Norman Mailer’s classic comes to the big screen courtesy of director Raoul Walsh (Objective, Burma!; High Sierra) and an ensemble of seasoned actors and fresh-faced up-and-comers.

Raymond Massey and Cliff Robertson play officers whose opposing views on military leadership are the two poles between which a platoon’s fate is stretched during the war of the Pacific. Massey’s Gen. Cummings advocates fear as the guide to goading men to face death, whereas Robertson’s Lt. Hearn vehemently disagrees. Hearn is hard-pressed, however, to find the better nature within the sadistic Sgt. Croft (Aldo Ray), whose own wartime ethos seems to be pure hatred. Pounded inside this crucible are the men of the platoon: pals Roth (Joey Bishop) and Goldstein (Jerry Paris), scout Martinez (Henry Amargo), medic Rhidges (James Best), older vet Red (Robert Gist), Southerner Cpl. Wilson (L.Q. Jones), nerve-case Minetta (Greg Roman) and new father Gallagher (Richard Jaeckel).

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Video Quality

Warner Archive provided The Naked and The Dead with a standout 1080p master transfer in 2.35:1 when it was released in 2018 from presumably a 2K scan of the Interpositive, but we cannot find confirmation of this. However the master was created, Warner Archive gave the movie a proper second life on disc. The film is almost entirely free of imperfections with no serious instances of damage or dirt detected. The rich natural film grain brings out welcome detail within the cinematography. The optical dissolves have baked-in limitations, but otherwise, this transfer maintains a consistent level of clarity. Compression artifacts, banding, and other such nuisances do not rear their ugly head as an issue in this transfer. The colors on display within the costumes and the environments are bold and vibrant. Highlights are steady during the runtime and black levels are deep. Warner Archive comes through for fans.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that does everything that is asked of it. There is no obvious age-related wear and tear to the track such as hissing, dropouts, or popping. One of the most prominent aspects of the picture is the score from Bernard Herrmann which saturates the room with excellent fidelity. Dialogue and environmental sounds work together with the music so everything has the ideal presence. Exchanges come through clearly with no elements demanding focus. The more kinetic moments are handled well and give the track a bit of texture. Warner Archive has knocked it out of the park. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included for the feature film.

Special Features

Theatrical Trailer (2:34)

Final Thoughts

The Naked and The Dead takes a critical look at the impact of war on our society and the people who risked their lives for something better. There is a bit more grit to this picture than the standard vintage look for this type of picture. Although this is not a majorly star-studded affair, everyone who is present does a nice job and keeps you invested. We welcome all types of war pictures, and we are glad to have one of this pedigree in the ether. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray that sports a great A/V presentation but almost nothing in the way of special features. Recommended

The Naked and The Dead 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.