The year 2004 has seen the release of some outstanding DVDs, and I've made a list of those I found to be the best. My criteria included the artistic merit of the movie, the enhancement value of the bonus materials, and the picture and sound quality. I applied these criteria in a completely subjective fashion, and the result is a personal, idiosyncratic list of my own favorites that doesn't necessarily reflect the popular wisdom.
I rate Jean Renoir's French-language "The Rules of the Game" (1939) one of the two or three greatest films of all time, and it features an unforgettable performance by Marcel Dalio. Criterion Collection released it as a two-disc set, where Disc 1 has the feature film and a feature-length scholarly audio commentary by Alexander Sesonske. Disc 2 contains a number of bonus materials, including a BBC documentary on Renoir and a French TV program where the director discusses his movie.
The Swedish-language "Fanny and Alexander" (1982) was Ingmar Bergman's final film having a theatrical release, and I consider it one of his best. The theatrical version takes up only one disc in this five-disc set, and it comes with a feature-length commentary by Peter Cowie. Two of the discs are consumed by the television version of "Fanny and Alexander," which runs 312 minutes. This leaves two discs for bonus materials, including Bergman's 110-minute making-of documentary.
I think Luchino Visconti's "The Leopard" (1963) is one of the great all-time movies, and Burt Lancaster gives an unforgettable performance in it. Disc 1 has the wonderful Italian-language version of the feature film, optionally accompanied by feature-length commentary by Peter Cowie. Disc 2 contains bonus materials, including a making-of, a producer interview, and historical background. Disc 3 has the abridged English-language version of the movie, which I regard as merely a curiosity.
Yasujiro Ozu is one of my favorite directors, and a two-disc Criterion Collection DVD set contains two of his finest films: "A Story of Floating Weeds" (1934) and "Floating Weeds" (1959). The older movie is a black-and-white silent, while the newer is a color talkie remake. Donald Richie provides an optional audio commentary track for the older film, and Roger Ebert does the same for the newer. Both movies pack an emotional wallop, but the color version is particularly beautiful.
Gillo Pontecorvo's "The Battle of Algiers" (1966) is about the pivotal battle in the 1954-62 struggle of the Algerians to gain their independence from France, and I think the film is quite relevant to world events today. The movie is quasi-documentary style with dialogue in French and Arabic. The feature film is on Disc 1 of a three-disc set, with Disc 2 containing a making-of plus a documentary on Pontecorvo. Disc 3 provides four documentaries focusing on the film and history.
I find Federico Fellini's Italian-language "La Dolce vita" memorable for its stunning visuals, the charisma of leading man Marcello Mastroianni, and Nino Rota's evocative score. The film gave us the word "paparazzi," and I believe the movie's basic notions are as relevant in the 21st century as they were back in 1960 when the movie was initially released. The Koch Lorber two-disc DVD set provides a good feature-length commentary by Richard Schickel and over an hour of bonus materials.
I believe Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List" (1993) captures awful experiences representative of those of millions of people, but he tailored his film to mainstream moviegoers' sensibilities by weaving the horrors of the Holocaust into an inspiring story about how 1100 Jews survived because of the efforts of German entrepreneur Oskar Schindler. The DVD contains a powerful 77-minute documentary featuring interviews with a dozen of the people who remained alive due to Schindler's efforts.
I've always enjoyed the first three "Star Wars" movies, and they have at last become available in a four-disc DVD set. The three films, now known as "Episode IV: A New Hope" (1977), "Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" (1980), and "Episode VI: Return of the Jedi" (1983), each occupies one disc, and each comes with a feature-length commentary by groups led by George Lucas. The fourth disc contains a number of bonus materials, notably a two-and-one-half hour making-of documentary.
"Gone With the Wind" (1939) is politically incorrect and heavy-handed, but I like the strong story, high production values, and performances of Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. The movie is on Disc 1 and Disc 2 of the four-disc set, with the break at the theatrical intermission. There's optional commentary by Rudy Behlmer throughout the entire film. Disc 3 contains a two-hour making-of and other bonus materials. Disc 4 has features on Gable, Leigh, and actress Olivia de Havilland.
Judy Garland is at her most winsome in "Meet Me in St. Louis" (1944), the glorious Technicolor movie that ushered in the golden age of the MGM musical. I think the film would be worth seeing just for the production number "The Trolley Song" alone. There's an optional feature-length commentary that is mostly by Garland biographer John Fricke. The two-disc DVD set also contains several bonus materials, including a 30-minute making-of and a 50-minute MGM Studio profile.
