Tuesday, September 9, 2008

The Latest on DVD: Go West

One of my favorite westerns is How the West Was Won,the first non-documentary filmed in Cinerama. This Academy Award winning American epic boasted at least three directors (including John Ford) and a truly all-star cast, among them: Walter Brennan, Henry Fonda, Karl Malden, Agnes Moorehead, Gregory Peck, Robert Preston, Debbie Reynolds, James Stewart, John Wayne, Richard Widmark and Thelma Ritter, plus Spencer Tracy as the narrator and an iconic score by Alfred Newman.

The classic oater returns to DVD today, digitally remastered in three special editions, including its high-def debut on Blu-ray.

In addition to a standard two-disc special edition,a deluxe Ultimate Collector's Editionis also available. This set includes over four hours of all new special features (including an audio commentary, a "making of" featurette and the bonus documentary Cinerama Adventure), plus reproductions of the original Cinerama Souvenir Book, press book and photos.

The Blu-ray editionhas an extra, exclusive feature: in addition to the standard theatrical presentation, the set offers a "SmileBox" version of the film. The first of its kind on a high-def release, "SmileBox" presents the image with a "unique curvature that virtually recreates the true Cinerama experience".

UPDATE: For even more Cinerama goodness, including loads of rare photos, visit Robert Siegel's "Golden Hollywood" at The Digital Bits.

Check out the Latest on DVD widgets located in the sidebar for more of this week's new DVD releases available today from Amazon.com.

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