The Outlaw - In COLOR! - 2 DVD SET with video commentary by Jane Russell and Terry Moore - Also Includes the Original Black-and-White Version which has been Beautifully Restored and Enhanced!

Although Howard Hughes' 1941 RKO production, THE OUTLAW, is primarily remembered as being notorious for bringing sex to the western, it's still a largely underrated film. When watched with an honest eye, this is really one of the most offbeat, absorbing westerns of its time. Due to censorship problems, the film wasn't released until 1943 and ballyhooed as an "adult" western that focused on the ample charms of its star, Jane Russell.The story centers around the relationships between four people: Billy the Kid (Jack Buetel), Doc Holiday (Walter Huston), Sheriff Pat Garrett (Thomas Mitchell) and Rio McDonald (Jane Russell). Basically, the plotline has Holiday trying to get back his horse which was stolen by the Kid. In the process, friendships are made and broken and loyalties are tested.This was the screen debut for Buetel and Russell, and they both deliver engaging performances in what remains their most memorable film. Veteran character actors Huston and Mitchell are likewise excellent, as usual. There's a great chemistry between all of them, and although Hughes got the onscreen credit, at least some of the direction has to be attributed to an uncredited Howard Hawks, who had a special knack for "buddy" movies. The script by Jules Furtham is sprinkled with wry humor, and the photography by the great Greg Toland is exceptional.While the sexual innuendo is tame by today's standards, THE OUTLAW can be better appreciated for its intimate character study and its romanticized depiction of the Old West and the legend of Billy the Kid. Even so, it must be acknowledged that Jane Russell still sizzles the screen, and figures prominently (pun intended) as a catalyst for the ups and downs in the relationship between Buetel and Huston. That cuckoo clock showdown between the two of them is one of my favorite scenes in a western.Legend Films' Two-Disc Special Edition of THE OUTLAW finally does the film justice with both a restored and enhanced black and white version as well as a colorized one. I've gone through several copies from different distributors, and this edition from Legend is by far the best. Of course, I prefer the original black and white which is outstanding here, but I have to say the color is pretty darn good, and gives the movie a vintage, '40s Technicolor look. The second disc is the movie again with a picture-in-picture video commentary by Jane Russell and Terry Moore in which they relate insights and anecdotes about Howard Hughes, Howard Hawks, Jack Buetel, Walter Huston, Thomas Mitchell and the making of the film.THE OUTLAW is a great classic, and this very affordable DVD set finally gives us the most complete, pristine presentation available on home video. Highly recommended.UPDATE: March 7, 2018If you are a fan of THE OUTLAW (as I am), then you will definitely want to pick up the excellent new Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. While the transfer is not exactly pristine, the improvement over the above DVD is noticeable enough, displaying a pleasing, filmic look without any DNR scrubbing. Greg Toland's rich, deep focus cinematography benefits from the HD boost, and one can better appreciate finer details in the image. The audio commentary by Troy Howarth is quite informative regarding the film's production and huge promotional campaign. The original trailer is also included.

I SAW THE OUTLAW MANY YEARS AGO AND HAD IT ON A VCR - ALWAYS LOVED THAT MOVIE. IT WAS AN INTERESTING TAKE ON BILLY THE KID AND PAT GARRETT - YOU ALWAYS HEARD OF THOSE TWO BUT OF COURSE NOT DOC HOLLIDAY. HOWEVER, HOWARD HUGHES PUT HIS MARK ON THIS PICTURE BY INCLUDING A THIRD PERSON IN THE TRIANGLE. JACK BEUTEL WAS THE BEST BILLY THE KID I HAVE SEEN PORTRAYED ON THE SCREEN. HOWARD HUGHES WAS SMART IN CASTING HIM HE WAS VERY SENSUOUS HAD SEXY LIPS AND SULTRY VOICE. THE MOVIE ITSELF REALLY DEALT WITH DOC HOLLIDAY COMING TO LINCOLN COUNTY TO TRY TO FIND HIS HORSE WHICH HAD BEEN STOLEN AND WAS SAID TO BE IN THIS AREA. HE RENEWED HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH PAT GARRETT, BUT BILLY THE KID ENTERS THE PICTURE AT THIS POINT...AND COMES BETWEEN GARRETT AND DOC HOLLIDAY. JANE RUSSELL WHO PLAYS RIO ENTERS THE PICTURE LATER ON AND BECOMES A LOVE INTEREST FOR BILLY ALONG WITH DOC HOLLIDAY. ALL IN ALL I FOUND THE MOVIE TO BE VERY SIMPLE BUT ENTERTAINING AND HAD THE QUALILTY OF GONE WITH THE WIND IN THE SCENE WHERE HE GRABS SCARLETT AND TAKES HER TO HIS BEDROOM AND YOU IMAGINE FROM THERE - SO IN THE OUTLAW THERE IS THAT SAME IMAGINATIVE SUGGESTION AS TO WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON WHICH IN REALITY IS FAR MORE SEXY THAN SEEING THE "ACTUAL" ACT ON THE SCREEN. GIVE IT A CHANCE AND YOU WILL LOVE THIS MOVIE - JACK BEUTEL SHOULD HAVE BEEN A BIGGER STAR I FOUND HIM TO BE VERY HANDSOME - SAD THAT HIS CAREER DID NOT TAKE OFF BECAUSE OF HOWARD HUGHES. SOME PEOPLE JUST DONT HAVE LUCK!

That's the only reason it gets 3 stars. It's pretty ok for what it was. I'll never understand why these old westerns had to be so bad though. I mean, they were made so much closer to the times when these actual people lived. You would think maybe a slight trace of understanding of the way the west actually was might have carried over. But no - in the 30's/40's/50's they mostly made movies that could only make sense in the 30's/40's/50's. There were exceptions...but this isn't one of them. For crying out loud, some of the random props on the set probably dated back to the time period they were trying to represent. There were actual people, still alive in 1943 who might have MET these characters. But no one who made that movie had ever seen a picture of Doc Holliday or William Bonney? Where did this bizarre perception of the American west ever come from? I get it, this was supposed to be a light-hearted fantasy flick that was mostly there to showcase a hot girl, not a serious historical recreation. I get that the names of these famous (REAL) people were just slapped in there for marketing purposes. But its just so dang hokey...sigh.

.....Some movies are improved by Technicolor and some lose their aura. For instance I can't imagine a color version of the movie Stagecoach. I am not a fan of colorizing the old classics and try to avoid buying them......As for the movie itself I give high marks to the performances of Walter Huston as Doc Holliday and Thomas Mitchell as Pat Garrett. I give and good marks to newcomers Jack Beutel and Jane Russell. Russell developed into a fine actress after Hughes loaned her out to other studios and sold her contract. Jack Beutel wasn't so lucky. Based on his performance in Outlaw he was sought after for the role of John Waynes side kick in Red River, a role that was eventually given to Montgomery Ciff, but Hughes had him under an exclusive seven year contract and would not loan him out. This essentially ruined and ended his career. I thought that Beutel could have played all the parts that were given to Audie Murphy and have done a better job but we will never know thanks to the perverse nature of Howard Hughes. I recommend this movie for collectors but only in the original black & white.

DISREGARD all you may have heard about sex, nudity, exploitation, scandal, lust and half naked scenes associated with this movie. It is NOT one of the most controversial movies of all time. It's all nonsense. The movie includes a VERY short scene (blink and you will miss it) where Jane Russell leans over a bed towards Billy the Kid and shows a little cleavage. That is it.The very clever business man - Howard Hughes- did all he could to make this movie into a notorious scandal by holding back release of the film and then spending a great deal of time and money over many months promoting the movie with the most alluring and suggestive photos (for the time) of Jane Russell which he could get away with, none of which are from actual scenes in the movie. And it worked. A master stroke publicity stunt! When it was finally released people of course flocked to see it and probably wondered to themselves afterwards what had happened to all the bare flesh!So forget the nonsense and view it for what it is - a quite good and interesting B western, though one which probably has no historical accuracy. But that does not matter.Miss Russell's performance seems awkward and inexperienced, but she does look stunning and sexy. Jack Buetel is very good as Billy - cool and afraid of no one, but the acting honours must go to polished veteran Walter Houston who steals the movie as Doc Holiday.If you really want to see the movie AT ITS BEST see the COLORIZED version by Legend Films. There are some available on Amazon. The colour raises it another star! KAN

As the saying goes, there are two good reasons for watching this film: Jane Russell! ;-)I've seen numerous bad reviews of this film but I find it most enjoyable with may good points. It clearly sets out to be a comedy Western but fortunately avoids the inclusion of an unfunny comedy sidekick character who so often mars supposed comedies of this period. All the lead characters (including Rio's aunt) are immensly likeable and in particular Walter Huston has some good dialogue and is a pleasure to watch. This film is unusual for a Western in that it has no real "baddie" charaters (other than a few indians who appear only briefly and in the distance).There are numerous poor copies of this film around, by far the best B&W version appears to be that released by the Roan group. However there is now available a remastered and colourised version which has excellent picture quality. The colouring has been masterfully done and is muted and appropriate and significantly benefits the film since unlike film noir which work well in B&W most of this film is shot in harsh outdoor lighting conditions.Highly recommended.

The Outlaw was recently viewable on BBC I-player and was of reasonable picture quality. I enjoyed the film and ordered a secondhand copy of this (Edition 30 Oct 2006). The picture quality looked worse than an average VHS dupe tape...very lacking in sharpness and contrast...no subtitles either. Avoid

flim not pal

Ever since I was a kid I had heard a lot about this movie, so I decided that it was time to see it. It turned out to be a pretty poorly scripted and directed. Howard Hughes should have just stuck to aeroplanes. Not worth the hype.