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Wyatt Earp
R4 - Australia - Warner Home Video Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (27th August 2004). |
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The Film
 If there's one memorable and often talked about event from the old west of America it's got to be the famous gunfight at the O.K. corral that took place in Tombstone, Arizona on October 26, 1881. This gunfight and its legendary participants have since become American icons and the subject of many documentaries and most notably two big-budget Hollywood films Tombstone and Wyatt Earp. Coincidentally enough both films went into production around the same time and also filmed around the same parts. While George P. Cosmatos' film Tombstone focused more on the events leading up to and including the famous gunfight, Lawrence Kasdan's Wyatt Earp focused on the man himself and his life from childhood to the gunfight and beyond. But both films couldn't help but be in competition with each other. In December of 2003 Tombstone opened to big box office and great reviews the legend of the Earps was reintroduced to mainstream moviegoers, Warner Brothers had moved the opening of Wyatt Earp so as not to be in direct competition with Tombstone in June of 1994 the film opened to excellent reviews but only a meagre box office. It seemed that the aftertaste of Tombstone was still around, perhaps audiences where not ready for another film about this man so soon, perhaps it was too long, maybe there wasn't enough of a marketing effort, you can list many excuses why this film didn't bank at the box office but at the end of the day it would be useless. For some reason or another it just didn't catch on, but one thing is for sure it certainly is not a bad movie. In fact Wyatt Earp is an excellent sprawling epic film. In a time frame of three hours and ten minutes, literally chronicles Wyatt's life from childhood and wanting to escape his boring farming family life to go on to bigger things, his involvement in building the trans-continental railroad lines, getting married and losing his first wife, spiralling downward into alcoholism, becoming a criminal and then running away from those demons to becoming a lawman, he eventually finds his way to Tombstone, Arizona as sheriff with his brothers by his side and the events that led to the famous gunfight. What makes this film so good is a combination of factors, first the script by Dan Gordon and Lawrence Kasdan is very well crafted and shows not only a love for the material but a respect for the these real-life historical figures, that and the fact the story never gets dull and always keeps the narrative moving in a time span that translates into over three hours is the mark of gifted writer. Additionally the casting is spot on with Kevin Costner portraying the complex title character Wyatt Earp with intense precision, aside from his powerful performance in Dances with Wolves this stands as one of his greatest acting achievements, Costner a self proclaimed lover of the western genre feels right at home in the shoes of a historical icon. His performance is not only riveting to watch but is probably as accurate a portrayal of the character as any seen on the screen. Supporting Costner are also Dennis Quaid as Doc Holiday, Quaid virtually transformed himself for this role losing 30 pounds to accurately play a man who suffered from tuberculosis. The ensemble cast also includes Michael Madsen as Wyatt's brother Virgil, Gene Hackman as father Nicholas Earp, Mark Harmon as lawman Johnny Behan, Catherine O'Hara as Allie Earp, Bill Pullman as deputy and Earp friend Ed Masterson, Tom Sizemore as his brother Bat and Isabella Rossellini as the prostitute Big Nose Kate. Despite the large cast, Kasdan has taken on the role of director with ease fine tuning performances and establishing a reputation as a talented filmmaker. One thing that stands out in this film is the breathtaking cinematography by five time Academy Award nominee Owen Roizman which in a beautiful cinemascope ratio he's able to capture the grandness and scope of the old west. The only flaw that I can see is that the film is perhaps a little too long, this is not certainly not entertainment for those with a short attention span. However despite its length, Wyatt Earp is most defiantly an underrated classic that for the first time has been given a DVD release. If you're a fan of the epic western genre, then I highly recommend this film.
Video
Presented here in the film's original theatrical ratio of 2.35:1, this anamorphic transfer serves the film well. The transfer is generally sharp, aside from some night scenes that lack some definition, I found a few instances of film grain and scratches but this was never overly distracting. Aside from the minor flaws colours are well rendered, as are skin tones. Overall this is a decent transfer and the best this film has ever looked.
Audio
This DVD features three audio tracks, an English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track as well as a French Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo and an Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track. The packaging only lists the existence of 1.0 Mono tracks in English, French and Italian but rest assured this is incorrect. For the purposes of this review I chose to view the film in its English 5.1 surround track. Dialogue is always clear and all the 5.1 channels are put to good use with the majority of the sound action focused on the musical score. The surround mix is separated extremely well utilizing all the speakers during action scenes that involve gunplay as well. This is an excellent surround track. This film also features subtitles in Arabic, Bulgarian, Dutch, English, English for the hearing impaired, French, Italian, Italian for the hearing impaired, German, Spanish and Romanian.
Extras
The first extra on the disc is the It Happened That Way documentary. It's listed as a documentary but at its 14-minute runtime it's more a featurette than anything else. Structured like your standard EPK style featurette we have interviews with the cast and crew discussing the challenges of the production edited with clips of the film. It's an interesting piece but will generally be forgotten after having viewed it just once. The next extra is a TV special entitled Walk With A Legend this 22-minute show hosted by Tom Skerritt first aired in 1994, this special takes a look at Hollywood epics of the past and the making of Wyatt Earp which includes some interviews with both Kasden and Costner basically patting each other's backs. Aside from this it doesn't really go into any real detail into the making of the film. A series of 11 deleted scenes, all presented in varying degrees of quality and are in non-anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen, the scenes come with text notes with a brief description, I've included those below with the scenes. You have the optional to Play All or select individual scenes. The deleted scenes included on this DVD are: - On the Wagon Train: Young Wyatt considers his future, he has fallen in love with the west. - Wyatt Courts Urilla: Back in Missouri, Urilla is concerned that Wyatt will take her from her family. - The Wedding Reception: Even at his wedding Wyatt feels the tug of adventure. - Staking Buffalo Skins: Indians watch the white buffalo hunters from a distance. - Dealing with Lawbreakers: In Wichita, Marshal Meagher shows Wyatt how it's done. - Facing Wyatt Earp: Challenged by a saddle tramp, Wyatt faces him down. - Kate is Back: Wyatt finds Doc and Kate playing poker with Homer (played by Lawrence Kasdan) - Josie Leave Behan: Josie tells Behan she can't marry him because she doesn't even like him. - Wyatt and Doc are Jailed: Wyatt confesses that he has been jailed before. - Before the Attack on Morgan: Wyatt sense danger and returns to watch over Morgan. - Behan's Posse: Behan forms a posse and rides after Wyatt and Doc, who watch from hiding. Finally we also get the film's theatrical trailer, presented in anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen.
Overall
Wyatt Earp is a sprawling and magnificent epic film that was created by filmmakers that have a genuine love for the material and the history. The film also features a wonderful ensemble cast, the only downside to the film comes down to its length, which can be a bit much for some viewers. Warner Brothers have includes a decent transfer and an impressive 5.1 surround track but the extras leave a lot to be desired, a commentary and a proper making-of documentary would have given this release more points, otherwise it's nice to see this film get a release on DVD.
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