The Master of Ballantrae Blu-ray review
Nov 13, 2025- Permalink
1953’s The Master of Ballantrae, directed by William Keighley, is loosely based on the 1889 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. Taking place during the time of the Jacobite Uprising, it sees two Scottish brothers (Errol Flynn and Anthony Steel) fighting over the family land and a woman (Beatrice Campbell). The cast also includes Roger Livesey, Yvonne Furneaux, Felix Aylmer, Mervyn Johns, Charles Goldner, and Ralph Truman. There are a couple of “lasts” attached to the film, as it was the last film Keighley directed before retiring and the last film Flynn made as a contract player for Warner Bros. Warner Archive has now released the film on Blu-ray and thanks to Allied Vaughn and MovieZyng, I had a chance to take a look.
The 1080p AVC encoded digital transfer is presented in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio. Director of Photography Jack Cardiff received wide acclaim for his work with Technicolor and his work here gives us a rich palette that looks gorgeous. This transfer was based off a 4K scan of the original elements and the image is sharp and detailed. Black levels are nice and deep and the transfer is devoid of digital noise or compression artifacts. The transfer maintains a nice filmic grain.
On the audio side of things, the soundtrack is an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track. Subtitles are available for English SDH. Dialogue and effects are clear in the mix. The score, as with many sources of that age, does come across as a bit tinny.
The Master of Ballantrae does not come with a digital code. Extras include two contemporary animated shorts. Bully for Bugs, contains the famous line about making a left turn at Albuquerque and sees him end up in the middle of a bull fight, while Plop Goes the Weasel sees Foghorn Leghorn battling his nemesis, Barnyard Dawg, and a dim-witted weasel. The original theatrical trailer is also included.
While Errol Flynn may not have been at the height of his swashbuckling powers in 1953, The Master of Ballantrae does combine family drama, pirates, and swordplay, with an excellent transfer and Jack Cardiff’s gorgeous cinematography. I think you’ll enjoy it.