High And The Mighty (DVD)

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Audio:
The audio comes in two flavors for your enjoyment. The first is an original Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track that represents the theatrical sound. The second is an expanded 5.1 track. By and large the two are indistinguishable, aside from a few gimmicky airplane noises in the rear speakers. Don´t expect a tour de force of audio. However the dialogue, limited music cues and sound effects are as clear as the video. Nary a hiss, click or pop to be found anywhere in the transfer. One of the wonders of the film is its Academy Award winning soundtrack, and it´s beautifully recreated on this DVD.

Extras:
As you would expect with a 2-disc set for a movie that hasn´t been seen in decades staring one of the most recognizable movie stars in history, there is a good bit of information on here. The first piece is a feature-length commentary with uber film historian Leonard Maltin and William Wellman, Jr., the director´s son. Maltin is his usual ebullient self, full of verve and espousing a ton of knowledge. He also brings in special guests, the original cast, during specific scenes through pre-recorded bits. It´s a great, well-structured commentary that has a ton of information. Wellman, Jr. seems to remember a lot about a movie shot over fifty years ago by his father and is willing to share under Maltin´s tender guidance. It´s well-structured and almost more interesting than the film itself. I rarely listen to entire commentaries (simply because of time constraints) but sat and took in every word Maltin and Wellman had to share. It´s that good.

The second disc begins with another introduction by Leonard Maltin. He gives a broad overview of what´s coming up in the special features and duplicates a lot of the comments made during the (appropriately titled) commentary.

"The Making of The High and the Mighty" is a series of small documentaries that discuss a host of issues starting with Wayne´s production company Batjac. The documentary focuses on a major, yet little discussed, part of Duke Wayne´s life as a producer. It leads up to his taking on different projects and ultimately "The High and the Mighty." It discusses everything you could possibly want to see, from the translation of book to film and the selection of the cast to the scoring and fallout after its release. I like good documentaries about film… and this is a great one. It is an exhaustive and complete documentary that sets the bar for its sort on DVD. I´m sure it´ll also fit in with the remainder of the John Wayne Collection.

There is also a documentary that focuses on the preservation and restoration of the film "The High and the Mighty. You´ll really appreciate just how incredible this movie looks and sounds. It´s intense and beautiful.

Maltin takes "A Critic´s Perspective" of "The High and the Mighty." He repeats a lot of information in the commentary and goes on to gush about the film. He takes a historical, more than critical, perspective.

"Flying in the Fifties" talks about the place that "The High and the Mighty" holds in cinema history. Flying has become routine for many people and this extra takes us back to the era when flying was exotic and fantastic. It´s a pseudo-period documentary that´s pretty interesting… and a lot of retrospective interviews from pilots who flew during that time.

There are three trailers, one theatrical (which looks incredibly washed out and rough and will make you appreciate how good the movie looks), a trailer designed to pull people out of the comfort of their homes and away from their televisions, and one for the works of Batjac productions.

Film history buffs will enjoy the red carpet footage from the premiere. It´s short and sweet. There is also a photo gallery with tons of behind-the-scenes moments.

Film Value:
"The High and the Mighty" is as quaint as they come. It´s completely mired in its time period and if you can get into that mindset and ignore the broadly drawn characters you´ll probably find a lot to love. The audio and video presentations are absolutely stellar, reflecting the glory of Cinemascope and the wonderful score. The extras are extensive and help round out a thoroughly fulfilling package.