Written by: Pieter Boven on August 14th, 2004
Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1970
Director: Paul Wendkos
Writer: Stephen Kandel
Cast: George Peppard, Giovanna Ralli, Raf Vallone, Pete Duel, Don Gordon, Don Gordon
DVD released: November 28, 2003
Approximate running time: 99 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (Spanish, English)
Subtitles: Spanish, English, Spanish for Deaf, English for Deaf (forced)
DVD Release: VellaVision (Spain)
Region Coding: Region 2 PAL
Retail Price: $16.76 (13,50 Euro)
The Film :
The year is 1912 and there is a revolution going on in Mexico. General Hector Cordoba steals six cannons from the forces that have been sent to eliminate him and solidify the Texas-Mexico border. General Pershing gives the job of retrieving the six stolen cannons to Captain Rod Douglas (George Peppard).
Video:
The movie is presented in it’s original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and is anamorphically enhanced. There are few blemishes here and there but overal a good clean presentation. On the right side of the screen there is a transparant border but this dissapears in the TV’s overscan.
Audio:
A Spanish dub and the original English audio are available. The English mono track sound clean, maybe a bit hollow, and dialogue is easy to understand. Please note that either English or Spanish subtitles are forced when selecting the English audio track. They are placed correctly but unfortunately they are an ugly yellow instead of white. The subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired feature several different colours.
Extras:
Hardly any extras to speak of. A couple of biographies in Spanish and a pointless photo gallery of screenshots. There are several Spanish trailers for other DVD releases but no trailer for the movie itself. The English movie poster is a nice inclusion but that’s it. The coverart and the menu, accompanied by annoying music, have an absolutely afwul design! Don’t the people that make this have any taste whatsoever?
Overall:
The movie was merely average but the music was so horribly bad it ruined any redeeming qualities. George Peopard (is that constant cigar in his mouth contractual?) fans may get something out of this, but I don’t recommend it. This DVD is way too expensive for what is offered. On top of that there is a serious mastering error on this DVD. At the end of chapter 6, the DVD switches back to the menu and you have to manually skip to chapter 7. This was tested on a JVC XV-N33SL and Pioneer DV-454. You don’t miss anything of the movie but this is unforgivable, especially at this price. There is also a cheaper French DVD but it does not have English audio.