The young town of Denver, CO, right before the outbreak of the Civil War, is the setting for this Western drama from acclaimed director Jacques Tourneur (Out of the Past, Stars in My Crown). Recently rescued from an Indian ambush, laconic Southern loner Owen Pentecost (Robert Stack) rides into town and into the hearts of saloon girl Boston (Ruth Roman) and frontier entrepreneur Ann Merry (a pants-wearing and liberated Virginia Mayo). With Boston’s aid, Owen wins the deed to the local saloon in a card game against its menacing cardcheat owner, the aptly named Jumbo Means (Raymond Burr). With secession causing tensions to rise between Denver’s Northerner majority and Southerner minority, Owen is pressured to support his Confederate brothers, but he remains firmly committed to his one true cause – gold! And there’s two million dollars’ worth of it that needs to be smuggled out before the start of the war!

For thoughts on Great Day in the Morning, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

Warner Archive presents Great Day in the Morning with a pleasant 1080p master transfer released in 2019 in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio sourced from a new HD master created at the time. We are not positive about the source of this master, but it is clear that the label put forth great care with it. The film displays no serious signs of wear and tear or debris thanks to a careful cleanup. There are no unwanted digital shortcomings such as compression artifacts, banding, or any other such issues. The colors of the environments are rich and bold. Each hue is perfectly saturated to its intended shade. Black levels are deep with wonderful stability throughout, and highlights are in great shape. Detail and clarity are first-rate with the delicate natural film grain intact and resolved consistently. Warner Archive always delivers when it counts.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that represents this one very well. The score from Leith Stevens is used masterfully to settle you into the mood of this drama filled with grand emotions. Even when things get a bit more bustling, it does not overshadow any important dialogue or background noises. There is no serious age-related wear and tear to the track such as drop-outs, hissing, or popping. Warner Archive has shown off with a grand audio presentation. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included for the feature film.

Special Features

MGM Shorts – Directed by Jacques Tourneur: A quartet of short films is provided helmed by the legendary filmmaker. These do not appear to have been restored in any notable way, but they are still well worth a watch.

- The Ship That Died (1938) (10:08)

- Strange Glory (1938) (10:36)

- The Face Behind The Mask (1938) (10:46)

- The Magic Alphabet (1942) (10:54)

Final Thoughts

Great Day in the Morning is a dramatic tale helmed by the great Jacques Tourneur that is somewhat overstuffed with narrative threads yet still very entertaining. There are some great compositions captured by director of photography William E. Snyder, and the film moves along at a compelling pace. The strong performances are a great anchor for this one with no weak links spotted among the ensemble. If you want a Western tale that leans more towards the bleak side of the spectrum, it is worth a watch. Warner Archive has released Blu-Ray featuring a really good A/V presentation but not much in the way of special features. Recommended

Great Day in the Morning can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.