‘They Were Expendable’ Blu-Ray Review – Wayne & Ford Craft A Formidable Wartime Tale

Supplies are dwindling. Troops are hopelessly outnumbered. But even in defeat there is victory. The defenders of the Philippines – including PT-boat skippers John Brickley (Robert Montgomery) and Rusty Ryan (John Wayne) – will give the U.S. war effort time to regroup after the devastation of Pearl Harbor.

Director John Ford’s World War II tale knows its battle-scarred topic firsthand. Montgomery was himself a Pacific PT-boat commander and a valorous Bronze Star recipient. Ford filmed the Academy Award-winning documentary The Battle of Midway. And Wayne creates a portrait of patriotic resolve as only he can. They Were Expendable salutes all who expended themselves during some of the war’s bleakest hours.

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Video Quality

Warner Archive brought They Were Expendable to Blu-Ray with 1080p transfer in the summer of 2016 sourced from a 2K scan of the Fine Grain Interpositive. Given that the Original Camera Negative no longer exists, this transfer holds up extremely well within the limitations. Print damage rarely shows up throughout the presentation, which shows how much additional work was put into the preservation efforts. This wartime picture serves as one of the most visually impressive thanks to the photographic efforts of Joseph H. August. The presentation has a pleasing amount of depth to it including in the shadows where there is no signs of black crush. This black-and-white feature maintains the natural film grain throughout which provides a robust amount of detail to the image, especially in the uniforms. Warner Archive has provided a worthy transfer for this one. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray release comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that showcases this soundscape with ease. Dialogue comes through clearly in all environments both calm and chaotic. None of the bombastic sound effects or the dramatic score from Herbert Stothart ever overpowers important exchanges on this release. The sounds of battle lend the track a necessary heft without any issues. There does not appear to be any damage or age-related wear and tear to the track. This is as compelling of an audio presentation as the feature deserves. Optional English (SDH), French, and Spanish subtitles are available on the disc.

Special Features

• Theatrical Trailer: The minute-and-a-half-long trailer is provided here. 

Final Thoughts

They Were Expendable is a formidable effort from John Ford that puts his personal investment in the war onto the screen with some of his finest collaborators. The film has moments of tenderness to humanize our main characters, but it doesn’t let you go without some scrapes and bruises in the battle scenes. With the talent in front of the camera and behind the scenes, audiences are in great hands with this one. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation but not much in the way of special features. If you are a fan of war films or the talent involved, this should be on your list. Recommended 

They Were Expendable 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.