Shot on location in Mexico, 1954’s Vera Cruz was a new kind of western for the time. Filmed in Superscope, featuring sweeping landscapes, and multiple gun battles, and stars Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster, rarely has a films tagline—“The Giants Battle in the Biggest Spectacle of Them All!”—seemed so appropriate. Directed by Robert Aldrich (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, The Longest Yard), Vera Cruz is often considered the first spaghetti western.
Set just after the Franco-Mexican War, ex-Confederate soldier Ben Trane (Cooper) heads to Mexico in hopes of finding work as a mercenary. Once there, he falls in with no nonsense gunslinger named Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster). Ben meets and falls in love with a saucy woman named Nina (Sarita Montiel). Emperor Maximilian (George Macready) whose French regime is under mounting pressure from revolutionaries lead by Benito Juarez. Impressed with their gun skills, Maximilian hires Ben, Joe and their gang. (It is interesting to note that the gang members include Charles Bronson, billed as “Charles Buchinsky “Ernest Borgnine, and Jack Elam, in early screen appearances). Though Nina had implored Ben to fight for the revolutionaries, money talks; now in the employ of the Emperor, Ben, Joe and the gang are given the task of escorting Countess Duvarre (Denise Darcel) to Vera Cruz. On the trail, the two realize they are escorting much more than the Countess. There is also a shipment of gold! Once the Countess realizes their luck, the three make a plan to rob Maximilian of his precious cargo. The plan is to split the gold three ways, but there’s no honor among thieves, so the double crosses begin. Just who will walk away with all the chips?
Produced by Lancaster and his partner, Harold Hecht, Vera Cruz was a massive hit upon release. Made on a budget of $3 million, the film grossed $11 million. This was largely due to the fact that Lancaster conceded top billing to Cooper, who had already established himself as a legend of the western genre in films such as The Virginian (1929) and High Noon (1952). Here, Cooper gives the laid back, measured performance fans might expect. While his character of Ben is certainly flawed, he maintains a righteousness that can be found in nearly every character Cooper brought to the screen. Burt Lancaster’s Joe Erin is a lovable bad guy. With his face in a permanent grin, the black clad Lancaster was at the height of his sex appeal, and it’s clear that he knew it.
Written by Roland Kibbee, and James R. Webb, the script was still being written during filming. Director Robert Aldrich called Vera Cruz “a total improvisation,” adding that a scene would be finished and shot five minutes later and concluding, “I’m not sure that that’s the right way to work.” Perhaps not, but the film launched the spaghetti western, an remains highly enjoyable more than fifty years after its initial release.
Vera Cruz comes to Blu-ray in a 2.00:1 aspect ratio. The colors on dosplay are less vibrant than one might like, showing dullness throughout. Blacks are a bit uneven, but far from terrible. While hter is depth in some scenes, things look downright flat in others. Clearly, Vera Cruz didn’t receive the full restoration treatment, but this Blu-ray transfer is still better than any standard definition version available on the market.
The DTS-HD soundtrack does a competent job here. While it won’t blow you away, dialogue and the score is crisp and clear. As long as you don’t expect a totally immersive experience—gunshots and horses hooves coming right at you—this track is satisfactory.
English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles are included.
The only special feature on this budget priced Blu-ray is the Theatrical Trailer.
