The Molly Maguires
Picture: B- Sound:
B- Extras: D
Film: B+
After establishing himself
as James Bond, Sean Connery walked away from that franchise for what turned out
to be a brief period before a brief return and do some other films, including
1970’s The Molly Maguires, directed
by Martin Ritt. Ritt had come off a slew
of successes including Hud (1963), The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
(1965), and Hombre (1967). So with both of these talented individuals
came a film that dealt with the secret society of coal miners who battled
against the mine owners in the most extreme ways.
Based on actual events the
film handles the powerful story behind the Irish-American miners struggle to
make it and one mans attempt to fight his own moral values. Under an investigation by a detective
(Richard Harris) the secret society is slowly exposed as certain events lead to
another and when the leader of the Mollies (Connery) becomes exposed…it fuels a
climax unlike any other. The film
incorporates some very serious political and social problems that still concern
America today.
Two other elements that
make the film work so well, is the musical direction and the visual language of
the film. Henri Mancini’s score for the
film gives it an authentic and touching soul to the film. The texture layered for the film is then
visual depending on James Wong Howe’s stunning color photography for the
film. The 2.35 X 1 scope framework for
the film works really well and this DVD from Paramount demonstrates that quite
well. There are some slight amounts of
detail loss and contrast can be a mixture as well, especially in darker
scenes. Colors look pretty neutral, as
the film was designed to have a very natural, even muted look. The transfer is an anamorphic transfer as
well, with average sharpness and minimal amount of softness overall.
The newly mixed 5.1 Dolby
Digital track mainly showcases some of the awesome work of Mancini and gives a
new depth to the film. Dialogue is
placed mostly in the front with some directional effects being scattered to the
rear soundstage. The film works so well
when given the right treatment and this DVD is finally the way to see this
film, if not on 35mm. While there are no
extras for the film, Paramount has released a very good DVD in terms of quality
with a nice price tag to ensure attention from consumers.
- Nate Goss
