THE MOLLY MAGUIRES (1970)
Label: Imprint Collection #172
Region-Code: Region-Free
Rating: PG
Duration: 124 Minutes 39 Seconds
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, LPCM 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Director: Martin Ritt
Cast: Sean Connery, Richard Harris, Samantha Eggar, Frank Finlay, Anthony Zerbe
Directed by Martin Ritt (The Spy Who Came in from the Cold), and starring Richard Harris (Strike Commando 2) & Sean Connery (Dr. No), this pro-union film was based on the 1964 book Lament for the Molly Maguires by Arthur H. Lewis, The Molly Maguires (1970). A rugged looking period drama set in 1876 the film examines the last days of a secret Irish society of militant coal miners known as the Molly Maguires. The film is based on the true story of a Pinkerton security agent named James McKenna (Richard Harris, Orca), who at the start of the film arrives in a small Pennsylvania mining town. He has been assigned by a mine's head of security Davies (Frank Finlay, Lifeforce) to go undercover as a new miner, to ferret out the leader of the secret organization leader and catch him and his agents red-handed so they can hang for their violent crimes.
On his first day in town McKenna is accosted at the company tavern while playing cards by a couple of Molly's suspicious of outsiders and newcomers, especially one with too soft hands, but he nonetheless manages to eventually earn their respect down in the mines and infiltrate their inner circle. He ingratiates himself with the dour, soft-spoken leader Jack Kehoe (Sean Connery, Highlander), as well as other Molly's Tom (Anthony Zerbe, The Dead Zone) and Frank McAndrew (Anthony Costello, Night Moves), and after being recruited and taking part in several violent acts he proves to be an effective agent provocateur, having been told by his superior Davies to dirty up, and even bloody his hands, if necessary to ferret out the Molly's inner-circle. The longer McKenna is embedded with the Molly inner-circle his allegiances seem to twist, he begins to see how deeply the coal-miners are exploited by the cruel coal company they work for, resulting in him seemingly attempting to dissuade the Molly's from committing needless violence, leaving us to wonder if he's been turned by their plight.
The film is a depressed and realistic look at violent labor relations post Civil War, shying away from the more explosive side of social commentary - even though it's largely about a anarchists who tend blow things up - it's a quieter more inwardly facing bit of biting commentary with equally and quietly intense performances from both Connery and Harris. It's also quite a handsomely shot film with elaborate mine sets created on the Paramount lot that brings across the suffocating claustrophobic space, and with rugged rough-hewn wooden structures and exteriors shot in a Pennsylvania coal-mining town, all of which feeds into the authenticity of the setting. The depressed coal-dust sootiness of it is evident in every frame captured by cinematographer James Wong Howe's (Bell, Book, and Candle), which captures the depression of the era and harshness of the industry rather well, at times looking almost monochromatic in it's dinginess.
Audio/Video: The Molly McGuires (1969) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Imprint Films in 1080p HD framed in 2.35:1 widescreen, this being a transfer prepared by Paramount Pictures. It's a pleasing scan of the film, grain levels looks solid if a bit chunky in spots, texture and detail is well-resolved, and while the color palette of the film is dingy to be sure (by design), when color creeps into the coal-dusted visuals they are nice looking. The source shows some blemish by way of small nicks and scratches (see screenshot #20 for an example), nothing too egregious mind you, but evidence that this was granted a full restoration. Audio comes by way of of English DTS-HD MA 5.1 and PCM dual-mono with optional English subtitles. Both tracks and clean and free of problematic hiss or distortion, the score from Henry Mancini sounds great as well.
Not exactly sixteen tons of new extras here by the usual Imprint standards, but we do a complimentary set of bonus junk starting off with a new Audio commentary by film historian Howard S. Berger, and a second Audio commentary by author/producer and film historian/filmmaker Daniel Kremer - both are quite interesting listens that dive deep into the background of the director and writers, the cast, technical merits of the film and it's reception. We also get the 17-min A Complicated Film: Anthony Zerbe on The Molly Maguires, which features an audio interview the actor discussing his his time making the film and how director Zerbe was able to get the best out of his cast. This plays out with stills from the film as well as plenty of behind-the-scenes photography. The last of the extras is a 3-min Theatrical Trailer for the film. The Limited Edition of 1500 release is a single-disc release housed in a clear keepcase with a two-sided, non-reversible sleeve of artwork with the original movie poster artwork, plus a nice thick cardstock slipcover with an alternate original movie poster design.
Special Features:
- 1080p High-definition presentation by Paramount Pictures
- NEW! Audio commentary by film historian Howard S. Berger
- NEW! Audio commentary by author/producer and film historian/filmmaker Daniel Kremer
- NEW! A Complicated Film: Anthony Zerbe on The Molly Maguires (17 min)
- Theatrical Trailer (3 min)
- Limited Edition slipcase on the first 1500 copies with unique artwork
Screenshots from the Imprint Films Blu-ray:
