The Capture (1950) {The Film Detective Blu-ray Review}

Reviewed by Jason Lockard

The Film Detective have been releasing some amazingly restored classic films on deluxe Blu-ray. Some of our favorite Blu-rays were The Sherlock Holmes Vault Collection, Flight to Mars, The Giant from the Unknown, The Fabulous Dorseys, and A Life at Stake.

Now as good as these releases are it is time for another classic to get a chance to shine on Blu-ray. That film just happens to be the 1950s film noir The Capture.

Injured and on the run from police, Lin Vanner (Lew Ayres) confesses the sordid details of his life to a priest, which includes the death of a man he’d turned over to the police. Vanner also reveals that he fell in love with the dead man’s widow (Teresa Wright), only to have his past catch up to him.

Niven Busch was a prolific writer whether it was novels or screenplays. Some of the most notable stories to films were 1937's In Old Chicago, 1946's The Postman Always rings Twice, 1946's Duel in the Sun, 1950's The Furies. Niven's The Capture is an exciting tale of intrigue and passion. Now some would call this a western film, and while I can see that, I feel this is much more a noir film. 

The Capture was masterfully directed by one of Hollywood’s best, John Sturges. He he known for directing such films as Bad Day at Black Rock, The Old Man and the Sea, Gunfight at the OK Corral, The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape. Even though this is a decade before he would direct those classics you can see his genius in this little film noir.

Lew Ayres and Teresa Wright are cinematic gold together. Lew Ayres is probably best known for his time as Dr. Kildare. In this film Teresa Wright is still very early in her career and yet here she already has so many classic films to her resumé including; The Little Foxes, Mrs. Miniver, The Pride of the Yankees, Shadow of a Doubt and The Best Years of Our Lives.

The Film Detective have transferred this film in HD in 1080p in the original 1.37:1 aspect ratio from a new restoration. The soundtrack is an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. There is also English and Spanish subtitles on this release. When you examine this new restoration in comparison to some copies you will find online, this new restoration is a much superior copy. It looks and sounds stunning.

This Blu-ray from The Film Detective though has much more than just a tremendous looking copy of the film they have added some very cool bonus features to this release. Take a look at what is included in this release.  

* A brand new commentary track with author/screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke. This is a very fun little commentary you can tell the duo is having so much fun talking about the cast and the film.

* Teresa Wright: The Actress Next Door Featurette: A very nice little 3 minute featurette highlighting this amazing Academy Award winning actresses

* John Sturges: Man of Action Featurette: A near 4 Minute featurette highlighting the man, the myth and the legend of a director.

* Original essay in full color booklet "Not Quite so Picture Perfect" The doomed marriage of Teresa Wright and Niven Busch by Don Stradley.

If you love Film Noirs as much as I do this gorgeously restored version of 1950s The Capture is a must own for your Blu-ray collection. You can head over to Amazon.com and get your copy today. 

Out of 4 Film Reels (4 Being the Best) The Film Detective's Blu-ray of The Capture receives...