Just for the record, there are several pre-1965 DVDs that
have some pretty interesting extras.
"The Big Sleep" DVD has both versions of the film -- the one
we're used to and the one that was cut before Warner Bros.
ordered more Bacall and less exposition. "The Third Man" has
been beautifully restored, with quite a good background doc.
"Strangers on a Train" has both endings -- one featuring an
Anglican priest, the other a more US-familiar type. "Touch of
Evil" has Welles' intended opening sequence and other
director preferences that were ignored by Universal the first
time around. "The Manchurian Candidate" offers a very good
discussion of the film with its now-deceased key figures,
Sinatra, Frankenheimer and Alexrod.
I'm not sure these additions qualify as remarkable but
they're nice to have. Too bad we won't be getting a look at
that often mentioned discarded opening for Indemnity, with
Edward G. watching MacMurray fry in the electric chair.
---
Date: Tue, 06 Jul 2004 14:31:30 -0400 From: David Moran <davidm@shakespeare-nyc.com> Subject: Re: RARA-AVIS: Double Indemnity on DVD
I've yet to see any pre-1965 movie that has anything really remarkable in the extras department. Which is just as well, I think. In my opinion, 99% of the extra stuff bundled with DVDs is a complete waste of time. I got Nick Ray's "In a Lonely Place" not too long ago...and there was a mini-homage-documentary-thing in which Curtis Hanson (director of L.A. Confidential) talked about his love for the movie. Nice but...ehhh...so what?
For my money, as long as the movie has a good, crisp transfer and good audio, that trumps just about any random crap (e.g. production stills, silly quizzes, original theatrical trailers) they might dig up to add as extra features.
David Moran
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