Samuel LoveWestern cinema has long been a popular genre of film ever since the Golden Age of the silver screen. Two very different Westerns now available on Blu-ray from Screenbound – Death Rides a Horse (1967) and The Horse Soldiers (1959) – show the genre’s remarkable range. The former, a gritty Italian Spaghetti Western, delivers a bloody, revenge-driven narrative backed by a haunting Ennio Morricone score, while the latter, directed by John Ford, is a sweeping American war drama that blends Civil War history with the iconic director’s flair for big-screen romanticism. Though stylistically distinct, both films exemplify the Western’s enduring appeal and its ability to adapt across cultures and cinematic styles. Both films look and sound wonderful on Screenbound’s new releases considering their age, and should be considered essential parts of any Western collection.
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The Horse Soldiers
John Wayne teams with William Holden and eminent western director John Ford for this frontier actioner “packed with laughter, romance and thrills” (The Hollywood Reporter). Based on one of the most daring cavalry exploits in history, The Horse Soldiers is both a moving tribute to the men who fought and died in that bloody war and a powerful, action-packed drama. In command is hard bitten Colonel Marlowe (Wayne), a man who is strikingly contrasted by the company’s gentle surgeon (Holden) and the beautiful but crafty Southern belle (Constance Towers) who’s forced to accompany the Union raiders as they force their way deep into Southern territory to destroy a rebel stronghold at Newton Station.
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Death Rides a Horse
Death Rides a Horse (1967) is a Spaghetti Western film directed by Giulio Petroni, starring Lee Van Cleef and John Phillip Law. The story follows Bill, a young man who witnessed the brutal murder of his family as a child and has spent the last 15 years training for revenge. Along the way, he crosses paths with Ryan, an older gunslinger recently released from prison, who has his own vendetta against the same men. As their paths intertwine, the film explores themes of vengeance, justice, and the uneasy alliance between two men bound by a common past but driven by different motives.
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THE HORSE SOLDIERS and DEATH RIDES A HORSE are available on Blu-ray now from Screenbound
