Searching for a classic film on 4K for Christmas? Here are two great examples

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Let's look at the new release first: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest won "all five major Academy Awards" (according to the press release), of Best Picture, Actor, Actress, screenplay and director. That's quite an accomplishment!

It's also the film that helped propel the careers of comparative newbies (back then!) Danny DeVito, Brad Dourif and Christopher Lloyd.

The story revolves around R. P. McMurphy, a free spirit who finds himself locked in an Oregon mental institution. He's the square peg the System wants to fit into their round hole and, naturally, he isn't really in the mood for that fitting.

Indeed, he's a bit of a rebellious hellion, and right off the bat be becomes a thorn in the side of tough as nails Nurse Ratched (Louse Fletcher) who runs the place as if it were a prison and hides behind bureaucratese - such as running everything to a tight schedule, regardless of what the inmates - er, patients – want, even if it's as simple as watching a game on TV.

We figure right off that the System is going to eat up McMurphy and spit him out, but he does his best to ensure that doesn't happen while, along the way, he becomes a folk hero and mentor to the other poor souls in his ward.

Forman's directorial touch makes you feel almost as if you're a part of the movie, as if you’re also in that awful old loony bin in the same way you nearly feel Viennese while watching his even better film, Amadeus. The man could certainly craft a film, though it doesn’t hurt to have everything else going like he did - Oscar-calibre performances combined with Oscar-calibre words and a crew that dresses and shoots it in such a way as to create an extremely realistic atmosphere.

Interestingly, a lot of that realistic atmosphere came from them shooting on location in a real mental hospital in Oregon.

The performances of what's basically an ensemble cast are uniformly outstanding.

I didn't really care for Cuckoo's Nest when I saw it first, mostly because I have an aversion to Jack Nicholson, but I have to admit that watching it now, so many years later, I was really impressed with him and with the rest of the movie. It truly is a must-see.

And Warners has done it justice with this 4K disc. Alas, there's no Blu-ray included, but the 4K disc looks and sounds terrific, and includes some really worthwhile extras.

The film was apparently restored for its 50th anniversary, supposedly from a new 4K scan of the original 35 millimetre negative, with extra tech used to make it even better. And it works. The film looks exquisite! The image is very film-like, with fabulous detail, a nice but not overpowering dose of filmic grain, excellent colour and lovely blacks. It's easily the best version on video yet.

The audio isn't quite that good, but for a fifty year old soundtrack it's still impressive. The default track features a DTS-HD Master Audio version remix and they did a nice job of it. There isn't a lot of surround, but that's fine because the original soundtrack wasn't in surround at all.

Then there are the extras. You get two short documentaries that are basically Zoom sessions with producer Michael Douglas and actors DeVito, Lloyd and Dourif. Both are quite interesting as these veterans reminisce about an important time in their lives and how proud they are of the film itself.

Then there's "Completely Cuckoo", a really interesting, though ancient (no widescreen or HD) hour and a half documentary that features just about everyone connected with the film, as well as one name not connected to the film (which the filmmakers admit to have regretted): Ken Kesey, author of the original novel. It's an excellent look at the gestation and reaction to the film.

There are also a few deleted scenes.

Very highly recommended, much to my chagrin for dumping on the film in years past.

The Searchers

Then there's The Searchers.

Released by Warner Archive, this 4K UHD disc is simply stunning as well. It's one of the great westerns, of course, and it really shines in this 4K restoration.

Especially worth seeing in this version are the gorgeous locations chosen as backdrops!

The story has apparently generated some controversy over the years, supposedly for how it depicted Native Americans (here they aren't all saints, believe it or not), but it's still a ripping and absorbing tale of loss, family, character and determination.

Based on a novel as well, The Searchers is basically a quite simple story. Ethan Edwards (the Duke) is a Confederate soldier returning from the Civil War to his Texas family where his brother and his wife live with their three children and adopted son, Martin (Jeffrey Hunter), a half breed (so someone must have been tolerant at least once!).

Their reunion is short-lived, which is probably good for moving the story along…

While Ethan and Martin are away from the family ranch, it's attacked by Comanches who kill the adults, burn the homestead to the ground, and ride off with the two young girls. This leads to The Search, as Ethan and Martin head out on a years' long odyssey to find and rescue their girls.

And that's basically the film: Ethan and Martin crossing the West in pursuit of the Comanches who, obviously, aren't particular interested in being caught. Naturally, that's a real oversimplification because a lot happens on that Search.

It's an uplifting story in many ways, though of course not without its rough moments.

The film was shot beautifully, the locations are spectacular, and the performances are first rate. Natalie Wood, as one of the captured girls, is mostly wasted here because she has very little screen time, but she isn't the only one with a relatively small part.

Also in the cast are Ward Bond, Vera Miles, Harry Carey, Jr., Ken Curtis and Patrick Wayne (who would go on to play Sinbad in Harryhausen's "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger").

The 4K package includes a Blu-ray that has a pretty good selection of extras, though only one of them has been included on the 4K disc. That's a running commentary by late director/historian Peter Bogdanovich, a guy who knows his stuff and who also directed a biography of John Ford.

Though a Warner Brothers film, it was shot in VistaVision, a high resolution filming method I have always associated more with Paramount as their widescreen innovation. Here, it's been given a superb, very film-like restoration that really pops off the screen, with lovely colour, exquisite detail and excellent black levels. You'd never know this movie is nearly 70 years old!

Audio isn't up to today's standards but that's mostly because of its age. For what it is, they've done a marvelous job of offering good fidelity while being true to the original sound. It's a two-channel DTS-HD Master Audio track that is basically the original mono track upgraded. The sound is very good overall, rich and with excellent fidelity and dynamics. It's very satisfying.

The Searchers is a beautifully made and gorgeous looking motion picture from when the long train of Hollywood Westerns was starting to peter out

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a vintage newsreel presentation: "The Searchers World Premiere in Chicago". While less than a minute long, it gives us shots of John Wayne and Ward Bond at the movie's premiere. Outtakes is a silent collection of what are mostly alternative takes, but which includes some interesting behind-the-scenes looks at the production as well.

"The Searchers: An Appreciation" is about a half hour long documentary, and a newer one ""A Turning of the Earth: John Ford, John Wayne and The Searchers" is also quite interesting.

You also get an introduction to the film by Patrick Wayne, the abovementioned commentary by Peter Bogdanovich, some old "Behind the Cameras" bits and the original trailer.

While some snowflakes might get all bent out of shape over the portrayal of the Sainted Aboriginals (hey, it isn't a documentary! And the world didn't come with an owner's manual!), The Searchers is a beautifully made and gorgeous looking motion picture from when the long train of Hollywood Westerns was starting to peter out.

The film deserved an excellent 4K UHD presentation and I'm pleased to report that it has been achieved.

If you're a fan of classic Hollywood Westerns, or just great film making in general, John Ford's The Searchers really does belong in your 4K library.