290 Death of a Gunfighter

[MichaelB]

DEATH OF A GUNFIGHTER
(Allen Smithee [Don Siegel & Robert Totten], 1969)
Release date: 16 January 2023
Limited Edition Blu-ray (UK premiere)

Pre-order here.

Pre-order here.

Starring Hollywood legends Richard Widmark (Madigan) and Lena Horne (Stormy Weather) – the latter in her first dramatic role – Death of a Gunfighter is an elegiac tale of the last days of the Old West.

In Cottonwood Springs, Marshal Frank Patch kills a man in self defence. The town council, wishing to move away from frontier justice and into the modern world, decide that it's time for Patch to retire. Patch refuses, but with the dead man’s son swearing revenge, and the council refusing to take no for an answer, he senses his time might be up.

Based on a novel by Lewis B Patten, the film made history when, due to director Robert Totten’s late replacement with Don Siegel (The Lineup, Charley Varrick), the pseudonym ‘Allen Smithee’ was born, prompting critics to praise Smithee’s debut!

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

• High Definition remaster
• Original mono audio
• Audio commentary with screenwriter and novelist C Courtney Joyner and film historian Henry Parke (2023)
• Neil Sinyard on ‘Death of a Gunfighter’ (2023): appreciation by the film historian
• Richard Dyer on Lena Horne (2023): the author of Stars considers the career of the actor, singer and activist
• Off the Highway (1962): rare short film starring Richard Widmark, made by students of USC’s Cinema Department under the supervision of Fred Zinnemann
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Limited edition booklet featuring a new essay by Paul Duane, an archival interview with Lena Horne, a contemporary article on ‘Allen Smithee’, an extract from Don Siegel’s autobiography, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and full film credits
• UK premiere on Blu-ray
• Limited edition of 3,000 copies for the UK

Extras subject to change

#PHILE290B
BBFC cert: 12
REGION B
EAN: 5060697922639

[MichaelB]

Final specs:

[DeprongMori]

What? No profile of Alan Smithee? This was his first film.

[pistolwink]

I was hoping for a director's audio commentary.

[Dr Amicus]

Wasn't there an auteurist study of Smithee a few years back? I can't remember who wrote it though.

[colinr0380]

I was hoping for a director's audio commentary.

By Eric Idle?

[MichaelB]

Contemporary evidence shows that Alan Smithee was considered quite a promising new director when Death of a Gunfighter came out!

And then his career careened off the rails, when he ended up putting his name to all kinds of shite. And such a wide range of shite that he doesn't appear to have any kind of directorial personality at all.

Drink and drugs, most likely. Such a shame.

[therewillbeblus]

That makes me wish someone would make a mock biopic of Alan Smithee

[CSM126]

That makes me wish someone would make a mock biopic of Alan Smithee

Trust me, Burn, Hollywood, Burn was bad enough. Let’s not push any further.