‘Will Penny’ Blu-Ray Review – Charlton Heston Western Drama Thrives With Rich Character Development

Hollywood legend Charlton Heston (Secret of the Incas, The Big Country, Ben-Hur) stars as Will Penny, an aging cowboy on a hard-luck streak. He’s out of work, out of money, and staked out to die in the desert by a gang of ruthless outlaws. Moments before death, Will is taken in by the beautiful Catherine (Joan Hackett, Support Your Local Sheriff), who is heading west with her young son to join her husband. As Catherine nurses Will back to health, he catches a glimpse of a lifestyle he’s never known. Suddenly, Will has two more problems to deal with: he’s in love with another man’s wife, and the outlaw gang is on its way back to finish him off. Heston’s favorite film in which he appeared, the elegiac Will Penny was written and directed by Tom Gries (100 Rifles, Breakout, Breakheart Pass), shot by Lucien Ballard (The Wild Bunch), and finely cast with Donald Pleasence, Bruce Dern, Ben Johnson, Slim Pickens, Clifton James, Anthony Zerbe, Jon Gries and Lee Majors.

For thoughts on Will Penny, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic: 

[youtube https://youtu.be/oIMXO-PMrZQ?t=4531]

Video Quality

Kino Classics presents Will Penny with a terrific new 1080p transfer remastered by Paramount sourced from a 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative. The partnership between Paramount Pictures and Kino Lorber has once again rescued a gem for modern audiences. The film appears to be free of most dirt and damage for a very appealing viewing experience that captures the vistas admirably. There does not appear to be any pesky digital anomalies such as compression artifacts, banding or any other such nuisances. The level of detail and clarity is amazing with the appropriate amount of natural film grain intact and resolved well. The film features some deep earthy colors within both the dusty setting and costumes that reach the proper level of realism. Black levels are deep with a pleasing stability throughout. This presentation revitalizes this one with great care. 

Audio Quality

The film has been given a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio presentation that captures this information really well. Even with the film being as old as it is, there are very few moments when the track shows any anomalies. Dialogue comes through crisp and clear throughout without being overshadowed by any competing elements. The vibrant David Raksin score maintains fabulous fidelity with no big swings in stability. The track balances vocals with the environmental sounds with tremendous clarity. Kino Classics has provided an engaging audio presentation that presents the film as well as you would hope. The disc also comes with optional English (SDH) subtitles.

Special Features

• Audio Commentary: Author/Screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner, Film Historian Henry Parke and Will Penny Script Supervisor Michael Preece provide a very informative commentary track in which they discuss the background details of this film, memories from the production, technical aspects of capturing certain shots, the experiences of the performers, the thematic details of the story and more. This is a very enlightening track that is well worth a listen.

• Remembering Will Penny with Charlton Heston and Jon Gries: A nearly 14-minute conversation with the two stars of the film in which they discuss their memories of the production, what they were hoping the film would be, their relationship with Joan Hackett, capturing the authenticity of being a child, the use of antique weaponry and more 

• The Cowboys of Will Penny with Charlton Heston and Jon Gries: Another nearly four-minute conversation in which the performers reflect on other notable members of the ensemble and their experiences with them on set.  

• Trailers: The three-minute trailer for Will Penny is provided here. There are also trailers provided for 100 Rifles, Breakheart Pass, The Big Country and Journey to Shiloh. 

Final Thoughts

Will Penny is a very effective western tale from Charlton Heston which puts character at the forefront in a rewarding manner.  The film takes its time, but it never feels aimless as you get to know the titular character carefully brought to life by Heston. His chemistry once he meets up with Joan Hackett is really lovely, and the tension conjured up in the final stretch leaves you riveted until the very end. It is not often discussed among the best of Charlton Heston, but perhaps that should change. This new Blu-Ray release from Kino Classics offers up a wonderful A/V presentation and a nice selection of special features. This is a good bet for fans of the ensemble or westerns in general.Recommended 

Will Penny is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray. 

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

Disclaimer: Kino Classics 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.