A classic comedy.
Video:
The 2.35:1 Anamorphic video looks a little washed out but isn´t bad at all; likely the best the film has ever looked. Grain and compression dots the transfer, as do a few scratches, but none of them are distracting.
Audio:
The 5.1 Dolby Digital track sounds good, though not particularly dynamic. The various 80s tunes come roaring through in perfect clarity. I didn´t notice much use of the surround speakers for anything but crowd noise and even that wasn´t particularly prevalent.
Extras:
This new Bueller…Bueller… edition DVD is fairly packed, though does eschew the (rather pointless) commentary from director John Hughes that was present on the original release.
The cast and crew sit down to reflect on how they became involved in the process. Contemporary footage is intercut with period interviews from different people. This is a by-and-large complimentary documentary. It´s nice to hear from people like Alan Ruck and Mia Sara along with Matthew Broderick. The fact that Ruck and Broderick worked together on Broadway goes a long way to explaining the great chemistry they had on film. A lot of the origins of the story are expanded upon in this half-hour documentary.
"The Making of Ferris Bueller´s Day Off" is a more technical featurette that fixates on John Hughes´ mullet as much as his genius. By looking at John Hughes´ dual roles as writer and director, and how that assisted in the creation of a sense of spontaneity. People who enjoy the creation of film and the ways that editing plays into the telling of the story.
"Who is Ferris Bueller" takes an in-depth look at the titular character, his origins, and what he means to the greater cinematic world. Matthew Broderick gets his due praise for his portrayal of Ferris and bringing the movie together.
"The World According to Ben Stein" is a talk with the world´s smartest man, politico, game show host, and sometime actor. Stein talks, in his familiar droll manner, about fame and his interactions with it. I´ve had the pleasure to sit in a room and listen to Stein reminisce; his stories are great and that wonderful charm comes through in this interview.
There are a set of "Vintage Ferris Bueller Tapes" that are just the two leads sitting in front of a camera chatting about the filmmaking process and goofing off. Alan Ruck and Matthew Broderick (later joined by Mia Sara, Jeffery Jones, and others) play interview and giggle for a dozen minutes. Behind the scenes footage of the characters riffing (including some outtakes and deleted scenes) are included in unprocessed form.
The "Class Album" is a set of still promotion photographs. There are also automatic previews for classics like "Tommy Boy" and "Airplane" which should be added, along with "Ferris Bueller," to your collection.
Overall:
I love Ferris Bueller. As a character, as a film, as a piece of history; this movie is great in every way. This new DVD has a great-looking transfer and a decent audio track that doesn´t take anything away from the film. The new extras are a great bonus, though I don´t know if it is worth upgrading if you already own the previous edition.
The 2.35:1 Anamorphic video looks a little washed out but isn´t bad at all; likely the best the film has ever looked. Grain and compression dots the transfer, as do a few scratches, but none of them are distracting.
Audio:
The 5.1 Dolby Digital track sounds good, though not particularly dynamic. The various 80s tunes come roaring through in perfect clarity. I didn´t notice much use of the surround speakers for anything but crowd noise and even that wasn´t particularly prevalent.
Extras:
This new Bueller…Bueller… edition DVD is fairly packed, though does eschew the (rather pointless) commentary from director John Hughes that was present on the original release.
The cast and crew sit down to reflect on how they became involved in the process. Contemporary footage is intercut with period interviews from different people. This is a by-and-large complimentary documentary. It´s nice to hear from people like Alan Ruck and Mia Sara along with Matthew Broderick. The fact that Ruck and Broderick worked together on Broadway goes a long way to explaining the great chemistry they had on film. A lot of the origins of the story are expanded upon in this half-hour documentary.
"The Making of Ferris Bueller´s Day Off" is a more technical featurette that fixates on John Hughes´ mullet as much as his genius. By looking at John Hughes´ dual roles as writer and director, and how that assisted in the creation of a sense of spontaneity. People who enjoy the creation of film and the ways that editing plays into the telling of the story.
"Who is Ferris Bueller" takes an in-depth look at the titular character, his origins, and what he means to the greater cinematic world. Matthew Broderick gets his due praise for his portrayal of Ferris and bringing the movie together.
"The World According to Ben Stein" is a talk with the world´s smartest man, politico, game show host, and sometime actor. Stein talks, in his familiar droll manner, about fame and his interactions with it. I´ve had the pleasure to sit in a room and listen to Stein reminisce; his stories are great and that wonderful charm comes through in this interview.
There are a set of "Vintage Ferris Bueller Tapes" that are just the two leads sitting in front of a camera chatting about the filmmaking process and goofing off. Alan Ruck and Matthew Broderick (later joined by Mia Sara, Jeffery Jones, and others) play interview and giggle for a dozen minutes. Behind the scenes footage of the characters riffing (including some outtakes and deleted scenes) are included in unprocessed form.
The "Class Album" is a set of still promotion photographs. There are also automatic previews for classics like "Tommy Boy" and "Airplane" which should be added, along with "Ferris Bueller," to your collection.
Overall:
I love Ferris Bueller. As a character, as a film, as a piece of history; this movie is great in every way. This new DVD has a great-looking transfer and a decent audio track that doesn´t take anything away from the film. The new extras are a great bonus, though I don´t know if it is worth upgrading if you already own the previous edition.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]17243[/release]