Product Details

• Actors: Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda, Nancy Kelly, Randolph Scott, Henry Hull
• Directors: Henry King, Irving Cummings
• Writers: Curtis Kenyon, Gene Fowler, Hal Long, Nunnally Johnson
• Producers: Ben Silvey, Darryl F. Zanuck
• Format: Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Dubbed: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: March 6, 2007
• Run Time: 106 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000G6BLDS
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,120 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Jesse James" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

No studio was better than Darryl Zanuck's 20th Century-Fox at dishing out lovingly textured Americana, of which this movie is a prime example. The outlaw gets canonized as an American Robin Hood, an honest farmer who, with post-Civil War Missouri overrun by corrupt agents of the Railroad, had no choice but to start robbing banks and trains to achieve a measure of social justice the System wouldn't provide. Tyrone Power as Jesse is quietly out-acted by Fox's emerging star Henry Fonda as brother Frank. The supporting cast is solid--Randolph Scott, Nancy Kelly, Brian Donlevy, John Carradine (as Bob Ford), Jane Darwell, Donald Meek--but the liveliest thing in the movie is Henry Hull, playing a newspaperman whose editorials invariably prescribe that whomever he's denouncing be "taken out and shot like dawgs." Fonda, Hull, and Carradine re-created their roles the following year in The Return of Frank James. --Richard T. Jameson

Product Description

The legend of Jesse James stars Tyrone Power as the most infamous bandit in the history of the West. Jesse James was a young Missouri farmer forced outside the law after ruthless agents for the transcontinental railroad kill his ailing mother and steal his family's land. Together with his brother Frank (Henry Fonda), Jesse forms a gang of masked outlaws to strike back at the railroad company and the banks that have joined forces to swindle the oppressed farmers.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars TERRIFIC MOVIE December 12, 2000

By "scotsladdie"

Format:VHS Tape

For sheer gusto, excitement and action, it's hard to beat this classic western which unfolds the legendary saga of the notorious James boys. Tyrone is sympathetic, dashing and utterly charming as Jesse who lives on his mother's farm with his slow, deliberate, dependable brother Frank (Fonda). Director Henry King gives the film his special brand of zest and the acting of both Brian Donlevy and Jane Darwell is superb. More Hollywood than real-life for sure, nevertheless Power proved he could really act in this one; before he was just a beautiful matinee idol for the women to swoon over. Here he appealed to the menfolk as well as he successfully captured the good and evil which existed in one of America's most enigmatic men; Fonda was so good as brother Frank that Fox cast in the sequel RETURN OF FRANK JAMES; this film made the not-so-young (34) Henry Fonda a star. The Technicolor is magnificent!!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A CLASSIC REMINDS US THAT THE WESTERN ONCE RULED HOLLYWOOD! June 28, 1999

By A Customer

Format:VHS Tape

There was no surpise when the recent publication of the TOP 50 STARS list put HENRY FONDA in the top ten, because Henry Fonda is certainly one of the pantheon of Hollywood actors that defined the term "star." JESSE JAMES offers a delightful opportunity to go back to 1939 when the star many of us know as a grand old man was a breathtakingly handsome romantic lead. In this film Fonda has the second lead, playing Frank James, America's most famous romantic outlaw, with the characteristic understated warmth and dignity that would enoble his whole career. The real star of JESSE JAMES is Tyrone Power, sadly neglected by the TOP 50 LIST, but an actor of exceptional charm, charisma and talent as we can see from his performance in the title role. The two actors achieve a balance in their different styles that not only colours and enriches the story but creates a beautiful context of the love between two brothers. JESSE JAMES marked the beginning of a long collaboration between Power and director Henry King. King is barely remembered today, but he was an integral part of Hollywood history, making 116 films from the birth of cinema until the 1960's. He came from a rural background, evident in his silent classic, TOL'ABLE DAVID, and in JESSE JAMES he evokes a realistic portrait of farming folk just as he had in his earlier hit. He shows particular empathy for the hardships they faced, especially after the Civil War, a time when big business was taking over with carpetbagging tactics that crushed the small homesteaders who had tamed the frontier. This allows King to romanticize the outlaws into heroes in a tradition resonant in recent films like BONNIE AND CLYDE and BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID.... The film is particularly strong on character, creating a tragedy that ranks high in the great outlaw movies, like THE WILD BUNCH and UNFORGIVEN. Beautifully filmed in the glorious technicolor of the 1930's, JESSE JAMES contains breathtaking horseback riding sequences as well as the great Northfield Minnesota Raid, a bank robbery that stands up to the action films of today. The literate and considered screenplay is by Nunnally Johnson, who gave Fonda some of his most memorable moments in his adaptation of THE GRAPES OF WRATH. That was another film in which the luminescent Jane Darwell played Fonda's mother. John Carradine, illustrious father of David, Keith and Robert gives an inspired performance as Bob Ford, the man who shot Jesse James, a role entirely different from his famous portrayal of Casey in THE GRAPES OF WRATH. Also in the cast are the genteel and humble Randolph Scott and the deliciously evil Brian Donlevy. They are supported by the great character actors Henry Hull and Donald Meek who were part of an ensemble company of actors that remains the envy of filmakers today. The film and Fonda's performance as Frank were so strong that a sequel was made, THE RETURN OF FRANK JAMES, in which Frank seeks revenge for his murdered brother.JESSE JAMES helps us understand the enormous popularity of the Western, once the foundation of Hollywood movies. The film is beautiful and enthralling, entertaining as drama, action and even comedy. A rich canvas that deserves to be called a classic, JESSE JAMES is an opportunity to see the best work of some of the finest craftsmen of Hollywood's Golden Age. Read more ›

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars A Big Technicolor Letdown - No Restoration March 7, 2007

By Stig McMerkin

Format:DVD

I was expecting rich, vibrant Fox Technicolor, on a par with "Drums Along the Mohawk", and I could have dealt with some flicker and with modest print damage, but right from the opening scene, it was clear that this film had not been restored, that the Technicolor strips were damaged, and that the colors were off (and almost non-existent at times). As a result, I found it difficult to concentrate on the film; I kept thinking of how bad it looked and how much better it might have looked had the money been put into some sort of restoration. I've grown to have so much confidence in these Fox classics, and this is my first major letdown, so I'm hoping "The Return of Frank James" will turn out alright (though I was so disappointed with "Jesse" that I've toyed with the idea of returning "Frank").

Anyhow, sadly, I have to advise against getting this unless you don't care about the picture quality --- if PQ matters to you, you are bound to be disappointed.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Unlawful Color Transfer March 9, 2007

By Erik M. Lauritzen

Format:DVD

Knowing that 20th Century Fox IS capable of quality restoration, as proven in their 30+ Studio Classics Series, I was let down by the amature color reproduction of what should be the magic that film's shot in technicolor produce. Of the two films from 20th Century, "Jesse James" and "The Return of Frank James", "Jesse James" is so poorly transferred to DVD that I had to remove all color from my television calibration panel and then adjust the picture for the best quality b&w that my Sony is capable of.

It is truly a shame when a company seems to arbitrarily decide to reproduce some classic films to their glorious original condition and then simply ignore others. In 1939 Tyrone Power was Hollywoods leading man. In The Mask of Zorro (Another 20th Century Fox film) the DVD transfer and restoration by 20th Century Fox was excellent. This is a sham and an insult to technicolor's genius. Those who enjoy film do not simply consider the plot to be the only critiera by which a film is enjoyed or judged. All elements of making a film from lighting, to composition, to color, sound, etc.. all play a part in a film's drama.

BUT NOT IN THIS PATHETIC LONG AWAITED TECHNICOLOR CLASSIC. I would not have purchased this film if I had known that it would look as if it had been stored in a cardboard box along with all the color family photos that now have a pale cyan/magenta cast, no detail in the shadows and an overall reproduction that makes most of the photos and film look as if it were shot at night. "The Return of Frank James" is still presented in rather good Technicolor (not its best either). The stories, no matter how historically fictional they may be, are sheer Western fun....

But that fun is diminished when the visual presentation of the stories are so poorly presented that one has to wonder if consistency of quality is a commitment by 20th Century Fox. You may want to think about buying "Jesse James" if you are a true film buff but if you still want another Tyrone Power classic for your DVD collection, remember you will probably have to remove ALL color and enjoy it in b&w. Read more ›