The Spoilers
Director– Ray Enright
Starring – Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott, John Wayne
Country of Origin - U.S.
Distributor - Kino Lorber
Number of Discs - 1
Reviewed by - David Steigman
Date- 12/26/2019
The Spoilers is one of a few films that has the honor of being remade several times; in fact this movie has been done five times to be exact. The 1942 version, which this review covers, is the one which stars three iconic screen legends, two of which were arguably the biggest stars in the Western genre. The two stars I am referring to none are other than John Wayne and Randolph Scott who spent most of their careers doing Westerns. Marlene Dietrich, the third key player in The Spoilers had a brilliant career as a singer/actress that lasted for over 30 years with several great films on her resume including The Blue Angel, Witness for the Prosecution and Destry Rides Again. This same trio also starred in a Pittsburgh, a somewhat similar film which was made the same year as The Spoilers!
The Spoilers is a classic action adventure drama that takes place in Nome, Alaska during the turn of the century Nome Gold Rush. The story is about a crooked commissioner, Alexander McNamara (Scott), who is out to steal the gold from miner Roy Glennister(Wayne) and his partner Dextry(Harry Carey) that they have staked a claim for. Entertainer Cherry Malotte (Dietrich), who financed the mission for Glennister and Dextry to search for the gold, have a huge fight on their hands to save their gold claim from the clutches of McNamara. And that’s all there is to the story in a nutshell.
There is plenty to enjoy about The Spoilers, especially if you like films with a wintery atmosphere. The acting by the cast is top notch as one would expect, with solid direction by Ray Enright. The film and its characters are entertaining and will hold your interest all the way through and of course, we cannot forget about the classic grand finale with an exciting fistfight between McNamara and Glennister. The fighting between the two Western cinema legends alone is worth watching and is nothing short of spectacular. The two would do another fisticuffs scene in Pittsburgh, as one fight was not enough apparently.
The Spoilers gets a well-deserved Blu-ray release courtesy of Kino Lorber and this doesn’t disappoint! Starting with the video quality, the black and white full frame 1:33:1, 1080p image is stunning with great details throughout. The image is crisp and clean without much in the way of any issues like print damage or speckles. The grey levels are balanced, black levels are rich. Overall the film now looks brighter than it did before. Film grain is present, and no DNR appears to have been applied. The video quality here easily surpasses the previous DVD releases.
Kino’s Blu-ray audio is their usual offering of English DTS-HD Master 2.0 and as is normally the case, the audio comes in clear without any hissing or other noise distractions or distortions. Dialog comes in strong with the lively Hans J. Salter musical scores and action sounds being the most aggressive. Optional English subtitles are available.
There are few extras for their package. There is an audio commentary by film historian Toby Roan. In the commentary he discusses the film and its other adaptations along with some trivial information about John Wayne, Randolph Scott and Marlene Dietrich and where they were at during this stage of their respective careers. It’s a good listen and worth your time. An animated image gallery, a theatrical trailer, along with trailers from other Kino Lorber releases round out the extras.
The Spoilers is another great movie uniting three of Hollywood’s biggest stars and the Blu-ray release is certainly recommend and should be on any classic film fan’s shelf!
