‘The Life And Times Of Judge Roy Bean’ Blu-Ray Review – Paul Newman Gets Zany In Wonderfully Bizarre Western

Vinegaroon law goes like this. Penalty for stealing whiskey: hanging. Penalty for not cutting the judge in on a bank heist: hanging. Penalty for speaking ill of New York actress Lillie Langtry: shooting. Then hanging. Paul Newman joins director John Huston, screenwriter John Milius and a cast of superb sidewinders to turn the real-life Wild West into a tall tale of a Wilder West. Newman tackles with gusto the title role, a self-made man who proclaims himself the law west of the Pecos, writes admiring letters to Langry (Ava Gardner) and rides into gun-blazing glory whooping “For Texas and Miss Langtry!” Prepare yourself for some colorful adventures. Because these bright talents cast long shadows.

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Video Quality

Warner Archive provided The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean with a comely 1080p master transfer in 1.85:1 when it was released in 2018 sourced from a new 2K scan of the Interpositive. The label has removed nearly all imperfections with no forthright instances of damage or dirt detected. Compression artifacts, banding, and other such issues do not arise as an issue in this transfer. Outside of some optical shots that have baked-in limitations, you are blessed with a transfer rich with great detail and clarity. The natural film grain enriches the warm cinematography of Richard Moore. The film carries earthy colors within the landscape and costumes, although some dresses show up with lush shades that leap off the screen. This transfer delivers an ideal accuracy when it comes to the hues. Highlights stay firm during the runtime and black levels are acceptably deep outside of some fleeting milky shadows. Warner Archive did a nice job here. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a pleasant DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio split mono track that holds up respectably with only fleeting signs of age. There is no serious damage to the track such as hissing, dropouts, or popping. Dialogue and environmental noises work in tandem with the score so everything has the appropriate prominence. Exchanges come through evenly with no elements commanding undue focus. The score from Maurice Jarre conjures the perfect atmosphere clear of unwanted anomalies. The more rollicking moments are handled well and give the track a bit of personality. Warner Archive has delivered a disc that lives up to its promise. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included for the feature film.

Special Features

• Trailer: A nearly five-minute trailer is provided here. 

Final Thoughts

The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean is a Western quite unlike what you would typically find from the genre in its heyday. The movie has a semblance of tradition behind it with the direction of John Huston filling the screen with gorgeous compositions, yet it is the devilish glint in the eye of the filmmaker that makes the movie what it is. Together with an irascible Paul Newman, putting forth an amazing performance, the team makes something wonderfully bizarre and patently hilarious. It is both an embrace of the genre and a healthy subversion. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray that sports a fantastic A/V presentation but not much in the way of special features. Any fan of Paul Newman or Western comedies should keep this in mind. Recommended 

The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean 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.