It's is a sad day indeed when a Bronson 70's action flick doesn't warrant an official pressed DVD. Looks like the major studios are opting for selling DVD-R's now. I made the mistake to order Lee Van Cleef's El Condor 'DVD-R on Demand' from the Warner Brothers 'archive' program and it played with digital artifacts up to the halfway point at which it stopped playing altogether. I see from some of the other MGM Archive title reviews that many are experiencing the same poor playback issues from the MGM 'Burn on Demand' titles as well. Maybe they could use some tips from the real bootleggers...As far as the film itself, classic!! It is not a strait-forward western, it is more a mystical,surreal adventure tale dealing with the psychology of legends and the myth-isism and ending of the old west. Bronson as Hickock is as the old White Spike himself - the last of a dying breed and the end of an era, hiding his own legend behind dark sunglasses as the buffalo hides his legend in the camoflouge of the snow covered mountains.The stellar cast of actors includes Bronson, Will Sampson, Stuart Whitman, Slim Pickens, Clint Walker, Jack Warden and Kim Novak. All are written great character parts and the script uses some of the most authentic sounding Old West dialouge I think I've ever heard in any western to date. Just listen to the words and phrases used to described things and events. The dialouge/hand gestures of the natives were superior as well. Great research and writing on somebodys part.There's lotsa talk about the Spike not looking real, but as I see this film, it was never supposed to look so real and works well within this context. Sure it's limited 70's effects, but check out the original poster artwork, the buffalo is twenty feet tall. It's not even believed by townsfolk that a white buffalo still exists. The Buffalo represents the things of dreams and nightmares, the things of which fantasy and legends are made. Like Hickock himself. When finally confronted by the beast, Hickock hesitates in reflection and awe while the chief, who is hunting for a different reason, thinks only to kill.Also deserving mention is John Barry's creepy and mystically surreal score which is also available on limited edition CD. Barry scored to reflect the surreal nature of the film as opposeed to a traditional western-type score. Great decision on his part and shows he understood the true nature of the film. Barry makes a great scoring decision and really elevates the dreamlike atmosphere of the film.MGM remastered and released The White Buffalo on official DVD in Japan waaay back in 2003 with real cover art(along with Bronson's From Noon til Three). If MGM cant pay the US the same respect, I'll keep watching my Japanese copy. This cover art is pathetic, as with all of these archive DVDR releases. I guess you'll have to pick it up if you don't have a copy, but I hate to see these guys encouraged with less than quality releases.Let's hope the remaining unreleased Bronson films, Stone Killer and Noon til Three, get real releases with real transfers as opposed to this DVD-R or the recent Telefon transfer travesty. I mean, c'mom MGM, it's Bronson we're talking about here.....