Joseph “Doc” Frail (Gary Cooper) is a doctor with a past he’s trying to outrun. While in Montana, he comes across a mining camp with a hanging tree and rescues a man named Rune (Ben Piazza) from the noose. With Rune as his servant, Frail decides to settle down, and he takes over as town doctor. He meets Elizabeth (Maria Schell), who is suffering from shock, and the two soon fall in love. But when Elizabeth is attacked, Frail’s attempt to help her lands them both in trouble.
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Video Quality
Warner Archive provided The Hanging Tree with a terrific 1080p master transfer in 1.85:1 when it was released in 2018 sourced from a new 4K scan of the Original Camera Negative. Warner Archive always goes the extra mile with its restorations, and this one is a prime example of such care. The film spotlights sumptuous colors within the costumes and the rural environments that leap off the screen. You always desire pinpoint accurate hues, and this transfer delivers on all fronts.
After you get past the optical opening credits which have baked-in limitations, you are graced with a transfer delivering great detail and clarity. The natural film grain enhances the picture to great heights to faithfully capture the cinematography of Ted D. McCord. Highlights stay resolute during the runtime and black levels are pretty deep outside of some issues with day-for-night shots. The film is primarily clear of imperfections with no forward instances of damage or dirt detected. Compression artifacts, banding, and other such issues do not pop up as an issue in this transfer. Warner Archive always delivers the goods.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio split mono track that is just as complimentary as the video side of the equation. There is no serious age-related wear and tear to the track such as hissing, dropouts, or popping. With every soaring note of the score from Max Steiner, you are free of unwanted anomalies. Dialogue and environmental noises work effectively with the score so everything has the appropriate prominence. Exchanges come through clearly with no elements stealing focus. The more bustling moments are handled well and give the track a bit of excitement. Warner Archive has delivered a disc that holds up with the best of them. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included for the feature film.
Special Features
- Trailer: A nearly three-minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
The Hanging Tree is a thrilling Western that tackles themes of redemption and mob mentality with great confidence. Gary Cooper rarely lets you down with a performance, and he is as good as ever opposite a strong ensemble. Karl Malden is so nasty and off-putting that it is almost tough to watch. but you also cannot look away. This film has not always gotten the recognition it deserves, but it is well worth a watch if you are even slightly a fan of the genre. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray that sports a first-r1ate A/V presentation but not much in the way of special features. Recommended
The Hanging Tree 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.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
