Where do we put the gold? “The War Wagon” 4K UHD
4K ULTRA HD REVIEW / HDR SCREENSHOTS
Right, John ‘Duke’ Wayne and Kurt Douglas reunite for “The War Wagon,” filmed at Sierra de Órganos, one of Mexico’s largest national parks. The duo assembles a gang to grab 500K in gold from a fortified wagon mounted with a Gatling gun, and guarded by more than two dozen riders.
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“THE WAR WAGON”
4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray; 1968; Not Rated
Best extra: Commentary with film historian Julie Kirgo and writer/filmmaker Peter Hankoff
FILM LEGENDS John ‘Duke’ Wayne and Kurt Douglas starred in their first collaboration, “Harm’s Way” (1965), a World War II soap opera/drama leading up to and after the attack on Pearl Harbor. During the Hawaiian production, Wayne was continually sick. The 57-year-old actor suffered a nagging cough and lack of energy; he was “overweight and drank and smoked too much,” author Randy Roberts writes in his co-authored book “John Wayne: Treasures” (2012).
Back in Los Angeles, Wayne and his doctor scheduled a complete physical, which led to a string of chest X-rays. On September 17, 1964, surgeons at Good Samaritan Hospital removed a golf-ball-sized mass from his left lung. Three months later, a second surgery for lung cancer, removing his left lung and ribs. Wayne was known to smoke five packs of cigarettes a day before the operation.
Two days before New Year’s Eve, Wayne broke the news to reporters about his cancer surgery and said, “I’ve licked it.” His advisors warned Wayne to keep the surgery a secret. “That it would destroy my image,” he said. Originally, a hospital spokesperson told the media that the actor was being treated for an old ankle injury. But Wayne added, “There’s a hell of a lot of good image in John Wayne licking cancer – and that’s what my doctors tell me.”
(1) Wayne plays Taw Jackson, who recruits Lomax, played by Douglas, to hit the Pierce Mining fortified wagon. (2&3) Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot) orders his men, left, Shack (Don Collier), Snyder (Sheb Wooley), Hammond (Bruce Dern), and Brown (Chuck Roberson), to find Lomax and offer him $10K to kill Jackson. (4&5) Hammond and Brown plan to kill Jackson themselves for less money, but Lomax and Jackson have their own plans.
TWO YEARS LATER, Wayne and Douglas reunited for their third film, in Wayne’s Batjac Production of “The War Wagon.” Duke plays Taw Jackson, framed and imprisoned, while his land was stolen by Frank Pierce (Bruce Cabot), who makes a fortune with gold found at Jackson’s ranch. He returns and teams up with former rival Lomax, played by Douglas, a hired gun, in a revenge match. They plan to hit Pierce’s fortified wagon, hauling $500K in gold and a Gatling gun, guarded by more than two dozen riders.
Wayne decided to film the entertaining and humorous heist western at one of his favorite spots, Durango, Mexico, with the Sierra Madre mountains as the backdrop, subbing for the New Mexico Territory. Accomplished western screenwriter (“Seven Men from Now,” “The Tall T,” and “Ride Lonesome”) and director Burt Kennedy (“Support Your Local Sheriff,” “Train Robbers”) helmed the three-week production, enduring tense moments between him and the demanding Wayne.
In a strange casting move, singer/actor Howard Keel (“Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” “Show Boat”) plays native American Levi Walking Bear, a member of the heist team, along with Robert Walker Jr. (son of actors Robert Walker and Jennifer Jones) as the drunken Billy Hyatt.
(1) Lomax is a ladies’ man who flirts with vendor Rosita (Perla Walter). (2&3) Drunken bandits use Levi Walking Bear (Howard Keel) for target practice, while Lomax comes to the rescue. (4) Jackson starts a fire to disperse the bandits. (5) Jackson rides into the town of Emmett, the headquarters for the Pierce Mining Company.
EXTRAS
The 4K disc and Blu-ray include two commentary tracks.
Commentary with Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff – is quite entertaining, as the bantering duo provide dozens of stories. This commentary isn’t their first for Kino Lorber – they’ve recorded over 20 tracks so far – with Hankoff calling himself, “the lovable sidekick.” Kirgo starts laughing and responds, “the bad guy.” They quickly pinpoint the striking volcanic pipe-organ-like cliffs during the opening credits, filmed at the Sierra de Órganos, one of Mexico’s largest national parks, near Sombrerete. The interiors were filmed at Churubusco Studios in Mexico City.
Next, they focus on the title song “Ballad of the War Wagon” by composer Dimitri Tiomkin (“High Noon,” “The Guns of Navarone”), and sung by singer/actor Ed Ames (“Daniel Boone” TV series). Kirgo calls the western, “a manly movie,” because the cast is full of men, with only three female talking roles (Joanna Barnes, Valora Noland and Perla Walter).
She also provides a brief medical history of Wayne’s battle with lung cancer, and a story Douglas told years later, when he and Wayne were flying down to Mexico, Duke’s breathing on the private flight was so bad he had to use oxygen.
Second commentary with Western film historian Toby Roan – who provides a straightforward track with plenty of tidbits, much like a pop-up trivia track.
Trailers – seven theatrical trailers from Wayne and Douglas films: “The War Wagon,” “The Horse Soldiers,” The Shepherd of the Hills,” “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral,” “Posse,” and “Lonely are the Brave.”
VIDEO
Everything was captured on Panavision cameras and mounted with its trademark anamorphic lens (2.35:1 aspect), by two-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer William Clothier (“The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” “Cheyenne Autumn”). Universal scanned the original 35mm camera negative in 4K with spectacular results. It’s on par with the excellent 2023 4K remaster from Universal/Kino of the Clint Eastwood western “Two Mules for Sister Sara,” with co-star Shirley MacLaine.
The majority of the “Wagon” transition fades show no resolution loss, a common problem with older films. More likely, Universal found the negative frames used in the optical fades and reassembled them digitally. The 4K clarity is top-notch from start to finish, from the many wide shots of the Mexican landscape to close-ups of Wayne and Douglas, who was nine years younger.
The HDR10 and Dolby Vision grading provides a pleasing and natural color balance, while the imagery is bright. Overall, the visual presentation is one of the best 4K remasters of the year, especially for a film that’s nearly 60 years old.
AUDIO
The original Mono soundtrack has been restored into a 2.0 DTS HD track, which puts everything front and center. The dialogue is easy to understand, and the gun blasts and explosions have good bass response. The orchestrated score from Tiomkin is one of his last, as the theme song echoes throughout varying musical cues.
The Wayne/Douglas duo is a fun ride down memory lane when co-stars could enjoy their time on screen, even though politically they were on opposite ends of the spectrum. Those were the days!
— Bill Kelley III, High-Def Watch producer
The Heist
SPECS:
100 GB disc
TRUE 4K mastering
Captured on 35mm film stock with anamorphic Panavision lens (2.35:1 aspect)
Video bitrate: Averages in the low 80 Megabits per second, with a running time of 101 minutes.
HDR10 maximum light level: 590 nit
Max frame average light level: 104 nit
Box office: Premiered on May 27, 1967, and grossed nearly $12 million. It finished the year No. 20 in total box office returns. No. 1 was Disney’s “The Jungle Book,” No. 2 “The Graduate,” and No. 3 “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.”
Collider.com – John Wayne’s Most Underrated role was this Western heist.
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