Josef von Sternberg's "Jet Pilot" Blu-ray John Wayne / Janet Leigh @indicatorseries
Added 2023-07-21 15:47:21 +0000 UTCOUT MONDAY:
Josef von Sternberg's "Jet Pilot" Blu-ray John Wayne / Janet Leigh @indicatorseries
(Kino) BONUS CAPTURES:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/josef-von-jet-59236010
OUR COMPARISON:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_158/jet_pilot_blu-ray.htm
From producer Howard Hughes (Hell’s Angels, The Outlaw) and director Josef von Sternberg (Thunderbolt, The Blue Angel) comes the thrilling and often humorous Cold War adventure Jet Pilot starring screen greats John Wayne (Rio Bravo, Brannigan) and Janet Leigh (Touch of Evil, The Manchurian Candidate). Wayne gives one of his most commanding performances as an American Air Force colonel who is sent by the Pentagon to obtain top-secret information from a Russian pilot (Leigh). The two eventually fall in love and, with their marriage as a perfect cover, the colonel is ordered to flee to Russia with his bride—this time with him posing as a defector. When the political charade is discovered, however, the courageous couple must embark on a heart-pounding escape with enemy agents in hot pursuit. Written by Jules Furthman (Spawn of the North, Nightmare Alley) and shot by Winton C. Hoch (Joan of Arc, The Quiet Man), Jet Pilot is a high-flying spectacle that “soars in an ecstatic flight of speed, grace and color” (Andrew Sarris).
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Indicator Blu-ray (July 2023): Indicator have also transferred Josef von Sternberg's Jet Pilot to Blu-ray. The 1080P image quality is, pretty much, a duplicate of the Kino also offering both 1.37:1 and 1.85:1 1080P presentations sharing a dual-layered Blu-ray. The Indicator is a shade brighter but exports the textures about the same. Their audio goes linear PCM mono and it is as clean and clear as the Kino. The extras are where the two Blu-ray packages differ the most.
Kino only had a theatrical trailer. Indicator, naturally, advance upon their US counterpart. We get 1/2 hour of Tony Rayns on ‘Jet Pilot'. It's a new in-depth discussion of the film’s protracted production and release. The Town is Josef von Sternberg’s 1943 contribution to the war effort - a short film about a typical small town in the US, made as part of The American Scene film series. It runs a dozen minutes. Indicator include a text opening sequence with magnificent jet footage for a minute. There also is an original theatrical trailer and Indicator's usual image gallery of promotional and publicity materials. The package has a limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Glenn Kenny, an extract from Joseph von Sternberg’s autobiography, archival interviews with von Sternberg, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and full film credits.
Josef von Sternberg's Jet Pilot is obviously 'dated' and certainly no where near the director's more renowned work. Jet Pilot is silly - intentional at times - filled with US patriotism, but is carried well by the star power of a handsome Wayne and the cheesecake prancing of sweater-girl Leigh. The romancing and suspicions have ups and downs but overall it is quite cute. Nothing more. The Indicator Blu-ray has the dual ARs, vibrancy of the Technicolor and advances on the 2021 Kino. Fans of the leads may find the most benefit.
