Open Range
Directed by Kevin Costner

From the smashing thunderstorm at the beginning to the utterly thrilling gunfight at the end, Kevin Costner’s Open Range, which has been released by Touchstone Home Entertainment as a 2-Disc Collector’s Edition (32055, $30), has an outstanding sound mix that is effectively delivered on the 5.1-channel Dolby Digital track and especially on the crisper DTS track.  The thunder and the gunshots continually knock you out of your seat, after the comprehensive surround mix places you in the middle of the movie and the action.  Unfortunately, Michael Kamen’s syrupy musical score is one of the film’s weakest assets, and is so overly orchestrated that the DVD’s audio mix cannot separate or directionalize it to any advantage.  Otherwise, however, the mix is enormously satisfying, and an ideal companion to the film’s lovely cinematography, which has been replicated with great care.  The picture is presented in letterboxed format only, with an aspect ratio of about 2.35:1 and an accommodation for enhanced 16:9 playback.  The lighting is often exquisite and colors are sometimes vivid, and in each instance, the DVD sustains their beauty with precision.

The 2003 western is actually short for a Costner feature, running just 139 minutes, though there are times where you can imagine Howard Hawks or even John Ford taking him over the knee and spanking him for the indulgences he allows himself.  The film moves slowly at first, and it is only because the climax delivers what it has promised that you can forgive how long it took to get there.  Costner and Robert Duvall portray nomadic cattlemen who run afoul of a wealthy rancher and his nasty underlings.  Annette Bening is also on hand, enabling an effective romantic component.  The dialog has an archaic tone that is at times charming and at times self-conscious, but the film basically has enough star power, rich characterizations and rewarding narrative to carry it along, and these are greatly aided by the quality of the DVD.

There is an alternate French audio track in 5.1 Dolby, and optional English and Spanish subtitles.  Costner supplies a commentary track, talking about the contributions of the cast and crew, recalling various stories about the production, sharing what he has learned about the history of the American West (“The shotgun was probably the preferred weapon when it came to violence in the West.  You didn’t have to be that accurate with it and the consequences were most of the time fairly deadly, so the shotgun remains probably the number one, even to this day, the best defensive weapon that there is.”) and explaining what his reasoning was behind different choices (“Probably one of the hardest things to do in American cinema today is to figure out how to end your movie.”). 

It is a reasonably good talk.  He mentions that test audiences react negatively to the killing of animals, so movie companies always put pressure on the filmmakers to take these scenes out, even though the stories would make no sense without them.  “Sometimes showing violence is the best example of why not to have violence, because violence is usually clumsy, it’s usually ugly.  And by men who do it a lot, they’re really efficient, and when you see true violence, when you see somebody good at killing, if you’re a normal person, it will make you sick.”

The second platter contains 25 minutes of wisely deleted scenes, with brief Costner intros.  The material answers a few minor narrative questions but would have stretched the already long narrative even longer.  There is an excellent retrospective production documentary that runs 65 minutes, filled with behind-the-scenes footage and narrated by Costner, who talks about making the film and also discusses his philosophies for working with the different components of filmmaking, such as acting, cinematography, etc.  He talks a lot about his own problems during the shoot — his appendix was giving out and he didn’t know it — and at one point, in footage shot while it was happening, he bad mouths the people that are supposed to be arranging the film’s financing.  On the whole, the piece is both fresh and rewarding, giving you a solid impression of how the film came together and what Costner wanted to accomplish without seeming the least like a cookie cutter imitation of previous documentaries. 

There is also a pleasant 13-minute piece on the history of America’s ‘open range,’ with many Nineteenth Century photographs, narrated by Costner; a 7-minute piece on the creation and use of the storyboards; and a music video that appears to be about making the movie.

Open Range was not a big success at the boxoffice, but it is sure to attract a wider and more enduring following on DVD.  Even Costner recognizes that it is something special.  He concludes his commentary by saying, “I think if I never made another movie, I would always be happy that this was my last one.  I sincerely mean that.”

The Review Vault
The Best of 2003

- by Douglas Pratt

 

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