The Old West the Way It Was Meant to Be Seen

Westerns that rely on gorgeous scenery don’t usually work well on TV and videotape, where panning and scanning all but obliterate the vistas, leaving porous plots, weak dialogue and overacting out in the open.

Now letterboxed laser discs may be changing all that, preserving the aspect ratio of the original theatrical presentation so that mountain ranges still are majestic, wide-open spaces still wide and open. Add to that digital surround sound, and the Western can become an awesome visual and sonic experience at home.

“The Searchers” (Warner, $40, 144 minutes, extended play) has been considered one of director John Ford’s masterpieces by many critics. Made in 1956, it tells the saga of ex-Confederate soldier John Wayne’s relentless search for his niece (Natalie Wood) kidnaped by Indians. The superb Technicolor restoration captures every detail of the spectacular scenery and photography.

The two discs also include the original theatrical trailer and four segments from the “Warner Bros. Presents” TV series with host Gig Young providing behind-the-scene sequences in Monument Valley along with blatantly promotional interviews with Jeffrey Hunter and Natalie Wood.

But looking at the movie with a 1991 sensibility, the film’s overacted, seemingly anti-Indian, anti-woman stance is discomfiting and dated. Admittedly, some of that is intentional to serve the plot, but it still feels uncomfortable.

Kevin Costner’s “Dances With Wolves” (Image Entertainmment-Orion, $50, 181 minutes, extended play), due out next Friday, with its contemporary revisionist view of the West, makes a fascinating counterpoint to “The Searchers.” Sympathetic portrayals of articulate Indians (through clearly defined subtitles, read easily in the wide-screen format) contrast sharply with the hostile Indians in Ford country. Costner’s weak voice-over doesn’t work any better on home digital sound, but the laser transfer captures every vista that made the film memorable.

The dead-of-night buffalo run past Costner’s cabin is a visual and sonic tour-de-force that should shake up any room equipped with surround-sound. That scene and the buffalo hunt offer some of the most realistic sound yet for a home sound system.

Note, though, that this is the original 1990 film, which won seven Oscars, including ones for best director, cinematography and editing. A talked-about director’s cut aimed at the laser market and beyond is still in the planning stage.