Over the Hill Gang Rides Again...Western...74 mins, TV Movie of the week, Circa 1970.

I am sure I saw this movie as a kid, mainly because I am such huge a fan of Walter Brennan, Fred Astaire, Chill Wills and Edward Buchanan. This is a solid *A/B* List cast of actors, all in the twilight of their career at the time this movie was released.

This is a review of the DVD edition released by Gemstone Entertainment and it ain't gonna be pretty!

With regards to plot/script and quality of acting...This is a typical film factory production from Aaron Spelling productions. As I mentioned earlier, all the actors are real pros and deliver solid performances. The script is nothing spectacular and is indicative of TV movie scripts that were cranked out in the 70's. It is filled with tired cliches and predictable plot lines, complete with the hero wearing a white hat and the villain wearing a black hat (It's the only comment I will make regarding costumes/wardrobe).

This DVD movie, having been in release for about a year, deserved better treatment by the folks at Gemstone entertainment. The Film to DVD Transfer is absolutly horrible. I suspect that film students from the University of Southern California would have done a much better job then the alleged industry professionals working at, or for Gemstone. The film appears soft or slightly out of focus during much of the 74 minutes. The transfer has wildly shifting color hues and opacity rates. Several scenes are overly dark and obscuring detail while other scenes are washed out, again, to the point of obscuring detail. On still other occasions, Objects that were supposed to be white appear on screen as being pink. Do not adjust your TV. It is the poor production value of the film to DVD transfer...

There are absolutely No extras on the disc! We, in the DVD collecting public, have come to expect the *extras* normally put on the disc. Would it have been to much to ask that Short Bios of the principal actors be included? How about a teaser from the Film that this sequel was based on (The Over The Hill Gang). The absence of extras can be forgiven. Inaccurate information on the DVD cover is another story!.

When I stumbled across the factory sealed box of this movie, I figured I had uncovered a true Gem (No pun intended). The Box listed a cast that included Pat O'Brien and Jack Elam in addition to the folks I discussed earlier. Imagine my shock and disappointment when I found out that Pat and Jack were not in this sequal.(A quick check of the IMDB showed me that Pat and Jack were in the first movie but not in the second. Thanks IMDB! At least your site is accurate).

I paid $6.99 for the disc so money is not the issue. Is it worth the money? You will have to make that decision for yourself. I wont throw this disc away but I might use it in trade.

On a very thin positive note, the disc was released for world wide viewing so it is not encoded as *region* specific. A real plus for fans all over the world.

Is it possible that Gemstone new this was a horrible transfer and is not concerned about DVD pirates copying the disc for the black market?