Fast Times At Ridgemont High

Sound:
The HD-DVD release finds a brand new 5.1 transfer to deliver the impressive musical selections and familiar jokes to the masses. In addition to the English 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus track, a sole Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 mono mix is included. The musical selections are where the mix shines, with the rear surrounds and .1 LFE channel showing life mostly during musical moments. The rest of the film is dominated with a strong front channel presence that is clean and nicely done. "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" was a low budget film and the focus surely was not on the sound design. There isn´t a lot of sound effects in the film and some sound elements truly sound dated, especially the scene where Judge Reinhold sets off to deliver some fast seafood. The transfer is still notably better than older releases of the film, but this isn´t an overly dynamic or impressive sounding film.

Extras:
Pressed on one of the older HD-15/DVD-9 Combo Format releases, the only feature contained on the HD-DVD side is the Feature Commentary with Director Amy Heckerling and Writer Cameron Crowe. The commentary is a pretty good one, with the writer and director conversing, reminiscing and laughing throughout the track. A lot of information is shared between the two and a few trivial snippets that made the track a worthwhile investment of time. An example of these tidbits is the fact that Bruce Springsteen´s younger sister had a role in the film. Cameron and Heckerling also discuss the music and given Crowe´s background in music journalism, this too makes the commentary a nice listen.

Flipping the disc over unveils a few more supplements. More recent Combo Format releases finds the same supplements on both sides of the disc, but we have to turn the disc over for this one. One could consider the DVD version of the film a bonus. You do pay extra for it, but it is there. The documentary Reliving Our Fast Times at Ridgemont High (39:15) is a very nice look back at the film. This isn´t the typical making-of documentary, but a collection of the films stars and crew remembering their experiences in making the film. Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, Cameron Crowe, Amy Heckerling, Eric Stolz and others are involved in this feature that was produced for the 1999 DVD release. The second notable feature is the Hangouts of Ridgemont High. This features an interactive map of a few of the film´s locations. By selecting each item, short vignettes offer details on where the locations were, their present state and clips from the film. Some Production Notes and a theatrical trailer complete the listed extras. Additionally, Easter eggs exist with quotes and scenes from the film.

Closing Comments:
I grew up watching "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and remember thinking about how cool Jeff Spicoli was. I had always wanted to order pizza in high school and by the time I had the opportunity, I had forgotten to even try. In hindsight, it would have been a bad idea, but I´d have the memory to talk about. Even though I don´t have my own memory of Spicoli´s deeds, I have the HD-DVD release of this film and can enjoy watching a film I remember vividly from my early years. Cameron Crowe has a way with culture and understands the process of growing up. He was a wunderkind that lived his dreams, and has a way of writing about things he witnessed through his formative years. Although he did not direct the film, this is certainly his movie. The cast is incredible, as is the writing and the music. Amy Heckerling added her touch to the film, but this is still Crowe´s movie. The HD-DVD release features a nicely detailed and highly colorful transfer with a passable 5.1 audio track. The hours worth of supplements are contained on the DVD side of this Combo Format release. It was a joy reliving this film in high definition.

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