Good Day for a Hanging

"Producer Charles H. Schneer is best known for his films with special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen, but he made notable movies that did not involve fantasy or science fiction. Good Day for a Hanging was one of them, directed by Nathan Juran and starring Fred MacMurray and Robert Vaughn. Columbia Pictures has released the 1958 psychological Western in a simple yet handsome DVD edition with a letterboxed picture capturing the original non-anamorphic (1.85:1) aspect ratio in a crisp, detailed image. The movie has been shown exclusively in full-frame on television for decades and works far better in this format; the widescreen image allows us to appreciate important details in the composition that are lost in full-frame showings, such as one very suspenseful shot in the first ten minutes in which a pistol -- wielded by a bankrobber -- is held at the far left of the screen while outside of a window in the background on the right-hand side stands the town marshal having a conversation. The high-definition remastering gives the movie a sharpness that makes it look better than any broadcast showing, and the night shots have detail that was lost in earlier presentations. The detail extends to the audio track -- film is not over-scored, but what little music there is has good presence, and all of the dialogue is well delineated. The 12 chapters are adequate given the complexity of the plot and the psychological dimensions of the story. There aren't any extras, except for optional Japanese subtitles, and there is no trailer for this movie. There are trailers promoting Silverado and The Professionals, however, which are accessible through a cleverly designed menu that opens after an annoyingly long preview (which can be jumped past very easily). Now, if only Universal could be persuaded to release Day of the Bad Man, a very similar (but even darker, more downbeat) Western made by MacMurray that same year with a better cast, we'd be able to take in this mostly forgotten, very serious side of his career before he became permanently identified with Disney and family entertainment."