Pittsburgh
Director– Lewis Seiler
Starring –Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott, John Wayne
Country of Origin- U.S.
Distributor - Kino Lorber
Number of Discs - 1
Reviewed by - David Steigman
Date- 11/12/2019
The 1942 classic drama Pittsburgh is one of two films produced by Universal Studios Entertainment which starred three legendary actors. John Wayne (Reap the Wild Wind), Marlene Dietrich (The Blue Angel) and Randolph Scott (Caribou Trail), who were also in The Spoilers the same year, all co-star in Pittsburgh. The plot is the familiar from rags to riches tale, with some romance and betrayal thrown in to the mix as well. Two hard working but poor coal-mining buddies Pittsburgh “Pit” Markham (Wayne) and Cash Evans (Scott) are recruited by Josie Winters (Dietrich) with a business opportunity which works out well for them all. As the film progresses over the course of several years the now wealthy friends grow apart over business, particularly when Markham sacrifices his friendship and everyone else in his circle to invest in the steel industry, becomes a wealthier and more powerful person. But because he stabbed people in the back and threw them aside to get to the top, he finds himself with fewer friends, including his best friend Evans. It takes a tragic incident to get Markham back down to Earth, but by then it could be too late to salvage the lost friendships he once had.
Pittsburgh is a great, great film from start to finish. The performances by Wayne, Scott and Dietrich are spectacular as one would expect. The fine supporting cast, including Frank Craven, Louise Allbritton, Thomas Gomez, and Shemp Howard of The Three Stooges fame also hand in excellent performances. Obviously with Shemp Howard, there are few chuckles, which take place during the first half hour of the picture, and then the movie changes direction with a much more serious tone. The highlight of the film, which doesn’t disappoint is the awesome fistfight between Evans and Markham. Yes, it’s another classic brawl between the two as was the case in The Spoilers, except this time Wayne was the antagonist.
Pittsburgh to the delight of many fans and collectors, debuts on Blu-ray, courtesy of Kino Lorber. The black and white full screen 1:33:1 1080p image looks just terrific. While much of the film does take place in the dark coal mines or during the evening, the strong contrast levels on this presentation make it an easy viewing. It’s important that we see what’s going on during the scenes where everything is basically dark, and this release enables us to. Black levels are rich and the grey scale is well-balanced. The daytime scenes boast much clarity, sharpness and detail, thanks to the higher resolution. Film grain is present and no use of DNR has been detected.
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 channel is just okay this time around. Dialog and action scenes come in clear but it wasn’t as robust as other releases. It is serviceable, and there aren’t any defects like hissing or drop-offs. Optional English subtitles are available.
Trailers for Pittsburgh, Reap the Wild Wind, The Spoilers, Legend of the Lost, The Blue Angel, No Highway in the Sky, Canadian Pacific and The Caribou Trail consists as the lone extra for this release.
Pittsburgh is a classic film with three legendary actors. Now on Blu-ray the film can be enjoyed much more due to the terrific video quality. This release is definitely recommended!
