Arrow Films Has Tabbed Mar. 13 As The Release Date For A Blu-ray Limited Edition Of Director Don Siegel's The Shootist

Don Siegel mentored Clint Eastwood.   Showed him how to tell a story, tell it quickly and bring the film production in on time and under budget.

In 1976, Siegel — between Dirty Harry in 1971 and Escape from Alcatraz in 1979 — teamed up with another silver screen legend in what would prove to be his last film appearance.

The film … The Shootist.   The screen legend … John Wayne.

Arrow Films, with domestic sales and distribution support provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has a new 2K film restoration (from the original 35mm camera negative) of director Don Siegel’s 1976 film adaptation of Glendon Swarthout’s 1975 novel, The Shootist, ready for a Limited Edition Blu-ray release on Mar. 13.

The Shootist is blessed with a marvelous cast that not only includes Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard, James Stewart, Harry Morgan, Scatman Crothers, John Carradine and Sheree North, but Richard Boone, Hugh O’Brian and Bill McKinney as the bitter rivals of the legendary “shootist” J. B. Books (John Wayne).   

And, as expected, Siegel delivers a perfectly crafted film — a turn-of-the-century Western — with a bittersweet ending (both literally, and figuratively in that this was John Wayne’s farewell).

Bonus features include a newly prepared commentary option with film critic Howard S. Berger, the vintage featurette titled “The Shootist: The Legend Lives On,” and three new featurettes — “The Last Day,” “A Man-Making Moment” and “Contemplating John Wayne: The Death of a Cowboy.”