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17 - HAMLET
Gone are the days that Shakespeare fans would pay in excess of $100 on eBay for a 2-tape VHS version of Kenneth Branagh’s 4-hour version of Shakespeare’s meatiest play. Alas, this is its platter you see before you. Bard buddy Branagh was bold by adapting the play in its entirety, creating the most comprehensive film version to date. Whereas previous versions served as vainglorious Cliffs’ Notes versions for stars like Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton and Mel Gibson, Branagh gives life to the extensive cast of characters, with performances by unlikely faces like Billy Crystal (as the Gravedigger) and Charlton Heston (as the Player King) rising above the novelty of their casting. Also notable is Branagh’s choice to do the famous “To be or not to be…” monologue in a mirror. The lush detail of the 1996 film’s 70mm presentation would certainly be better served with a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD issue, but this fine film still makes us say, “What a piece of work is Branagh’s.” Fans of grand theatrical film productions will want to check out the 1964 drama Becket starring Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole, also making its DVD debut.
18 - THE ADVENTURES OF YOUNG INDIANA JONES, VOLUME 1: THE EARLY YEARS
Like the tenacious archaeologist we know from the three blockbuster movies, fans did not give up in their quest for a DVD release of George Lucas’s ambitious TV series, “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles,” which ran in three bursts from 1992-96. Paramount heard their cry, and how. While they could have very easily put out all 44 produced episodes (8 unaired) in one barebones collection, the studio’s loving and deliberate packaging of them is pretty wondrous to behold. The 12-disc set contains 7 episodes and a prolific 38 in-depth companion documentaries on an array of episode-related historical subjects. These are not just lightweight puff pieces meant to mindlessly promote the series, either. CBS News veteran David Schneider heads Lucasfilm’s documentary unit, and his team’s work really complements the episodes with insights from scholars, historians and luminaries from a wide range of disciplines. The pilot episode – especially with its broad and obvious performances from its young leads – is a little rough, but the series gets better fast. Considering the sheer volume of material here, it is even worth the full retail of $129.99, though bargain hunters will likely find it for much less. Volume 2: The War Years is available on December 18, and the fourth theatrical movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, hits screens on May 22, 2008.
19 - PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:
AT WORLD’S END
While the third in Disney’s cash cow adventure trilogy starring Johnny Depp, Kiera Knightley and Orlando Bloom did not top 2006’s Dead Man’s Chest at the box office (or with critics and audiences), a nearly $1 billion payday for the studio surely warrants another installment, tentatively set for a 2009 start. Disney rolls out another 2-disc special edition here, loaded with (mostly frilly) bonus features. A 3-movie collection is also available. Soundtrack nuts might find of interest Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack Treasures Box Set, featuring Hans Zimmer’s scores to all three movies plus bonus remixes and a behind-the-scenes DVD. An unrelated softcore spoof from Retromedia Entertainment called Harlots of the Caribbean is also available (and don’t forget the big-budget Pirates XXX), and a new disc of hilarious “authentic pirate rap” from Captain Dan and the Scurvy Crew called Rimes of the Hip-Hop Mariners is available for sample and purchase through their website (check out the way-catchy “Flint Lock Glock”).
20 - DISNEY TREASURES: WAVE 7
(released December 11)
Every year or so, Disney opens its vaults and all manner of vintage goodness comes lurching out with their Walt Disney Treasures sets. This year is no exception, with three shiny, purdy 2-disc “tin sets” to have collectors drooling like Gollum over their precious, limited edition goodness. The coolest is Disneyland Secrets, Stories & Magic, detailing Uncle Walt’s longtime dream to open a theme park based on his studio’s output to date (with a replica of a vintage “E Ticket” booklet included). With Disney historian/series seeder Leonard Maltin putting everything in a historical context, it’s all a very interesting (albeit officially official) trip to the past. We go way, way back – 1927-28, pre-Mickey Mouse – in The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt’s first cartoon series, with a more recent and recognizable character (and a character he is!) getting yet another set in The Chronological Donald Volume 3. Careful, though, as a fan newly smitten by this series will find it a tad costly to fill in the blanks with the six previous waves, which include 22 sets in total, with many more planned. Now if only they could get Maltin to vanquish the Big Racial Boogeyman associated with the studios unreleased-in-the-U.S. 1946 gem, Song of the South…
TOMORROW AT NOON: Wrap up this year’s DVD Gift Guide with the last installment, including The Simpsons Movie and Futurama: Bender’s Big Score, The Bourne Ultimatum (and inevitable 3-movie pack), The Boston Red Sox 2007 World Series Edition and a mind-blowing 5-disc edition of Blade Runner (that any fan would happily retire an android for).
[READ THE PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS.]
