In Old Arizona is an interesting time piece of cinema and old Westerns. As the back cover states, this was the first major Western to use the new technology of sound and the first “talkie” to be shot outdoors. Personally, and not a fan of Westerns in general, I found it to be lackluster but Warner Baxter’s performance did stand out.
In Old Arizona (1929)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Western
Fox | NR – 99 min. – $24.99 | June 4, 2013
MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Irving Cummings
Writer(s): O. Henry (story “The Caballero’s Way”); Tom Barry (screenplay)
Cast: Warner Baxter, Edmund Love, Dorothy Burgess
Theatrical Release Date: January 20, 1929
DISC INFO:
Features: None
Number of Discs: 1
Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 1.0), English (Dolby Digital 1.0)
Video: 1080p/Full Frame 1.20
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Disc Size: 22.1 GB
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Region(s): A
THE MOVIE
Plot Outline: Army Sergeant Mickey Dunn (EDMUND LOWE) sets out in pursuit of the Cisco Kid (WARNER BAXTER), a notorious if kind-hearted and charismatic bandit of the Old West. The Kid spends much of his loot on Tonia (DOROTHY BURGESS), the woman he loves, not realizing that she is being unfaithful to him in his absence. Soon, with her oblivious paramour off plying his trade, Tonia falls in with Dunn, drawn by the allure of a substantial reward for the Kid’s capture – dead or alive. Together, they concoct a plan to ambush and do away with the Cisco Kid once and for all.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 0/5
No features have been included.
VIDEO – 3.75/5
All things considered, this film, now 84 years old, this is an impressive looking transfer. Presented with a 1.20 Full Frame aspect ratio, the film’s 1080p HD transfer provides some good detail levels even through the dust marks, numerous scratches and lines through the picture. Although I’m sure if Fox wanted to spend more the picture could’ve looked better, but how much without altering it too much is the question, so what is provided here is pretty darn good.
AUDIO – 3.5/5
The disc includes two audio tracks: The first is a restored 1.0 DTS-HD MA and the other is an un-restored Dolby Digital 1.0. I did change from one to the other but didn’t notice a huge difference, although the DTS-HD MA one was softer than and not as harsh as the other. Dialogue is pretty tough to hear but that’s due to the source rather than the transfer but audio effects are decent and like the picture, given its age, what’s made available is probably the best it will get.
OVERALL – 2.0/5
Overall, In Old Arizona is an interesting time piece of cinema and old Westerns. As the back cover states, this was the first major Western to use the new technology of sound and the first “talkie” to be shot outdoors. Personally, and not a fan of Westerns in general, I found it to be lackluster but Warner Baxter’s performance did stand out. The Blu-ray doesn’t have any features but the audio and video transfers are good quality for the film’s age.
Published: 06/16/2013