This is a great yarn, folks.
Audio:
For most of its other two-disc special editions, Warner Bros. created new Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mixes. Alas, the studio decided to use only the Dolby Digital 2.0 surround English mix that was created for the film´s 1996 restoration. It´s an enjoyable audio experience, and the sound mix does a fine job of dispersing Tiomkin´s music score throughout the room. However, anything that requires deep low-ends betrays the soundtrack´s mono origins--the sound design is simply incapable of rumbling. In a sense, though, having weak low-ends helps the experience of watching the movie--it feels "authentic".
You can opt to watch the film with a DD 1.0 French track (though I can´t imagine why, even if you only know French). Optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles as well as optional English closed captions support the audio.
Extras:
The packaging for this two-disc special edition set boasts that there are "BONUS MATERIALS AS LARGE AS TEXAS". While that claim is an exaggeration, I report that the extras are almost as satisfying as a juicy, hearty, Texas-style steak.
--Disc 1--
There´s an introduction to the movie by George Stevens Jr., son of the director of "Giant". Mr. Stevens also contributes to an audio commentary, and he is joined by co-screenwriter Ivan Moffat and film critic Stephen Farber. This is a pretty good commentary as far as these things go, filled with anecdotes about what happened during production. There´s also the "George Stevens: Filmmakers Who Knew Him" documentary that features interviews with important filmmakers who pay tribute to the great director.
--Disc 2--
Most of the set´s extras are found on Disc 2. In addition to the documentary on Disc 1, there are two documentaries on Disc 2--"Memories of ´Giant´" and "Return to ´Giant´". "Memories..." features interviews with various filmmakers who reminisce about the making of the movie. "Return to ´Giant´" takes viewers back to filming locations.
There´s a collection of vintage promos on the disc, including footage from premieres ("New York Premiere Telecast", "Hollywood Premiere") and a newsreel called "´Giant´ Stars Are off to Texas" that showed audiences the beginning of shooting for "Giant". "Behind the Cameras: On Location in Marfa" is a vintage promo that shows off the town of Marfa as it anticipates the end of production and the exhibition of the film. "Behind the Cameras: Dimitri Tiomkin" shines a spotlight on the composer of the music score.
There are two galleries--one for production stills and one for production documents. There´s a collection of production trivia gathered under the "A ´Giant´ Undertaking" umbrella. Finally, there are four trailers for the movie, a George Stevens filmography, an awards listing, and cast and crew listings.
--Miscellaneous--
The DVDs are housed in Warner´s cardboard Digipak design for two-disc special editions with everything enclosed by a slipcase. Chapter listings and information about the extras appear wherever there is space on the cardboard case.
Film Value:
Admittedly, "Giant" gets a bit long in the teeth with its 201-minute running time. Still, its length is part of its charm and reflects the sprawl that Texas occupies on maps and in minds. From a technical standpoint, "Giant" is simply a professionally-assembled product. Philosophically, academically, and spiritually, the film is simple, period. There´s more than a hint of sentimentality in the movie. However, having lived in Texas for more than a decade, I can say that "Giant" captures the essence of "Texan-ness" with fondness, warmth, and good humor (as well as slightly-biased objectivity). This is a great yarn, folks.
Note: Back in late-2000, Warner Bros. released "Giant" as a one-disc special edition--in Canada only. However, that release was quickly pulled from the market, and collectors got their hands on every publicly-available copy. As far as I can tell, all of the extras on that DVD have been carried over to the new two-disc set, and the movie is still listed as having a runtime of 201 minutes. However, I´m willing to bet that the movie looks and sounds better now than then given how today´s DVD technologies are steps above yesterday´s.
For most of its other two-disc special editions, Warner Bros. created new Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mixes. Alas, the studio decided to use only the Dolby Digital 2.0 surround English mix that was created for the film´s 1996 restoration. It´s an enjoyable audio experience, and the sound mix does a fine job of dispersing Tiomkin´s music score throughout the room. However, anything that requires deep low-ends betrays the soundtrack´s mono origins--the sound design is simply incapable of rumbling. In a sense, though, having weak low-ends helps the experience of watching the movie--it feels "authentic".
You can opt to watch the film with a DD 1.0 French track (though I can´t imagine why, even if you only know French). Optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles as well as optional English closed captions support the audio.
Extras:
The packaging for this two-disc special edition set boasts that there are "BONUS MATERIALS AS LARGE AS TEXAS". While that claim is an exaggeration, I report that the extras are almost as satisfying as a juicy, hearty, Texas-style steak.
--Disc 1--
There´s an introduction to the movie by George Stevens Jr., son of the director of "Giant". Mr. Stevens also contributes to an audio commentary, and he is joined by co-screenwriter Ivan Moffat and film critic Stephen Farber. This is a pretty good commentary as far as these things go, filled with anecdotes about what happened during production. There´s also the "George Stevens: Filmmakers Who Knew Him" documentary that features interviews with important filmmakers who pay tribute to the great director.
--Disc 2--
Most of the set´s extras are found on Disc 2. In addition to the documentary on Disc 1, there are two documentaries on Disc 2--"Memories of ´Giant´" and "Return to ´Giant´". "Memories..." features interviews with various filmmakers who reminisce about the making of the movie. "Return to ´Giant´" takes viewers back to filming locations.
There´s a collection of vintage promos on the disc, including footage from premieres ("New York Premiere Telecast", "Hollywood Premiere") and a newsreel called "´Giant´ Stars Are off to Texas" that showed audiences the beginning of shooting for "Giant". "Behind the Cameras: On Location in Marfa" is a vintage promo that shows off the town of Marfa as it anticipates the end of production and the exhibition of the film. "Behind the Cameras: Dimitri Tiomkin" shines a spotlight on the composer of the music score.
There are two galleries--one for production stills and one for production documents. There´s a collection of production trivia gathered under the "A ´Giant´ Undertaking" umbrella. Finally, there are four trailers for the movie, a George Stevens filmography, an awards listing, and cast and crew listings.
--Miscellaneous--
The DVDs are housed in Warner´s cardboard Digipak design for two-disc special editions with everything enclosed by a slipcase. Chapter listings and information about the extras appear wherever there is space on the cardboard case.
Film Value:
Admittedly, "Giant" gets a bit long in the teeth with its 201-minute running time. Still, its length is part of its charm and reflects the sprawl that Texas occupies on maps and in minds. From a technical standpoint, "Giant" is simply a professionally-assembled product. Philosophically, academically, and spiritually, the film is simple, period. There´s more than a hint of sentimentality in the movie. However, having lived in Texas for more than a decade, I can say that "Giant" captures the essence of "Texan-ness" with fondness, warmth, and good humor (as well as slightly-biased objectivity). This is a great yarn, folks.
Note: Back in late-2000, Warner Bros. released "Giant" as a one-disc special edition--in Canada only. However, that release was quickly pulled from the market, and collectors got their hands on every publicly-available copy. As far as I can tell, all of the extras on that DVD have been carried over to the new two-disc set, and the movie is still listed as having a runtime of 201 minutes. However, I´m willing to bet that the movie looks and sounds better now than then given how today´s DVD technologies are steps above yesterday´s.
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[release]10864[/release]