Criterion Collection: Jubal | Blu-ray Review

Following the release of over a dozen films and just a year before the release of his pinnacle endeavor, Delmar Daves utilized his love of the Native American heritage and the never ending translation finesse of Shakespeare to come up with a new twist on the old west. Criterion is bringing his 1956 Jubal to Blu-ray this month as another of it’s Criterion classic collection. The film marks an approximate mid-point in a career that spanned three decades and saw the auteur move from actor to writer and producer/director. The film sets precedent for the more critically acclaimed films to come that would eventually earn the director his own star on the famed Hollywood Walk.

While riding through the mountains, wealthy rancher Shep Horgan (Ernest Borgnine) encounters Jubal Troop (Glenn Ford), a wandering cowhand who can barely stand on his feet. Shep takes him back to his ranch where his wife May (Valerie French) gives him hot coffee and food. On the following day, Shep asks Jubal if he needs a job. Much to the displeasure of Pinky (Rod Steiger), another cowhand who suspects that Jubal might be a sheepherder, he decides to stay. Shep and Jubal soon become good friends and begin trusting each other more than the rest of the men working on the ranch.

Frustrated by Shep’s lack of manners eventually May begins flirting with Jubal, but he quickly makes it clear that he isn’t interested in her – and not because he does not like her, but because he does not want to hurt the man who saved him from freezing to death and then gave him a job. But May warns him that it is only a matter of time before she seduces him. Soon after, Shep asks Jubal if he would like to become his foreman. At first Jubal hesitates, knowing that Pinky and the rest of the men on the ranch that have been working with Shep for years might object, but eventually accepts the new position. While celebrating his promotion, May casually kisses him. A few days later, Jubal meets Reb (Charles Bronson), a drifter passing through the area. The two talk and Jubal asks him to stay and help him with the ranch work. Sensing that he is losing his influence on Shep, Pinky makes a crucial move that unleashes a series of dramatic events.

Based on the novel by Paul Wellman, Delmer Daves’ Jubal is a Shakespearian drama set amidst Wyoming’s beautiful mountains. Daves shot it in Cinemascope and Technicolor in 1956, a year before he completed arguably his best film, the noirish western 3:10 to Yuma.

The film is structured around two key conflicts, each presenting a moral dilemma. The first involves the beautiful May and Jeb who are clearly attracted to each other for the wrong reasons. The second involves Jeb and his best friend Shep, who decides to defend his honor without knowing enough about May’s interest in his foreman.

The story follows a familiar route but the terrific acting makes this film enormously entertaining. The frequent clashes between Ford and Borgnine, in particular, add a great deal of intensity and quickly force one to choose sides. On the other hand, Borgnine’s brutish rancher is in the middle of quite a few comic episodes. The action in Jubal is of little importance to the story. The focus of attention is nearly exclusively on the evolving relationships between the main characters.

Jubal was lensed by cinematographer Charles Lawton Jr., who also collaborated with Daves on 3:10 to Yuma. Eventually, the two men will team up to work on four more films: Cowboy (1958), Rome Adventure (1962), Spencer’s Mountain (1963), and Youngblood Hawke (1964). The interior footage, in particular, has plenty of low-angle shots where light and shadow are treated with the same attention they were given in many of the best noir films from the 1950s.

Disc Review

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.55:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Delmer Daves’ Jubal arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The outdoor footage looks very good. Depth and especially clarity are very pleasing while contrast is stable. The indoor footage, however, is not as sharp and vibrant. While some of the clarity fluctuations are directly related to the manner in which light and shadow are treated, there are some contrast fluctuations that are not inherited. There are also sporadic color pulsations as well as basic frame instability (typically accompanied by color instability). There are no traces of excessive degraining. Edge-enhancement is also not an issue of concern. Some light banding is present, but there are no serious compression anomalies to report in this review. Lastly, there are no large damage marks, debris, cuts, or scratches throughout the film. All in all, despite some of the minor issue noted above, this is indeed a good organic presentation of Jubal that should please its fans. (Note: This is a Region-A “locked” Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The loss-less audio track has plenty of depth and a surprisingly good range of nuanced dynamics. David Raksin’s intense orchestral score enhances the dramatic atmosphere very well. Generally speaking, the dialog is well rounded, stable, clean, and easy to follow. Also, there are no annoying high-frequency distortions of audio dropouts to report in this review.

Final Thoughts

While not as atmospheric as other westerns of its era, Jubal is an outstanding addition to the Criterion Collection and a gem of its gender. I was disappointed that their was not any additional significant extras to the Blu-ray package; however, the film itself is a classic amid cinematography and acting experiences.