Truman Show, The (DVD)

great movie!

I was sure hoping this review would compare the original DVD release to this new Special Edition. The Truman Show was the very first DVD I purchased, back when I purchased my first player -- we'd seen it in the theaters and loved it, and picked this title up off the "New Releases" rack. I liked the rundown of the extras, but I'd also love to see a comparison of the picture/sound quality between the new release and the first one.

I'd do it if I could, but I don't own the original. This release is stellar on its own merits, however.

There are some comparison screenshots here:



http://dvd.ign.com/articles/644/644552p1.html

if i remember correctly, the first release has non-anamorphic video.

You are right Eddie

Man, the transfer on this dvd is near perfection.



Weird how a lot of movies without all the special effects make for the best looking.

"Weird how a lot of movies without all the special effects make for the best looking."



Technically that's not too surprising. To add visual effects, the film has to be scanned, then the effects added, and then reprinted onto film. If the process is not handled well, there will be noticeable loss of detail.



Of course, how good a film looks depends on more than just this. Cinematography, color palette, personal preferences & bias all come into play. And on DVD, the mastering and transfer have to be considered.

The image on the Special Edition appears to my eye as an improvement though I haven't done a side by side comparison.



I love this movie but one aspect that hasn't been mentioned is the music. A lot of it is Philip Glass. I ended up buying the soundtrack a few years ago and I love it when it pops up on my iPod.



I think the music added something to the tone of the film that helped make it work (apart from being really good music on its own). (The non-Glass music was by Burkhard Dallwitz.)