Catalog Number | 14-003 |
Format | Standard Play CAV |
MPAA Rating | |
Mono | |
Running Time | 107 minutes |
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Some collectors report that Rooster Cogburn is one of the most difficult discs to locate good copies of. There are reports of horrific tracking problems, even on the old Top-loading Tube LaserDisc players. Some attribute this to the very long sides (26 & 27 minutes), but other discs made at the same time sport sides of up to 29 1/2 minutes without tracking errors. Further reports show this to be a bit of an exaggeration, since there are multiple copies, located recently which are defect free and track without error.
The bumpers used by DiscoVision for this transfer are unique. They appear to be anamorphic bumpers, but are unsqueezed wrong so they appear as short and fat. This gives the appearance that they bow outward from the center. It is most noticeable on the opening graphics as the blue field comes out of the forming "V". Colors on the transfer are vibrant in the reds and blues. The dark scenes are too dark and the contrast changes even within the same camera shot. The entire video transfer of the Panavision film is unsqueezed, which would look terrific on a 16x9 TV set. The audio is clear throughout with all dialog very easily to understand. Even the clinking chains of the wagon carrying the Nitro-glycerin is unmistakable.
The scene on side 4 our three heroes shoot the rapids on a raft is light-years more believable that a similar scene made nearly 20 years later in Universal Pictures The River Wild. This alone is reason enough to watch this film.
Disc labels on very early copies are unique, extending all the way to the center hole and out further into the mint mark area - a full 90mm in diameter. Handling instructions are also unique, reading "Please place record in box when not in use." The copyright band around the edge also lists "©1978 MCA Disco-Vision, Inc."