ONE-EYED JACKS [1961 / 2016] [The Criterion Collection] [USA Release] [Blu-ray]
The Motion Picture That Starts Its Own Tradition of Greatness!
This is a western like no other, combining the mythological scope of that most American of genres with the searing naturalism of a performance by Marlon Brando — all suffused with Freudian overtones and masculine anxiety. In his only directing stint, Marlon Brando captures rugged coastal and desert landscapes in gorgeous widescreen, Technicolor images, and elicits from his fellow actors, including Karl Malden and Pina Pellicer, and nuanced depictions of conflicted characters. Though the production was overwhelmed by its director’s perfectionism and was plagued by setbacks and studio re-editing. ‘ONE-EYED JACKS’ stands out as one of Marlon Brando’s greatest achievements, thanks above all to his tortured turn as Rio, a bank robber bent on revenge against his former partner in crime. Brooding and romantic, Rio is the last and perhaps the most tender of the iconic outsiders that the great actor imbued with such intensity throughout his career.
The Criterion Collection is dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions of the highest technical quality. With supplemental features that enhance the appreciation of the art of film.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1961 San Sebastián International Film Festival: Win: Golden Seashell for Marlon Brando. Win: Prize San Sebastián for Best Actress for Pina Pellicer. 1962 Academy Awards®: Nomination: Best Cinematography and Colour for Charles Lang. 1962 Directors Guild of America: Nomination: DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Marlon Brando. 1962 Laurel Awards: Nomination: Golden Laurel Award for Top Action Drama [4th place]. Nomination: Golden Laurel Award for Top Cinematography and Colour for Charles Lang. 2018 National Film Preservation Board, USA: Win: National Film Registry for National Film Preservation Board.
FILM FACT No.2: In 2018, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Rod Serling, creator of “The Twilight Zone” television series, wrote an adaptation of the 1956 novel “The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones” by Charles Neider, at the request of producer Frank P. Rosenberg. The book was a fictional treatment of the familiar Billy the Kid story, relocated from New Mexico to the Monterey Peninsula in California. The adaptation was rejected. Frank P. Rosenberg next hired Sam Peckinpah, who finished his first script on 11 November 1957. Marlon Brando's Pennebaker Productions had paid $40,000 for the rights to Authentic Death and then signed a contract with Stanley Kubrick to direct for Paramount Pictures. Peckinpah handed in a revised screenplay on 6 May 1959. Marlon Brando later fired Sam Peckinpah and hired Calder Willingham to further revise the film's script, but he too was eventually fired. Guy Trosper was brought on as a final replacement. Additionally, Stanley Kubrick — for unknown reasons — stepped down from directing the film just two weeks before starting production. Marlon Brando volunteered to direct the film in Stanley Kubrick’s place. The movie ultimately bore little resemblance to the Charles Neider novel, and what remains has much more resonance with history than fiction. At various times, the two credited screenwriters and the uncredited Sam Peckinpah have claimed (or had claimed for them) a majority of the responsibility for the film. When Karl Malden was asked who really wrote the story, he said: “There is one answer to your question — Marlon Brando, a genius in our time.” The film was Paramount Pictures last feature film released in VistaVision. Cinematographer Charles Lang received an Academy Award® nomination in the Best Cinematography, Colour category that year. Upon release, it made little money, leading to a string of unsuccessful films for Marlon Brando.
Cast: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Katy Jurado, Ben Johnson, Slim Pickens, Pina Pellicer, Larry Duran, Sam Gilman, MÍriam Colón, Timothy Carey, Margarita Cordova, Elisha Cook Jr., Rodolfo Acosta, Joan Petrone, Joe Dominguez, Tom Webb, Ray Teal, John Dierkes, Philip Ahn, Hank Worden, Clem Harvey, William Forrest, Mina Martinez, Pina Pellicer, P. Casteneda, L. Gohl, J. Olivetti, Mary Dagher Turbay, Eric Alden (uncredited), Sam Bagley (uncredited), Ray Beltram (uncredited), Nesdon Booth (uncredited), Chet Brandenburg (uncredited), Sheryl Deauville (uncredited), Maria Deglar (uncredited), Rosita Delva (uncredited), Joe Dominguez (uncredited), Mickey Finn (uncredited), Duke Fishman (uncredited), Nacho Galindo (uncredited), John George (uncredited), Augie Gomez (uncredited), Al Haskell (uncredited), Jimmie Horan (uncredited), Miyoshi Jingu (uncredited), Fenton Jones (uncredited), Lisa Lu (uncredited), Margarita Martín (uncredited), Donald McGuire (uncredited), Jorge Moreno (uncredited), Charles Morton (uncredited), Joan Petrone (uncredited), 'Snub' Pollard (uncredited), John Quijada (uncredited), Francy Scott (uncredited), Bert Stevens (uncredited), Shichizo Takeda (uncredited), Marie Tsien (uncredited), Felipe Turich (uncredited), Glen Walters (uncredited) and Henry Wills (uncredited)
Director: Marlon Brando
Producers: Carlo Fiore, Frank P. Rosenberg, George Glass and Walter Seltzer
Screenplay: Guy Trosper, Calder Willingham and Charles Neider (novel “The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones”)
Composer: Hugo Friedhofer
Cinematography: Charles Lang Jr., A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Special Photographic Effects: John P. Fulton
Technicolor Consultant: Richard Mueller
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (VistaVision)
Audio: English: 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio
English: 1.0 Dolby Digital Mono Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 141 minutes
Region: Region A/1
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Paramount Pictures / The Criterion Collection
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: This is Marlon Brando's only film as a director, and ‘ONE-EYED JACKS’ [1961] was the disastrous ‘Heaven's Gate’ of its day. Famously over-budget and overlong, this Western melodrama has, in recent years, earned critical praises as a psychologically fascinating and visually stunning entry into the genre. Based on the 1956 Charles Neider novel, “The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones,” the film draws heavily on the legend of Billy the Kid, particularly Billy's relationship to Pat Garrett. In this regard, it is interesting to note that the first to turn the novel into a screenplay was none other than Sam Peckinpah, who would go on to direct his own version of the story in the film ‘Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid’ [1973] starring Kris Kristofferson.
‘ONE-EYED JACKS’ tells the story of Rio [Marlon Brando] and his quest for revenge against his one-time friend Sheriff Dad Longworth [Karl Malden]. After robbing a Mexican bank, Sheriff Dad Longworth abandons Rio to Mexican authorities, resulting in Rio getting locked up for five years. After escaping prison, Rio becomes obsessed with searching out and punishing Dad for running off. Things take a turn when Rio discovers that Dad, apparently using the money from the robbery and have become the local sheriff of Monterey, California. By all appearances, Sheriff Dad Longworth is seen as an upstanding citizen who he married a Mexican woman Maria Longworth [Katy Jurado] and is the primary father figure to his stepdaughter, Louisa [Pina Pellicer].
This set up is indicative of Marlon Brando’s desire to create a Western that pushes against the conventions of the genre, at least at the time. We have a central protagonist that’s a criminal and a villain who takes the façade of righteous morality. Marlon Brando tried to subvert every familiar cliché, from the revenge tale to the romance of the Wild West. Rio is not a good person and his central motivation is to make another man suffer. But instead of just killing, Marlon Brando dances around it, delaying the action to the point of annoyance. To fill in these gaps, we’re introduced to a side plot in which Rio seduces Louisa. Does Rio do this as revenge against Sheriff Dad Longworth, or does he truly care about Louisa [Pina Pellicer]? The answer is left ambiguous, but it does add to the mounting tension between Rio and Sheriff Dad Longworth.
‘ONE-EYED JACKS’ maybe more remembered for its troubled production than for its storytelling. Marlon Brando took over directing duties after Stanley Kubrick left for unknown reasons. The budget exploded as Marlon Brando’s indecision and production delays eventually forced the studio to take control. While there is a sense of style and craft, the issues behind the camera show. There’s a noticeable lack of continuity between scenes and even though Marlon Brando shot a million feet of footage and his original cut reportedly ran for 5 plus hours and the studio still went back and did extensive reshoots. One scene between two characters will start off on location then suddenly transport into an obvious studio setting. The editing chops the narrative as though there are two heads butting against each other: Marlon Brando’s rebellion and the studio’s insistence to tell a straight story.
What is left is an uneven but fascinating result and although Marlon Brando would disown the film for not being his personal vision, there are bits and pieces that draw us in. Of course, the acting is top notch. Karl Malden is excellent as a slimy weasel, and Pina Pellicer in her first English-speaking role, provides weight to her character even though she’s used as a pawn in a larger scheme. But let’s not be confused here and this is the “Marlon Brando Show” through and through. Like many of his other roles, Marlon Brando inserts a balance between soft vulnerability and spontaneous animal magnetism. We see his deeper seeded psychology. The fact that the villain is named Sheriff “Dad” Longworth cannot be a just a coincidence, and Rio bedding Sheriff Dad Longworth’s stepdaughter points toward a more complex, if not troubling, undercurrent. It’s these contrasting themes that makes the film ‘ONE-EYED JACKS’ curious despite all the problems that went in creating the film.
Marlon Brando claimed that he wanted to make a "frontal assault on the temple of clichés." But according to information, they said that, "you'd have to go back to William S. Hart to find a Western hero so lacking in heroic qualities." Indeed, many reviewers found the film oddly clichéd itself. Time magazine, for instance, called it "A horse opera" and claimed it was "the usual melodrama of revenge." But the New York Times called it "extraordinary" and claimed, "It is as if it had been jointly directed by John Huston and Raoul Walsh." All reviewers, however, took note of the stunning cinematography by Charles's use of Technicolor and the contrasting locations of Sonora, in Mexico and Monterey, and so they say that ‘ONE-EYED JACKS’ is an aesthetic treat and well worth taking another look at the genius of Marlon Brando’s film.
ONE-EYED JACKS MUSIC TRACK LIST
STREETS OF LAREDO (uncredited) (Traditional) [Hummed by Deputy Lon when Luisa brings food to Rio in the jail]
* * * * *
Blu-ray Image Quality – Paramount Pictures and The Criterion Collection presents us the film ‘ONE-EYED JACKS’ with another stunning 1080p Technicolor encoded restoration and an equally impressive stunning VistaVision 1.85:1 aspect ratio, that has been in collaboration with Universal Studios and The Film Foundation, under consultation with Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. This transfer was created from the original 35mm, 8-perforation VistaVision negative and the 35mm Y-layer separation master to recover the faded blue element of the film. These film elements were scanned, using pin registration, at 6k resolution on a Northlight film scanner. The film elements were configured for A/B printing, so all transitions, such as fades and dissolves were recreated to conform to the theatrical cut of the film. Dirt and damage removal were accomplished with a host of digital tools, including MTI Film’s Nova, Digital Vision’s Phoenix, HS-Art’s Diamant, and Autodesk’s Flames. The Criterion Collection has a great reputation for excellent restorations, but here they have truly stepped up their game. This is one of the best looking Blu-ray releases they have produced. Charles Lang’s cinematography has no noticeable specks or noise anywhere, colours and details are so crystal clear that it looks like it could have been for modern audiences. This was a film that fell into public domain, stuck in a grocery store bargain bins, and yet now we have it in near pristine condition. If anyone doubts the standards of The Criterion Collection has in making their releases look, all they have to do is view this awesome Blu-ray disc.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Paramount Pictures and The Criterion Collection brings us the film ‘ONE-EYED JACKS’ with an audio experience of 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio that has been remastered from the original 35mm original 35mm, 3-channel discrete dialogue, music and effects magnetic master. Clicks, thumps, hiss hum and crackle were manually removed using the Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX, which is the Award-winning audio repair and noise reduction software. The Criterion Collection stay authentic by using a linear LPCM mono audio track, that carries subtle depth of sound, like with the blowing wind, horses hooves and surprising depth in the gunplay and cracking whip throughout the film. There are of course no noticeable clicks, hums, or hisses, but I did find the audio sometimes slightly quiet, especially during the dialogue scenes. The film music score is by Hugo Friedhofer, which carries the western music genre very well and especially with a most pleasing theme sounding music throughout the film.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
New 4K digital restoration, undertaken by Universal Pictures in partnership with The Film Foundation and in consultation with filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray.
Special Feature: Martin Scorsese [2016] [1080p] [1.78:1] [2:54] With this featurette, we get to view an introduction to the film ‘ONE-EYED JACKS’ by filmmaker Martin Scorsese, that was recorded in 2016 by The Film Foundation on the occasion of the Cannes Film Festival’s special presentation of the newly restoration of the movie ‘ONE-EYED JACKS.’
Special Feature: Marlon Brando [Audio only] [1958] [1080p] [1.78:1] [33:38] With this featurette, we are informed that during script development for what would become ‘ONE-EYED JACKS,’ director and film star Marlon Brando made voice recording of himself working through each of the film’s scripted scenes. This practice was part of Marlon Brando’s creative process throughout his career. The audio selections presented here were likely recorded in 1958, when Stanley Kubrick was set to direct the picture, and Calder Willingham had taken over from Sam Peckinpah as screenwriter. The audio recordings feature details that differ from the film that Marlon Brando would ultimately shoot. For instance, here Marlon Brando refers to his character by the name Johnny, instead of Rio. Each selection begins with a video clip of a crucial moment in ‘ONE-EYED JACKS,’ which is followed by Marlon Brando’s voice recording of the same sequence from the script, revealing a different outcome. Where possible, the audio recording is accompanied by still frames from the movie ONE-EYED JACKS.’ Please Note: At chapter 7 at around 29:24 right through to the end at 33:38, we just get a blank screen while Marlon Brando rambles on about the end of the film, so why couldn’t they of had instead one single frame of a scene from near the end of the film, to me that is not a very professional attitude and very surprised The Criterion Collection allowed it.
Special Feature: A MILLION FEET OF FILM: The Making of ‘ONE-EYED JACKS’ [2016] [1080p] [1.65:1] [23:09] With this featurette, we get to view a new video audio essay on the production history of the movie ‘ONE-EYED JACKS,’ that was written and recorded by 1950’s western blogger Toby Roan, who has been gathering memorabilia from and facts about Marlon Brando’s singular directorial since 1978. Here we have a very interesting piece that covers the epic of the making of the film ‘ONE-EYED JACKS’ courtesy of western expert Toby Roan, who informs us that there is no other western movie like this one and is unique in the western genre and although arguably Marlon Brando was an even stranger to westerns with the 1976 film ‘The Missouri Breaks.’ Toby Roan feels it looks different from other films in this genre, but unfortunately for legal reasons it unfortunately fell into the public domain which meant that it was released in some very poor prints and was widely available on budget label videos, DVDs and downloads. What a pleasure, therefore, that it is now available as a 4K restored print that makes the best of its widescreen rather than the truncated 1.37:1 aspect ratio version to fit the old TV formats and shown here in 1.85:1 aspect ratio and was originally shot and shown in VistaVision from Paramount Studios and proved to be the last film ever shot using that process.
Special Feature: I Ain't Hung Yet [2016] [1080p] [1.85:1] [24:02] With this featurette, we get to view a new video audio essay by filmmaker and critic David Cairns, who considers the potency of actor/director Marlon Brando’s take on the classical Hollywood western genre in the movie ‘ONE-EYED JACKS,’ through a close examination of the film’s framing, editing, and other storytelling devices.
Theatrical Trailer [1961] [1080i] [1.78:1] [4:44] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘ONE-EYED JACKS.’
PLUS: A beautiful designed booklet/leaflet that includes an essay entitled ZEN NIHILISM by film critic Howard Hampton. Howard Thompson (25th October, 1919 — 10th March, 2002) was an American journalist and film critic whose career spanned over forty-one years and spent time at The New York Times. Howard Thompson gained a reputation for his pithy comments about films for the television listings. The Village Voice called him "the Virgil of TV guides," and his capsule reviews were labelled "Tiny Thompsons." Howard Thompson retired from full-time work in 1988 but continued to write the "Critic's Choice" column and the film listings. Howard Thompson suffered a stroke in 1996. Howard Thompson died of pneumonia at the age of 82 in the Florida city of Cape Canaveral where he was living in retirement.
BONUS: Brilliant new designed cover by Robert Hunt. Robert Hunt (illustrator) who has over the course of his illustration career, has created works for a wide variety of clients, including Bank of America, CBS Records, Criterion Collection, DreamWorks, Disney, Federal Express, M-G-M, The New Republic, Paramount Pictures, Random House, Rolling Stone, Universal Studios, The Wall Street Journal, Williams Sonoma, and many more.
Finally, ‘ONE-EYED JACKS’ is Marlon Brando’s directorial debut brings back to the western genre a sense of period and a sense of community and possibly the best Western film since the film ‘Shane,’ and one begins to speculate all over again on the future of this thankfully inexhaustible genre. And perhaps the most important and impressive feature of Marlon Brando’s piece is that it brings back to the Western genre and a sense of period, a sense of community, decidedly lacking during the last few years. ‘ONE-EYED JACKS’ is an American western film that was released in 1961, and was the only film directed by Marlon Brando. Although often overshadowed by its well-publicized production problems, notably Marlon Brando’s excessive expenditure of time and money, the film still earned positive reviews and became a cult favourite. Although Marlon Brando would never again find himself behind the camera, he acquitted himself well, winning favourable, if not enthusiastic reviews as both director and star. However, his lack of discipline resulted in costly budget overruns and his final cut ran more than five hours, and Paramount executives eventually shortened the film into a still-leisurely 141 minutes. Although occasionally uneven, ‘ONE-EYED JACKS’ is a compelling morality tale, with strong chemistry between Marlon Brando and Karl Malden. Marlon Brando’s reputation suffered further in 1962 when the box-office failure of M-G-M’s ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ was blamed on his recalcitrant behaviour during production. This gorgeous restoration was overseen by Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, as an act of ardent homage. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
