Destry Rides Again [HD]

DESTRY RUNS INTO TROUBLE ON DVD!
"Destry Rides Again" is a five star, ten gallon hat of an adventure that casts gangly James Stewart as the unassuming Marshall of a lawless town. At first, Tom Destry's unassuming good nature pegs him as a push over amongst the criminal element in the neighborhood, as well as by the spurious ladies of the evening, fronted by the erotic intercontinental harlot, Frenchy (Marlene Dietrich). However, very soon Destry begins to reassert his power as the law of the land - a pivotal epiphany that leads to violence and death. There's also some great comedy to be had - particularly in a scene in which Destry decides to cool Frenchy off - literally, by soaking her with some ice water. Dietrich's rendition of "See What The Boys In The Backroom'll Have" proves why she was the toast of Berlin cabarets for many years before coming to Hollywood. The forgotten Mischa Auer co-stars as Boris - a simple-minded philanderer in a comedic subplot, who gets his comeuppance in the end. Jack Carson, Una...

Odd combination that sparks!
Before I watched this highly-amusing comedy, with "dramatic" touches, it had always seemed so strange (to me), the coupling of reliable & naive Jimmy Stewart with the exotic, alluring and sophisticated Marlene Dietrich...and above all, in a western!!

It's true that she (Dietrich) had starred previously with equally naive and all-american Gary Cooper in both in "Morocco" and "Desire", but the former was a Pre-Code set in Von Sternberg's "exotic" vision of the world (the desert in this case) and the latter wasn't "outside" Diretrich "bounds" either (as a myth), because it was a sophisticated continental romance, produced by Lubistch.

But boy!, in this film Marlene is so different from her previous roles an highly convincing as a notorious saloon singer, "Frenchy" (she's from New Orleans, Louisiana), who's the mistress of the town's villain (Brian Donlevy, great).

After Bottleneck's sheriff (the name of the town) is killed, in rather "obscure"...

EXCELLENT PRISTINE PRINT
I think that just about every film made in 1939 was great and "Destry Rides again" is certainly no exception to that claim..1939 was truly the Golden Age of Hollywood.I won't bother to review the plot as it is well covered in the many other reviews. I hesitated to buy the DVD as there were a few reviews claiming that the transfer was not up to par,overexposed,scratches etc. but I always loved this film and was willing to chance it and was glad that I did purchase it as the transfer to DVD was excellent,clear as any film made today if not clearer..I can only surmise that the reviews that claim that it was a poor transfer were referring to the VHS version and not the DVD.It certainly held up well for all it's 69 years and to see and hear Marlene Dietrich sing " See what the boys in the backroom will have" was worth the price of the DVD.

William J. Landis

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