek best in this 1931 puff piece. Celebrity interviewer and cutey-pie Dorothy West visits Huston in his palatial home and the two play a coy cat-and-mouse game as Huston charmingly evades every question.
A 2008 interview with Nina Mann, Anthony´s daughter, conducted for the Criterion release, is engaging and heartfelt.
The insert booklet features an essay by the great Robin Wood and a 1957 Mann interview from "Cahiers du Cinema."
Film Value
Penis envy, thy name is Barbara Stanwyck! At least in this Electra complex twist on the classic Western. "The Furies" fuses melodrama and the Western to come up with this lurid, sometimes ludicrous, but highly entertaining effort from director Anthony Mann. If you enjoy this film, do yourself a favor and check out Mann´s other Westerns (start with "Winchester ´73" just in case you haven´t seen that masterpiece) as well as Stanwyck´s delirious turn in Sam Fuller´s "Forty Guns" which I mentioned above.
Still, plenty of sparks fly in Schnee and Mann´s nifty potboiler, a Western with a surprisingly restrictive feel to it. The open range is merely backdrop to the claustrophobic family house where the tension mounts until it threatens to blow the roof clean across the Mexican border. "The Furies" is a roller coaster with the requisite high points and low points and a disappointing ending, but it´s pretty thrilling all the same.
Video
The film is presented in its original 1.33:1 full-screen aspect ratio. Like many recent Criterion full-screen releases, the image is pictureboxed which means some viewers will see black bars on the left and right of the screen. The Criterion scale of transfers goes from excellent to really excellent, and this falls on the middle of that range. It´s not utterly flawless, but the bits of debris still visible after restoration are so minor they don´t diminish the viewing experience in the slightest. Sharp contrast as usual.
Audio
The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital Mono. Optional English subtitles support the English audio.
Extras
The DVD comes in a cardboard slip case which also contains the Niven Busch novel on which the film is based. It´s a nice addition, but I have to wonder just how many of the film´s fans will be interested enough to read it. For the money, I´d rather have more DVD features, but maybe I´m in the minority.
The film is accompanied by a commentary track by author Jim Kitses who wrote perhaps by favorite book on Westerns, "Horizons West." I haven´t had a chance to listen to the commentary yet, but I´m looking forward to it.
"Action Speaks Louder Than Words" (17 min.) is an excerpt from a 1967 interview with Anthony Mann for the British television show "The Movies." Mann discusses his career, though if I recall correctly he makes no mention of "The Furies." The interview was conducted.
Also included is a very amusing star interview of Walter Huston (8 min. Huston is at his tongue-in-cheek best in this 1931 puff piece. Celebrity interviewer and cutey-pie Dorothy West visits Huston in his palatial home and the two play a coy cat-and-mouse game as Huston charmingly evades every question.
A 2008 interview with Nina Mann, Anthony´s daughter, conducted for the Criterion release, is engaging and heartfelt.
The insert booklet features an essay by the great Robin Wood and a 1957 Mann interview from "Cahiers du Cinema."
Film Value
Penis envy, thy name is Barbara Stanwyck! At least in this Electra complex twist on the classic Western. "The Furies" fuses melodrama and the Western to come up with this lurid, sometimes ludicrous, but highly entertaining effort from director Anthony Mann. If you enjoy this film, do yourself a favor and check out Mann´s other Westerns (start with "Winchester ´73" just in case you haven´t seen that masterpiece) as well as Stanwyck´s delirious turn in Sam Fuller´s "Forty Guns" which I mentioned above.
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[release]24144[/release]