Review: The Shepherd of the Hills
Blu-ray: The Shepherd of the Hills (1941)
In the hills of the American Ozarks, Dad Howitt, a sort of mysterious, zen-like man lives in the backwoods of Mutton Hollow. Howitt spends time alone, trying to recover from his ‘tragic past’, it’s hinted his wife and children died tragically years ago, and that his son ‘Mad Howard’ committed suicide. His reclusiveness and the way he helps the community has earned him the name “The Shepherd of The Hills”.
He is friends with the Matthews clan, the most respected family in the area and they share a secret that involves Old Matt Matthews daughter, who died while giving birth to her son (and Old Matt’s grandson), Pete Howard. Unbeknownst to the Matthews, Mad Howard is Pete’s father, making Howitt Pete’s grandfather.
Good lord this film has a complicated story, and this is only a tiny bit of it!
Indicator’s new release of this film looks wonderful and despite the convoluted story, this is a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon film.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with academic and curator Eloise Ross (2025)
- The Return of the Exile (2017, 34 mins): archival appreciation by filmmaker and critic Bertrand Tavernier, presented with English subtitles for the first time
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Limited edition exclusive 40-page booklet with a new essay by Rick Burin, an archival report on the film’s production and its source novel’s Ozark setting, an extract from an interview with Henry Hathaway, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
- Limited edition of 3,000 copies for the UK
Release Date: 20th January 2025.
Review by Tina from a disc kindly supplied by Powerhouse Films.
