DVD Review: Noon Wine (1966)

Liberation Hall have been releasing some of the 50s and 60s tv productions of classic literature. We saw DVD releases of Harvey, The Power and the glory, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, The Diary of Anne Frank and Of Mice and Men.

Now the next TV drama to receive a DVD release from Liberation Hall is Sam Peckinpah's 1966 Noon Wine, starring Jason Robards and the great Olivia De Havilland.

Royal Earle Thompson is a dairy farmer in southern Texas during the end of the 1890s. Because of Royal's unwillingness to work hard his farm is failing. Royal lives on the farm with his ailing wife, Ellie, and two small sons. On a fateful day a drifter named Olaf Helton appears asking for a job, and after nine years of work the farm has turned around and is thriving! All is going good! That is until another stranger arrives named Homer T. Hatch he is a bounty hunter, and Helton is an escaped mental patient. When Thompson thinks that Hatch is going to kill Helton he rushes to his rescue and kills Hatch. But this begins a chain of event that will completely unravel his life.

After Sam Peckinpah was fired from directing the film The Cincinnati Kid and deemed hard to work with, he caught a break when Daniel Melnick needed a director for Noon Wine and looked to Sam! Peckinpah's vision for this story is unique. He uses a lot of different shots to peace together a nine year story into a 50 minute film and you don't even realize it!  Jason Robards is simply amazing in this role. It is one of his best roles I have ever seen him in! And Of course Olivia De Havilland is great as she always is.  

Noon Wine aired only one time on ABC's Stage 67, than ABC discarded the production, never to see the air again. Up until just recently copies of this show has only been available in the less the spectacular kinescope black and white prints. Thankfully a color print was found and now we are able to enjoy this show as it was originally meant to be seen.

Liberation Hall has transferred 2 versions of this TV film to DVD. A feature complete with original commercials (59 minutes) and a version that is commercial free (50 minutes). The films are presented in full screen and the audio is a Dolby Digital 2.0. Now while the print is not in pristine condition. The colors are a bit faded and there is some line in the print. But I think it looks pretty impressive for a TV production that was thought lost.  

I am a huge fan of these old TV shows and films. Liberation Hall has been doing a great job giving these old TV films a chance to live again after all these years. Now 57 years after it's original broadcast a new generation of film and TV fans can experience these productions. And those that saw it the first time can relive it all over again. You can't put a price on that! 

If you love classic tv films as much as I do. I highly recommend Noon Wine for your collection. Head over to Amazon and order your copy today.


Out of 4 TV Sets (4 Being the Best) Liberation Hall's DVD release of Noon Wine receives...